New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-28
PROGRESS AT JEROME PARK
roFN E. MDoNALD's ABILITY AS A con-
TRACTOR ILLUSTRATED.
,1,rrross OF CHIC YARDS OF EARTH AND ROCK
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. on SCHEDULES
UNEMPLOYED APPLIANCES


UNEMPLOYED APPLIANCES
=. - Johu g. Mcdonald the successful bidder for
- rauid transit contract who is building the
s.-yoir Al Jerome Park and the widespread at
.,+,ou which the tunnel project has now secured
.,ass a lively interest to be taken in the great
=, now in progress under his management IN
-. p,roueh OF The Bronx The year 1885 marked
- bsrinning Of actual work upon this great UNDER
-.ssng and though II has been from time TO uine
-sf--red 10 n print. It has on the whole secured
= --eat general public attention until recently
-rssrs nav even have been prevalent Idea that
he work was tagging. But that is far from the
truth -.
u he first place II must be borne in mind the
4s-nu.e Park contract was. UP 10 the time OF It's
letting the largest contract ever awarded oy the
r,tv OF New-York to any individual amounting 10
S472o50 positively and arrangements are pro-
-45ed Tor certain extra allowances which may IN
crease the cost II additional work is ordered done
M NcDonaid's contract price was S4ooo"o DeioW
ne estimate OF Chief Engineer Fteley- The qnanu-
ties Of the several forms OF excavation were care
fuIlv estimated BY the city engineers in advance.
and they show that II was figured that '.IoVoo
cubic yards in all were to be removed. divided as
follows co yards Of rock and $4,000 OF earth
SOME STRIKING COMPARISONS,
III. orsrtity Of earth and Of rock would consti-
ture masses as large respectively. as me LaIses'
and the second largest pyramids OF Egypt III 'heIf
The total mass would cover d ldI x
i+, block 20 by go feet high as the upperIlost
60 ~ -ie EfneI Tower and somewhat higher.
90 r. * equal in bulk TO more than 1-26O five
r-orv stores or apartment houses each covering
a FUN lot 100 BY . feet
-,z-bf Is known as progress sheet Is kept in the
Office Of the contractor. and line drawn upon II in
dicates how much Of the work Is 70 be done az GER
rsin times according TO the engineers estimates.
4 record kept by the contractor forms the basis
for another line upon the sheet, which, by 1uctuat-
irg above and below the engineers line, shows
whether ire progress OF the work is up TO date or
not A. present the charted progress IS up TO the
mark indicating the steady rate Of advance Of the
vast undertaking Such IS the vastness Of the Jerome
Park undertaking that the visitor 10 the scene at
Intervals OF q few weeks months notes but little
difference n the state OF the work.
TIE distance from the north end OF the work TO
the south end is mile; from the east 10 the
IS 0ne-haf mile. No large buildings in this neigh
b0rho0d serve as a measure OF the vastness and II
Is only when learns of the amount OF material
ezcavared and can see how much filing has been
done IN certain places with a small fractional
amount OF il that adequate idea is conveyed Of
the work and the ability and forcefulness with
which Il Is being carried The filing in and
grading OF Webster-ave., from Bedford Park TO
Toodlavn, a distance Of two miles was done By
Nj. Mcdonald with material from the reservoir
Tie newly constructed avenue is q most conspiou-
Gus object and attracts the attention Of many pas
sengers the adjacent line Of the Harlem Rail-
ED61s YET l14al only HDgyV CUBIC YARDS or
material out OF the total Of 10000 say IA per
cent
USE FOR THE EARTH
Again. many lots on the east side OF Jerorne-ave.
sn the Mount Hope district were filed in con-
gsred from swamp into attractive building sites:
yet that work required only $4,000 cubic yards OF
material At the westerly side OF the reservoir site
there is huge wall Of rock sixty feet IN height.
Thrty-hve drills have been at work that for
nearly Two years and 100000 cubic yards, broken
Up, have been taken from there: yet the appearance
CT the work has undergone no radical change and
while the whole outfit work there has receded |
following the face Of the cliff II demolished
the general aspect remains the same Earth and
rock when broken up occupy about 90 per cent more
space than when solid; hence. while the contra ctor
excGvates about 10000 cubic yards material he
has nearly d 10000 10 dispose OF.
The East Chester swamp, vast area of salt |
meadows lying three miles east OF Jerome Park, |
has been the site OF the greatest amount Of dump
ing and filing incident the building OF the
vsi-; 10000 cubic yards have been placed there
and the disturbance OF the original surface there
BY occasioned constitutes Of the most interest
ing modern phenomena known 10 biologists. Tn |
der the weight OF the great mass OF earth and |
rock piled upon II the surface Of the swamp has |
moved and taken q curious wavelike appear |
auce which Is attracting the attention OF scien-
tic IN many Of the institutions OF the United
States. The material is carried TO the swamp on |
railroad standard gauge and heavily built which
crosses Bronx Park and then parallels the Bronx |
and Pelham Parkway. The privilege Of running /
through public park with full fedged railroad |
Is great but citizens viii realize that their
property Is not misused when they learn that |
S-e@e@ would have been added TO the contract /
PTiee OF TIE reservoir had Il been understood
mat tl.s outlet would be provided. The railroad |
hseh cost $4,000. ano g section gang of fifteen |
Iren Is constantly employed upon II, and less
than twenty fagmen protect the public street |
crossings
AN IMPORTANT LITTLE RAILROAD
An important feature OF this railroad perhaps the
most striking, IS the treste over the Harlem road
ara across a part OF Bronx Park It is nearly |
~" feet long and in places is from 20 70 IS feet
IN height The railroad was first used for the |
building q the Bronx and Pelham Parkway haul |
ing s'Go cubic yards Of material for that splen-
ga aa roadway in 1881 and 1928 One point on the |
- q ne road Is Of interest At the summit, |
crosses the Aston Battery was encauped while |
Work contemplated in connection With the TeseT
olI embraces the filing Of private property north
77 Iiere are now Leo men employed al Jerome |
s.rerr JilleT the SUPERVISION q Henry B. Reed.
- via NJ Mcdonald in his numerous contracts
ne ep.r Tl. ~, years The total daily output from
- CUBIC Yards or. say. 1900 tons OF material
~L = -aI!eo away By fourteen large loconotiv
s-I- SIX small contractors aroiree Ors $500
60 seFenly standard gauge nat cars and twenty
So imp cars are employed the work |
80 ana ninety small dirt cars A. This rate aS 1
So altIes OF the work completed There viii /
So,f 80 -, ln1Cn 70 90 such putting fences
o. me l1ree miles OF clrc5rnf ference ~ ~ -.
as,oat ne as wei as the somewhat longer fence
- ~ ne outer line OF the properrv tbI 49,
- re grounds and their eurbeliisb,,.sn. = aoiis
80 AIRY saio. the work il al rs bstzt, ~
&c. q me excavation and masor--s - SS44y
afferfo o ne principal features now reee,v
ana sIooe v,7i - Work on the west side cenFrs
Ds---s Dlt OF the finest granite go muses. these /
mere have recently beer frs+.u.s
sat-tst ara most powerful steam sbo,.Yg u me
- LHese weigh ninety tons eac5 a., ~ *
t-sf-- 70 handle rock after ai4o are 1