Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-24
NEW Y0RK'S BIG
TUNNEL Is BEGUN

The work on New York's rapid transit
underground railroad has begun. How
the engineers are going to bore a hole
through the center of Manhattan island
and directly under the foundations of the
c1tys s~kyscraper buildings is a problem
Whlch has been successfully solved.
Every detail of this enormous work has
been planned. Within three years the
rapid transit commissioners are hopeful
that the people will be speeding in fast
and comfortable trains through the tu-n
mel road from City hall to Harlem in Is
minutes.
The railroad will at a point
in Park row.. A two track loop will ex-
tend around the City hall park. The
route then lies under Center street, New
Elm street, Lafayette place, across AS
tor place and under AstOr place through
private property to Ninth street and
Fourth avenue.
The route then runs under Fourth ave.
nue. and Park avenue to Forty-second
street at the Grand Central depot. Thence
the road will run west to Broadway and
under Broadway to a point near Ninety
sixth street. This is the main line.
The construction of the loop around
City hall park will allow the trains to
be run at a Roadway of Is seconds, and
the engineer estimates that more than
at the City hall station every day. The
tunnel will be % feet underground along
most of the downtown sections between
City hall and the Grand Central depot.
Four tracks will be laid in the tunnel.
The inside tracks are to be used by the
fast express trains, and they will stop
only at comparatively long distances.
The outside tracks will be used by the
local trains stopping at each station of
the road. The express trains will be the
fastest passenger trains run in the city
of New York. 1t is estimated that a
speed of more than 40 miles an hour will
be attained over most of the route with
out danger. The City hall station will be
the largest upon the road. 1t will be lc,
Gated in the middle of the park.
TUNNEL TO BE WE'LL LIGHTED.
Engineer Parsons says thai the tunnel
road will not be the lark and gloomy
hole in the ground which the street-sur-
face magnates declare it will be. A sys-
tenn of lighting has been perfected, and
at frequent intervals throughout the en-
tire length of the tunnel large electric
lights will be sunk in the recesses' of the
wall.
The stations are to be lighted with cleo
tricity, and the general effect is to be
light, avoiding any gloomy projection. To
produce such an appearance the color of
the enameled bricks or tiles will be white,
except when bricks or tiles of other col
feet.
THE SIGNALING DEVICES.
The signaling devices will be of the
most approved character, and preference
will be given to a system which will au-
tOmatically bring a train to a stop in the
event of the man in charge failing to
obey a danger signal. Engineer Parsons
operation on the underground road, and
he expects the road to be operated for
a without accident.
TIL ventilator of the tunnel has re-
ceived careful attention at the hands of
the engineers. Pure and wholesome air
will be supplied at ali times. In addi-
ton to the openings to the tunnel to be
constructed at stations the contractors
must build two large blowholes between
every two stations on the tunnel portion
Of the main n West-side lines between
Sixtieths street and .One Hundred and
Fiftfeth street. 7fr Hnu- s-
NOAELEVATORS AT STATIONS.
The stations along the route of the UNI
d%erground road will be located on street
At the present time it is not in
the plans to have elevators running from
the. street surface to the tunnel stations.
The engineers assert hat the traffic on
the road will be SO great as to prevent
planned to have the stairways large
n built at an angle so as to be easy of
ascent. The stations on the viaduct por-
ton of the road will be very much like
lloSe Oh lHe eleVateu railroad, except mat
they will be tiled throughout and will
be of a much more artistic design.
Engineer Parsons has taken great pre-
against injuring private prop
erty in the construction of the road.
The contractor will have to indemnify
property owners for all damage done.
The portion of the route under Contra
park will be built with great care, 81
as not to injure the pleasure ground.
The contractor will AVE to set new trees
every one killed in construction, and
all ~shrubbery removed or affected must
be restored as soon as possible to good
condition..
COW and Broadway adjacent will be
with special care. The dirt
will not be allowed to pile up in the
The openings of the streets
must be rooted over SO as to permit the
of vehicles and pedestrians, and
there is a requirement that no opening
be maintained in front of any
for a greater period than thirty
days.
The portion lying beneath the Harlem
river and approaches thereto will be con-
structed by means of compressed air
dredging, open caissons founded on piles,
and a free and unobstructed waterway
for the passage of vessels, at least 300
feet wide, must be left at all times.
All the work o. the first section be-
tween City hall and Fifty-ninth street
will be completed in about a year. This
is the most expensive portion of the
route. AT least $40, 000, 900 will be spent
in building the main line.
Manhattan has been jealous of Lon
tunnel and envious of Boston's
subway, but now she will rave one of
her own.
mn rYAyn mYYU INN