The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-18
Twelve Tunnels
Vast Rapid Transit Enterprises
New York Is Entering Upon.

Rivers have been actively projected.
These tunnels will branch off from the
Jew York underground road at various
points. and take passengers down under
the river and land them in suburbs. six
new bridges are also planned.
The future rapid transit Of New YORK
will be underground and under water.
The projected tunnels will be built, but
it is doubtful If all the proposed new
bridges will be-one bridge costs as much
as three tunnels. In another ten years
the suburban resident of Brooklyn, New
Jersey and Staten Island will come TO
town underneath the waters of the East
River. the Hudson or the bay.
The new underground railroad in Man
haitian, for which the contract was let
last month, is to be only the first step Of
great system of twentieth century I'M
provements in rapid transit for Greater
New York
Twelve tunnels are now being planned
to run under the East and North Rivers
and six new bridges to be built over these
bodies of water.
With such connections Manhattan Is
land will be brought into almost as close
touch with the adjoining boroughs and
cities as if the two rivers no longer ex-
listed.
Twelve welI-organized financial enter
prises are already on foot to carry oht
the tunnel plans. Eight of these subways
are to be borne under the East River and
New York bay.
BY Comptroller Bird S. Coler's plan ev-
cry part Of the greater city from Astoria
to Staten Island will be united by tunnels
in three years and Joined to Hanhattans
extensive underground railroad system,
which then will be completed.
-Four tunnels are to be cut under the
North River to bring the Jersey cities in
TO direct connection with the street car
and railroad systems of this city.
To do all this it is estimated that it
will cost but little more than the amount
that the city has agreed TO pay to Mr..
John B. Mcdonald to build the Manhat-
tan underground railroads.&c. 100000
Comptroller Coler has already paved
the way for constructing the series Of
tunnels under the East River to Brook
lyn with a branch to Staten Island. He
has made an appeal to the Board Of Es-
innate and Appor-tiomnent to use for this
purpose the s9O.OOOlOOO now available Under
the citys charter for such a purpose.
Fifty thousand dollars has already been
SEA aside by the Municipal Assembly to
ma kes borings for the South Brooklyn
tunnel
Mr.. Coler's new plan of underground
transit has been carefully worked out in
detail by eminent engineers. William
Barclay Parsons, who made the specif-
cations of the Manhattan underground
railroad, and Mr.. J. Vipond Davies, con-
sulting engineer Of the Long Island Rail-
road Company, have both approved the
plan.
This subway system provides for ex-
tending the East River tunnels under
nearly all the principal crosstown streets
On Manhattan which are now main high
ways of travel.
Grand and Canal streets, Fourteenth
street, Forty second street, Fifty-seventh
street and One Hundred and TwentyLhfth
street are to have their underground rail-
roads, connecting with the tunnels lead
ing to Brooklyn These crosstown lines
will also connect with the Manhattan
Rapid Transit Underground Railroad.
Forty-secOnd street Will then present a
most interesting example of New Yorks
twentieth century rapid transit
There will be the present elevated rail-
road which runs from Third avenue to
the Grand Central Station. On the street
level will be the surface cars.
Just beneath the 81 reefs pavement will
be two tunnels of the new Rapid Transit
Underground Railroad, running north and
south.
Beneath this will be the Forty-secOnd
street crosstown tunnel, connecting with
the East River tunnel and the West Side
There will be a series of passengers sta
tons. one above the other, from the low
est level. nearly seventy-fiNe feet below
the surface Of the ground, to the elevated
twenty-five feet above the ground.
Besides the stairways leading from one
level to another, an elevator service will
connect all these transportation systems
What an improvement on present meth
odsl
Yet Comptroller Coler points out that if
all work in harmony such a transit sys-
TEN can be in operation in three or four
years from today.
The tunnel to South Brooklyn will be-
In fact, under New York Harbor, along
a route that a bridge could not possibly
span
1t will extend from Whitehall street,
Manhattan, to Hamilton avenue. South
Brooklyn. This will be hearty two miles
in iength and will reach one of the most
populous and rapidly growing parts of
Brooklyn
1t is proposed to continue this tunnel
under Hamilton and Fourth avenue to a
point on the South Brooklyn shore oppo-
site Staten Island and then tunnel under
the channel
This would place Staten Island in as
quick connection with lower New York
as Harlem would be.
BY this effective system of underground
transit Mr., Coler points out that a per-
son living in Harlem or the Bronx should
be able to go by one carfare to any part
of Brooklyn. Coney Island or Staten Is
land in from thirty TO sixty minutes.
The need of better means of commu-
nication between Manhattan and Brook
iyn is no longer a matter open to argu-
ment." says Comptroller Coler. at is
admitted by practically every one. and
has been advocated by no one more siren
uously than 1.
1T is by no means certain, however.
that this problem can be solved in the
most economical or eficacious manner by
the building of bridges alone.
The advantages Of tunnel building
over bridge building have never been off,
cially considered by any board or de-
partment Of the city government. and
the general public is I believe. wholly un-
informed as TO the extent 70 which nun
nels have supplsn5ed bridges in England
as a means Of crossing navigabie stream.