The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-12-26

and East rivers into New
York city. thereby connecting Manhat-
tan island with the mainland and Long
Island. scheme involving an outlay o.
about S5OoOO,0 600. 1t is doubtful III the
full extent of this stupendous UNDER
taking has really been comprehended,
For the tunReing of the Hudson ana
East rivers, and incidentally the Island
lying between them, everybody mas
been i'm a measure prepared, as the
plan was ventilated years ago, In Iact'
II has long been recognized as an aoso-
lute necessity that insular New YORK
should have a more reliable connection
with the country. adjacent and remote.
than IS now afforded by the single
bridge 10 Brooklyn and the various fer
rios Bridges have been proposed
across the Hudson river and as often
rejected OF delayed until the people
have almost despaired OF ever attaining
tho object of their desires. tunnel
was commenced years ago and stiii ex-
lists i'm a partially finished condition. 1t
Il now promised that trolley cars VIII
ho running through this into New
York before the close OF the year 1892.
Badly stated, the great Pennsylva-
MIA 'Railroad company proposes 10 Sc
/ cure for It's vast system not only ter
/ minal In New York, but an extension
eastward and oceenward that shall
I make il supreme and dominant In the
( American railway world and also a
| factor In the control OF transatlantic
! traffic. IL is this last proposition that
! bestows upon the scheme its extended
| character and makes il a world factor.
/ for. not content with merely construct
/ ing a triple tunnel from New Jersey
I and Long Island. on either side, under
/ ana into the heart OF Manhattan, the
/ new company purposes, though II may
! not yet have made public its plans IN
their entirety. 10 reach out beyond its
! present eastern terminals and connect
! them with a line of TRANSATLANTIC
steamers. BY this means not only may
! grain and other western products be
! brought in bulk directly from the farms
and fields where they are raised 10 the
eastern end OF Long Island without
transshipment but as between New
York and any European port the time
of travel will be appreciably shortened.
AS TO the local advantages 20 New
! York there is no question. for the great
METROPOLIS Of the Atlantic coast has
been hampored in many ways by its
! lackrof facilities for the great railway
] svstems having their termini there.
/ The city is insular in more respects
I than its situation, but owing TO this
| latter IL Is difficult 10 connect with and
troublesome TO traverse after IL Is
reached. There is no through line from
| east to west from north to south, and
! there is na railroad depot that is a
! union or central station in its largest
sense. Connection between the west
/ and south and the east via such lines
/ as the Pennsylvania, Erie, Lackawan-
ma. Baltimore and Ohio etc, is only to
| be made either by crossing the city by
| cab or by local cars, or on trains which
! are carried around the island by water
and replaced upon the rails. Either
| plan is Objectionable provided better
! can be afforded and this latter is what
the great Pennsylvania scheme con-
| templates by tunneling the rivers and
J erecting vast railroad station in the
heart Of New York.
In order 10 carry out this scheme the
Pennsylvania-New York Extension
company was recently incorporated at
Albany with a capital of $1,000, ,000
Work viii be commenced without un-
due delay. and within three or four
years it is hoped the stupendous con-
! ception will have become an accom-
plshed fact. AS already announced. II
includes the boring OF a twin tunnel
beneath the Hudson at depth in mid
stream OF about niEety feet below the
river bed and beneath the East river
Of three tunnels at a depth OF about
thirty feet under the river bed From
their lowest depths the various tubes"
will gradually rise 20 a level OF about
thirty y-fiVe feet below the surface of
the streets. Each tunnel will consist OF
a steel tube little more than eighteen
feet in diameter or the inside and viii
be constructed for only single track.
Beneath the Hudson river the bottom is
/ such that no ordinary tunnel could be
safely constructed, so recourse will be
h4a-to an ingenious invention of the
! engineer i'm chief, consisting of n sub
merged bridge incased within the steel
! tube and resting upon piers built on
I bedrock far down beneath the river
! mud This idea is new one and was
4 only recently patented by it's inventor.
\ II VIII. Il is believed, obviate all dan
, ger from overhead collapse and make
] the tunnel perfectly safe. Beneath the
/ East river the tunnels will be OF the
I ordinary character as the borings will
/ be mainly through solid rock.
Converging 90 a point indicated as
| approximately between Thirty-second
| and Thiity-third streets and Seventh
! and Tenth avenues. New York, the
/ tracks from New Jersey and Long Is.
! land viii respectively find their COM
| mon level and termini In a vast station
: 500 feet in length and 500 i'm breadth
/ This mammoth depot will cover four
! city blocks and viii be double deck.
! er" underground. perhaps forty feet being
| below the general level of the streets
/ and with from six "a eight stories above
! IL will probably be designed after the
great Quai d'Orsay station I'm Paris
I the most magnificent in the world. and
will be equipped with all the latest de.
! vices for shifting cars and handling
/ baggage. In the Paris station all bag
/ gage Is shifted by means OF endless
/ bands running over wheels. and electric
I locomotives ace used for drawing train,
1 in and on; of tho tunnels From thu
different termini or the respective tun.
nels 20 tho station. ana vice versa. elec.
7 trif fnpforc DNffuFfveIN VIII 10 On, ,to..