Omaha daily bee., 1900-12-12


guess on the number OF tons Of high ex-
plosives that will be required to do the
truly herculean work that this situation
calls for The distance under ground OF
this tunnel will average about hundred
feet going deeper In some places.
From one Hundred and Fifty Sixth to
One Hundred and Fifty Eighth there will
rot be rocky vault overhead There will
be a cut along these two blocks. while the
portal Of the tunnel stands at One Hundred
and Fifty Eighth street. The subway here
will be twenty-five feet wide and sixteen
feet high. At One Hundred and Forty
Eighth street the passage under the solid
rock begins In earnest. The heading Is at
present at about One Hundred and Fifty
Ninth street. Here the tunnel runs about
sixty feet below the surface. Temporary
tracks have been laid for removing the
broken of rock, and blasting proceeds as
rapidly as 1t can be done.
Through Solid Rock.
At One Hundred and Eighty First street
a shaft has been sunk that is to be a part
OF the tunnel. standing at right angles with
1t. This shaft after the first rev feet,
has been cut through solid rock. and Its
dimensions are thirty-two by fifteen feet,
with passage leading to the tunnel. There
will be two elevators running In this shaft
People leaving the trains will take the
lift at the bottom level OF the tunnel, and
will be carried up to the outer world.
Those taking trains will land at a higher
level, and use stairs to get down to the
platform. At this point the tunnel will
be 100 feet underground
one Of the most welcome features about
4 ha MI Itr oil nj hp hn
ming OF fast express trains. While the
local stations will be on an average from
quarter to a third OF mile apart. the
express stations will be at least a mile
and half apart. Trains once under way
can attain to speed of forty miles an
hour. Local trains will do well to reach
speed between stations of from thirty
to thirty-6ve miles an hour. and even the
advantage OF this speed will be greatly
| sacrificed, OF course, by the need Of fire.
quent stops. From the city hall to Har-
lem the trip by an express train will re-
quire an expenditure Of only from twelve
to fifteen minutes time. and even this
shorter running time may be cut down
when the road is in good running order.
Electricity will be the motive power
Throughout the entire length the under
ground portions will be lighted by cleo
| tricity, though by system entirely In
dependent OF that which furnishes the mo-
tive power In case of a breakdown OF
motive power the lights would still glow
| out and passengers could take to the track
| until the nearest station was reached
Ventilation OF the best kind is assured In
the subways and tunnels The rapid mo-
tion Of trains will In itself be a powerful
factor in keeping currents of air in cease
less motion. There will be none OF the
| smoke that makes London's underground
railway nuisance to passengers. Some
| dampness may be expected in the tunnels
but even this will be mitigated in every
way known to science. Along through the
two miles Of rock there will not be moist.
ure enough to be noticed by passengers.
| The Engineer In Charge.
One Of the busiest men in New York toda.
is William Barclay Parsons. the widel.
experienced chief engineer, on whom re
sponsibility for this whole gigantic under
taking Of the rapid transit rests. Another
| equally busy man IL George S. Rice, III,
deputy chief engineer. They are travelling
swiftly from point to point. inspecting worl
and listening to or reading the reports o
subordinates. The disbursement Of grea
sums of money rests with them. Under
| their direction are now some eighty civi
engineers. As the work takes on a large
| aspect there Will ! c more than a hundred
subordinate engineers, and, even with thi
number. every one OF the corps will be ex
tremely busy during the four years tina
will elapse before New York can hope t
see Its modern wonder completed.
There is not single perplexing featur
Of railway building but will haunt the en-
ginoer corps. Added difficulties that d
not confront above ground railway builde
will be found In such puzzles as what to d
with sewers that are In the way. Some O
these can remain In place over the roof O
the subway. Others will have to be modi
fed and still others wholly removed froI
the route Of the underground railway
There are water pipes and gas pipes, stear
heat conduits, electric wires and fire alarr
conduits. incandescent and telephone wire
in short, all the adjuncts Of our compile
civilization that are thrust under groun
between working points. There are thing
that were put under ground early In tn
century ---old sewers that have long ag
been abandoned; the old -fas hioned waite
} mains made by boring through logs an
} fastening them at the ends by bands G
iron; other things OF which men toda
hHoW tne use. ana AT every pOiT
, the toilers under ground must be prepare
: to know the uses of the things they en-
, counter. Everything that Is Of use toda
must be taken care of and abandone
underground sewers and mains must
moved out Of the way for all time.
1t is yet too early to estimate the nun
Der OF men who will be employed on tn
! work. John b. Mcdonald Is the contracto
3 He has $35, 900, 900 for expenses and profit
million and half more will be expende
on what Is broadly known as equipment
. which, In the main. means the price to
5 paid for land that will have to be col
4 demned Mr.. Mcdonald is letting the wor
< out in parcels to a host OF sub contra CT or
a many OF whom have not yet been called
n their share in the task, for the reason thi
I the details OF what they are to do cannt
| yet be fully determined. Mr. McDonal
I holds the largest contract of the kind ey,
0 awarded to one man.
. One Great value.
n There Is one use to which this unde
s ground railway system may be put son
e time in the future. and one that probab
:. has not occurred to one person In thol
k sand Of those who have looked curious
S on at the excavating and blasting In tin
h OF naval bombardment or siege this In
mense underground artery Of New Yol
life would furnish bomb proof b
enough to shelter hundreds OF thousan'
. of New York's on-combatant populati,