The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-21
AT WORK ON THE TUNNEL,
Material Progress on New York;,
Rapid Transit subway.

| mere Is talk on all Sides about DELAY but
the contractors and commissioners declare
there has been no unreasonable or unex-
pected delay and they say that the task
of clearing the way for the tunnel in the
way OF lowering sewers and the like. pend
| ing the arrival of steel in August is Civ
ing them plenty to do. They attribute
the public's questioning attitude to the
fact that there has been no general i'm
pressive upheaval of the city streets.
Work has gone on in spots here and there.
but they say there are plenty OF spots.
| Chief Engineer Parsons of the Rapid
Transit Commission was asked today to
state just what progress had been made
in the tunnel work and what would be
done next. Selling his questioner's arm.
| he marched him into his Office and. taking
out map after map, his forefinger travel
ing across the charts in a characteristic
rapid transit style as he pointed out the
places where the sewer changes were be-
ing made and where cuttings were going
on in the rocks.
The lowering OF the Blocker Street
| sewer is almost completed" Mr.. Parsons
said. 1.-THE sewer work there will be fin
ished this week. Then. considerable prog
| ress has been made on the Tenth Street
sewer and there is every reason to be
pleased with the work done on the Null
berry Street sewer. Work has been be-
gun on the East Twenty second Street
sewer. but it will be several months be-
fore We will witness any tangible results
fhn-a Iac
way at 18th Street as everyone knows,
and on Monday excavation was begun at
10th Street and Broadway.
.'On Thursday work will begin on the
10th Street sewer. The work Of placing
abutments for the Manhattan Valley via
duct on the West Side line, where the
tracks will emerge from the subway at
1920 Street and cross the valley on steel
viaduct and re-enter at 135th Street, was
begun on Monday. The viaduct will be
a very handsome structure"
1t is at the office of Calvin W. Hen
drick. the engineer of the sewer division |
of the rapid transit work, that the details |
in sewer alteration are worked out. One |
of the transit men went over the work |
in detail today, describing more fully than |
Nr. Parsons the work which had been |
done up to date.
The Canal Street sewer had been rebuilt, |
he said. from South Street TO a point be-
tween Cherry and Oak Streets. The work |
of rebuilding this sewer was one Of the
greatest problems that confronted the |
contractors.
The Canal Street sewer, beginning at
East River, where it has an outlet at Pier
"a. runs up Oliver Street across Chatham
Square to Worth Street and from Worth
Street to Mulberry Street, and through
Mulberry Park to Leonard Street, through
Leonard Street to Centre Street. thence to
Canal, connecting at Elm Street with the
proposed subway. The sewer as it now
lies is seven feet below the surface but
must be lowered to a greater depth. The
Bleecker Street sewer runs from a point
thirty-ffve feet west Of Greene Street to
Elm Street at the line OF the subway. The
trench has. been opened the entire distance.
but a-portion of the b. Ter remains
to be laid. The Tenth St-et sewer runs
from Broadway to Fourth Avenue. Consid-
cradle progress has been made on this
sewer. which is OF brick and concrete. like
all the others mentioned differing only in
its dimensions.
Work was started on the East Twenty
second Street sewer the last OF May. The
excavation is not yet completed and some
of the sewer remains to be laid. The work
on the Mulberry Street sewer, beginning at
the point between Spring and Prince
Streets. and extending to a point fifteen
feet north Of Prince Street. is about half
completed Work will be begun on the
10th Street sewer on Thursday. This
sewer runs along 10th Street from Fifth
Avenue to Lenox Avenue, and up Lenox to
18th Street.
John McCabe. of the contracting firm of
L. B. McCabe & Brother was at Contractor
McDonald's office yesterday. He said that
70 |
the dump on Boulevard Lafayette. would
be IL operation today. The McCabe firm
has about seventy five men at work on the
section from 1880 Street to Fort George.
You ought to have been up to One Hun
bred and Fifty-seventh street Saturday
afternoon" said Mr.. McCabe. Il am CIV
ing away secret. maybe. but the first
official blast in the tunnel work was set
Df then. Mr.. Parsons went up TO see how |
the work was progressing. We put him to
work. 1t was not hard task. though. for
all he had to do was to operate the electric
battery. Eight holes had been drilled in
he rock and everything was fully covered.
The blast was one of the prettiest l ever
saw and a hole was made in that rock I
or nearly block. The area covered was
about thirty feet In width and the cut was
.welve feet deep. The subway in our sec
ion will be through rock for a distance of S
wo miles. with the exception of two {
blocks between One Hundred and Fifty +
fifth and One Hundred and Fifty-seventh +
streets. | refer to the section between :
)ne Hundred and Fiftieth street and Fort
George. From One Hundred and Thirty Z
hord street to One Hundred and Fiftieth
street there will be no rock to contend .
With" [
What is going to happen to the Boule-
ard trees is bothering many minds En- =
'ineer Parsons was asked about these trees
yesterday and he said:
1T really looks as though the trees /
would have to go. We have had confer {
noes with the upper West Side residents !
tbout the matter. but there does not seem =
o be any way out of it. The contractors +
ay that they cannot do anything The L
contract for the tunnel provides for the S
ubstitution Of new trees In place OF the L
Id ones when the tunnel is completed
)f course. that will be done. Personally, /
IN very sorry that the trees will have to c.
o. but the hue and cry raised about the y
natter has been very unnecessary. d
When the electric trolley system was s.
INSTITUTED for the horse car line on the u
last year 1t became necessary. II
n laying the tracks, to cut into the roots c
( the trees. 1t Is my firm conviction that b
he Boulevard elms are slowly, perhaps. G
ut surely bleeding to death"
Upon the subject Of the Boulevard trees
John Shields has something
o say. Mr.. Shields has q gang of about u
twenty-five men at work. opening up the
arkway on the Boulevard at 120th Street
lr. Shields. whose men have set to dig y,
ing around the trees. says he VIII not | hi
isturb them for a day or two. m
The persons who want, to save those VI