Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-10-22
THE TUNNEL PLAN
Followed With Success by Old
Dominion Land Co.
ITS NEW SEVER SYSTEM
- ~a0 Five Feet in Diam.sse Extending
from the River Acros. ,fs Railroad
Tack. An Object Leason to
Others Building Sewers.

Inc Old Dominion Land Company is
engaged in mammoth and intere ting
enterprise in the North End
All that section to the north and east
~ tne Huntington triangle" is being
drained by magnifcen1 sewer sys-
tenn. laid. by the way. en- business
principles.
me undertaking is comparatively
gigantic, and. in some respects. 80 far
as this community is concerned,
uniure.
ne feature Of the work is the cnor-
nous tunnel which is 9ocing built rndc.
me tract from the river back ;l.ross
eng railroad, 4 distance OF about I'LL
taanter Of u mile. This tunnel foi.sss
she main into which all the rest Of III,
system is conducted. 1t falls int, o..
river Just above the Rriarf;el Road
a. depth Of something over forty feet
heICW the surface of the HILL ,,hich
puts it about ten feet lower than The
M tS-t fourth street main Of the .>ty's
mysterious system
This tunnel is Of brick ,hrou..hnr,
and is five feet in diam ter. .Nre..d>.
about 80 feet distance has been cover
cd. The '":rt for this space was y heel
co Dack - the mouth o. the ri :t:,
front IN order to take ti,. dirt fr,?fn
tHe next section. q shaft has been sunk
dhnut q hundred yards back from the
shore This has been fitted up with
Win'ilass, trolley ana othc,. necessary
apparatus. The Work on this sccorl
SectluE is progressing rapidly and vi h
out 4 hitch
n representative Of TIL. Daily Press
yesterday visited the scene Of opera.
IONS and went through the tunnel a.
tar as practicable The atlmira h,c
manner in whith The work is being
done will strike :, visitor at once
The tunnel looks for al! the world
IKE coal mine way. except the slate
and coal are lacking. The work was
STARTED at the river. AS fast a $ the
nnle was tunneled out. it was heavily
ana securely tT:Ebered on each side ana
ABOVE. When this had been done 10 I.
c1staFce of about 225 feet. Or TO the end
OF what may be called she first sect on.
the work of bricking up the tunnel vas
commenced al the further end SO that
the brick might ne wheeled in from the
mouth. The brick work is rapidly
progressing toward the mouth of the
sunnel. When this cue is completed
the brcking Of the second section now
being excavated. will be comm an .ed.
ready for the masons. The mbering
Is being retained On the outside q. tha
brick
The bricks are unloaded from car
on a switch across the fields and ha uled
70 the river bank where they are chu-
ted down 70 the mouth of the tunnel
ioade! on wheel bs rrCws and taken
back to the masons
INTO this main tunnel run nu,::s rul!s
branch sewers. which drain all that re-
sion north Of Fitch street.
One is struck. upon examining this
main and watching the work with IL,
smoothness with which it proceeds. cn,.
VITA the fact that the tunnel!ng is
cone Very much more quickly mo-"
easily and more neatly than could have
beGn the case had the company made a
CUT instead of tunnel.
II looks. too. s though the work is
oein" done more cheap.S in this man
icr IMAM would have been possible by
making cut. To the non-te y meal
outsider the thought is suggested tia.
similar operations might have oess
conducted on Thirty Fourth street ana
1'WentE-fifth street With POSSIBLY finan-
cial advantage. and certainly to he
great relief Of the citizens upon those
thoroushfares.
Re that as it may, the Old Dun:nion
Land Company is assuredly scttins, Il
Inc system. When it is complcre.l ana
me otncr contemplated improvements
~ TINS section are finished. the proper
" Will be ready for those cUntemDlat
ing building there.