Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-01-03
FAR UNDER GROUND
is THE RAPID TRANSIT ROUTE OF
THE METROPOLIS.
FINISHED IN FEW YEARS
Streets Badly Torn Up ar
Present-HoW the 21-Mile Tun-
mel is Being Rult-More
Than 100 Feet Deep in Some
Places.

New York, Dec. 2S.-Some people
are swearing, some are looking on re
signedly, some are comfortably opti
mistic, some are heartily enthusiastic
over the rapid transportation faciii-
ties. Down at the lower end of Union
square is a heap of reddish sand. ii
must have been fifty feet high by a
hundred in base diameter. 1t was
partially protected by wall OF cobble
stones, but so rapidly were the work.
men hauling it up from the earth 5
bowels it was overlooking its bounds
and sepreading out on the street.
| Yet this is only hint of the street
| obstruction. What is perhaps one of
the most serious features of the new
project in New York is the damages
likely to follow to property above the
new line. One of the morning papers
contains a report of meeting of the
board of rapid transit commissioners,
at which the superintendent of the de-
| partment of building reports a large
batch Of buildings along the route of
the tunnel rendered unsafe, owing to
the excavations. Thirty buildings IN
one street are in danger.
The project is d stupendous one.
| The contract for the construction of
the line was for S35,000,00O, the con-
tract having been let the first part of
the present year. The plan under
which the line is being constructed is
interesting. The contractor is paid
by the city the amount of his bid for
construction. He in turn pays as rem
tai the interest on the bonds issued by
the city to provide the necessary
funds, and in addition 1 per cent. per
annum as sinking fund. The con-
| tractor is also to be the operator of
the line. The contractor provides at
his own expense the equipment, in
Guiding power house and generating
machinery-for it is to be an electric
railway-and this equipment the city
is to purchase at the end of a term of
years on a basis to be settled by
arbitration.
The particularly interesting feature
is that the city gets the benefit of the
immediate construction Of rapid
transit railway, as it will be completed
| by Aug. "a, 1904, and probably by the
spring or summer of 1903, and without
burden upon the taxpayers as the con-
| tractor is to pay the interest on the
| investment.
In all, there will be twenty-one miles
Il al
subway and tunnels The road starts
at the New York terminus of the
Brooklyn bridge, tunneling New York
city proper, terminating at Bronx
park with two seven-mile branches,
twenty-one miles in all.
If you pass along one of the streets
! where the work is in progress it is
noted that but half of the street is
torn up, the plan being to work one
half at a time, so that the other half
may be free to traffic and the traffic
shifted back as soon as the work be-
low ground on one side is completed.
In somo slaces the road has been
completely finished, so that track lay
ing could begin at once, the ''cut and
cover plan being followed, that is, the
street is opened and eXcavated for the
proper depth for a short distance,
then covered again and another sec
ton cut into.
| The immensely of the undertaking
is difficult to appreciate. A cavern
twenty-one miles long, in some places
over a hundred feet below ground, is
being constructed under street, under
great buildings where it is necessary
under property almost priceless in
value, while overhead goes on, day by
day, all the trafice of the second city
in the world. 1t is said to be the most
stupendous undertaking ever entered
into by a modern city.
Wher the tunnel runs under Central
Park it is from 40 to 80 feel below the
surface, and work here is rendered
particularly difficult because the park
authorities will not allow earth or
rocks to be hauled through the park
nor may any spear of grass be dam
aged. At one point near One Hun
dred and Ninety-ffth street the tunnel
will run at an average depth of 12C
feet below the surafce Of Broadway.
One curious thing is that when TIE
two forces start in for the final com
pletion of the Central Park portion
one party from each end, the laborers
will have to be supplied with what
they call imported air-that is, air will
be pumped into the tunnel for them tC
breathe. When the two forces meet
in the center current of fresh all
will rush in from either end and they
will be relieved Of artificial atmos
phere. It is believed that it can be
accomplished without loss of life
though the perils Of tunneling have
been very great.
John B. Mcdonald, the contractor
for this enormous piece of work, says
which appeares today, that almos,
any degree of speed is made possible
and safe, nor will billiards have and
terrors for the suburbanites who viii
use this line. The trains will run al
least forty miles an hour including
stops. They will be run entirely By
electricity, the system being the
third rail-" the current to be carried
in conduits placed in chambers in the
side walls of the subway. Every
form of combustion will be prohibited
$50 that there will be no chance fol
fumes and smoke. Contractor Nc
Donald says that with coal-burnine
engines the underground railway