New-York tribune., 1899-12-17
>,r,nvop1y Tp1RrNE ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT-
LONDON ELECTRIC ROADS.
THE THIRD AEoCT TO BE OPENED FOR
TRAFFIC..
All. OF THEM rNDERGRoUND-THE bANh S'N-
TIoN A REMARKABLE PIECE OF
I.NGINEERING
ENGINEERING.

TIoN 4 REMARKABLE PIECE OF
ENGINEERING
The approachiue completion Of the greatest un-
dcrcround electric railway in the world, the Cen
tal London draws attention afresh To the prog
ross of electric traction in the British capital the
old Metropolitan and Metropolitan District roauS
d.ror from tie more modern underground rail
VaNs in London in at least two respects. 1he
former run very near the surface and are opeT-
AID bv steam power. The Others are con
rtructed AT greater depths. The two steam
roads which together form an irregular oval
whose longer axis lies east and west are reached
ly stairways Access 10 the electric roads Is OBJ
taircd by what Americans call elevators but III
England are known as lifts
The pionecr enterprise among the electric ROADS
Of London was the city and South London OF
which a trine over three miles was opened To
nanic in 1890 Its northern terminus originally
was the Monument, in the eastern part OF the
city Just north of the Thames. The line ran IN
generally southwesterIy direction under the river
and ended at Stockwcn. Less than two years
ago a short extension OF this lire was built, d-
Icrging from the old route at Borough tsouth OF
IN, rivcr) diving under the Thames, passing
near the Bank of England and thence to Fms
bury Pavement near Moorgate-st. TINS Dranch
is now to be carried still further northward up
TO the Angel. at Islington. Meantime the south
western end is to be pushed on to Chapman.
When these additions have been made the Clty
anG South London will have about six miles OF
road. Hydraulic power was used to operate the
lifts Of This road first but after year or two
tho system was found to be unsatisfactory, and
electricity was substituted
The next road to be completed was the Water
O, and City. This is a short one, not over
mile and a half long. but it connects an impor-
tant trunk lire station south Of the river with
tho busiest part Of LOndOn-the vicinity Of the
Mansion House. tn" Bank Of England and Lom-
hard-st The trains on this line run through
without stop ana cover the distance in four
minutes
The Central London. projected in 1890 but not
undertaken in earnest until little more than
three years ago runs in east and west direc-
tiun and splits the oval Of the Metropolitan and
District roads almost in halves. Its western
terminus. Shepherds Bush, is out beyond the
fashionable West End. and mex; to the last sta
ton on the line 10 the eastward is the confluence
q Cornhili Lombard-st, Mansion House and
Princes and Thrcadnccdlc SITS The actual ter
minus will be the vicinity of the Liverpool-st.
station Of the Great Eastern road
The Central London runs through "A double
tunnel ana lies at a depth varying from sixty to
one hundred feet below the level of the streets
Urder which it passes. Irasmuch as the soil Of
London is mostly clay. excavation by the Great
head system Of tunn"lling has been compare
lively easy The work has presented occasional
difficulties. but or the whole it has been less OK
p,nsiye than boring a similar pair of holes
through rock. Excavation began in August.
1856. Each tunnel is lined with iron tubing. in
stead Of masonry. and has diameter of eleven
and one-half feet At stations, however. the
breadth has been widened to twenty-one feet,
7'he cnlars amcnt is conducted in such way as
a. thin the wall which divides one tunnel from