New-York tribune., 1900-09-23
RAPID TRANSIT PROGRESS.
PRESENT STATE OF THE WORK DONE
UPON EACH SUBDIVISION OF
THE ROAD

The actual work of excavation has begun
the Rapid Transit subway in about a dozen
places Gangs Of employed tearing up
pavements, scoopng up dirt in huge buckets
drilling into outcToppinss of rock preparatory for
blasting On either side OF the excavation steel
beams and girders piled. ready to be riveted
into place Truckioads of timber are also heaped
beside the steel, for use in temporarily supporting
the tracks OF the surface railways.
No work has yet been done on Section l, which
comprises the terminal station and loop at the
Postofice and which VIII extend to Chambers
ST According 10 Chief Engineer Parsons, no work
viii begin there until the question of extension
Of the tunnel To Brooklyn under the East River
is decided. In OF such extension. the work
in this section will not be great the present
plans contemplate.
In Section . which extends along Elln-st from
chambers-st. to Great Jones-st, the work of
cavation IS well advanced between Prince and
Great Jones sis. Much work has also been done
ia this section IN diveTtins the flow of
from the North the East River. This has been
done IN Centre Pearl Park Oliver. South, Bleecker
and Mulberry SIS. The changing of the Blocker
ST. sewer presented the greatest difficulties. but
has been accomplished The work on fhis
section is il charge OF the Degnon- Mclean Con-
struction Company.
+ In Section ). extending from Great Jones-st
20 Thirty-thiTd-st. along Fourth-ave,, work has
begun north Of Tenth-st. Here an overhead cable
mas been erected. An air compressing plant has also
been established in the Union Square Plaza.
Seventeenth-st and Fourtl-ave., which viii gener-
ate power for along the entire of this
section. The compressed air is conducted from
he compressors Ia five inch supply pipe. laid
i7'st below the pavement along the western gutter
Of the avenue The sub contractors OF this sec
tion arc Hobrook Cabot and Dar.
The first work Section I. which extends from
Thiriy-third-st 20 Forty-tirst-st. begun last
week al the southern end. The plan contempates
building tunnels underneath and each
side of the present tunnel in Fourth-ave. The con
A shaier
81 and Fourth-ave 10 FoTty-seVenth-st. and Broad
way. has not Yet been let.
In Section 5. extending between Forty seventh and
SKtieth SITS. excavation IS being conducted at
the Circle. Fifty-niuth-st. and Broadway. by the
agreenent between that corporation and Naughton
Section 7 extends from sixtieth-st to One-hun-
dred-and-fouTth-st- in Broadway. This is the last
since at ne-hundred-snd-fourth-st the tunnel
divides TO the northward into two track subways.
One Of these contin5es up Broadway. ana the
cher runs eastward under One-hundred-ana-
ner Of Central Park continues north along Lenox-
Work on Section = was begun in two places be-
tween Sixty-frst and Sxty-fourth SITS and Eighty
sixth and Ninetieth sts- William Bradley is the
The work which has begun on Section s; extend
TO one-hnndred tenth,st; list; and LenoN-aye is
one-hundred-and-tenth-st
On Sections 9 10 and L. which extend altogether
the Bronx Park. excavations have been made
except for the necessary changing Of certain
On Section y. extending from One hundred-and-
fourth TO One-hundred- twenty y-ffth-st. along
Broadway, work has begun between One-hundred-
snd-twentieth-st. and the northern end of the
ton This is just north Of Columbia University.
The Croton water main found in the trench Is now
being Telaid on one side. Here many of the old
Boulevard trees have been cut down.
The foundations of the north approach have been
laid in Section 13. from One-hundred and twenty
hfth-st Observation-Disclosures second-st,
which will consist Of elevated structure across
the Manhattan Valley. z. P Roberts IS the sub
contractor.
More work has been done on Section Il, extending
from -thirty-third-st. to One-hun-
GTed-and-eghty yfirst-st. than any other section
Of the subway. L. B. McCabe is the sub-contractor
Here the southern and northern ends of the tun-
mel. from ne-hundred-and-th -thrty-Jhird-st. One
n hundred yseventh-st have been opened and
&Nwork is being pushed in both directions The space
Wfrom One-hundre1 1and- -thrtythird TO One-hundred-
" and-thirty- y-seventh-st. has already been dug
Al e-hundrcd-and-dfty- -seventh-st. elevator
shaft % by Is feet is being sunk a depth 100
feet WCTkmen are now eXcaVating here 20 feet
down At One-hundred-and-eighty hty-irst-st. another
elevator shaft Of similar size is be sunk
deey. A. of which have already been excavated.
Nothing aside from surveys has been done the
remaining TWO sections Of the work which is to
tend north by tunnel from Observation-Disclosures
hrst-st. 10 Fort George, and from the latter point
10 Bailey-ave. in The Bronx, by elevated
structure.