New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-12-19
TO RUSH TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION.
Ground Will Be Broken for the Pennsyl-
vania's in a Few Months

Now that the franchises for the Pennsylvania
tunnel at Thirty second-st., and the tunnel or
the New-York and Jersey Railroad Company, at
Morton-st have been passed by the Board of
Aldermen, the problem of rapid transit between
New-York and New-Jersey is to be worked out
with all possible speed. 1t Will be some months
before ground can be broken for the Pennsyl-
varia tunnels The engineers have still before
them a gigantic task in the preparation of de-
tail plans, and the consent of property owners
along the route in Manhattan and Queens must
be obtained while the plans are being drawn
The work of boring the tunrels and erecting
great terminal station in Manhattan will take
three years it is believed. and possibly four
years The New-York and Jersey Railroad
Company, however, has turnel more than half
completed and another tunnel we'll under way
and the expectation is that both tunnels will be
ready for electric trains in about eighteen
months.
The plans for the Pennsylvania's great ter
minaI station in Manhattan to be drawn by
McKim Mead & White. The station will be the
finest in the world Connected with 1t Will be a
hotel of f1reproof, modern CONSTRUCTION large
enough to accommodate hundreds or people
Guests at the hotel will not have to leave the
station and travel in cabs or cars They can
get out of trains arriving in the underground
portion of the station. walk into elevators, and
be lifted directly to their rooms without going
out of doors. There is one such hotel ana
station combined in Paris, but the Pennsyl-
vania's station and hotel will surpass anything
in existence
The four tunnels under the North River, which
are to connect the Pennsylvania system with the
terminal in Manhattan, are to be unique IN coh-
struction, because they are to be USED py hea'S
railway trains. Each tunnel is to be oridee
under the river, the steel tube being supported
at short intervals by piers reaching down 10
solid rock, and the tube containing steel trusses
connecting the piers. Immense quantities OF
steel must be made ready for the work IN al
vance of boring operations The work or con-
struction must be slow, because it can be car
ried on only from the two ends of tunnel
There must be the most perfect ana accurate
measurements, because the two sections OF d
tunnel must meet exactly under the middle OF
the river.
The fact that about two hundred feet OF ne"
work has been done in the tunnel of the New
York and Jersey Railroad Company at MORTON
St recently was a surprise TO many persons
when 1t was announced in The Tribune yester,
day Nearly four thousand feet of the tube had
been completed when the work was susPehueu
wears ago by the original tunnel company.
After the NeW-York and Jersey Railroad com
pany acquired the tunnel and all rights OF the
old company it took about seven months 10 m
stall the machinery needed for continuing the
work The two hundred feet OF new Work redIy
began about two months ago. Ihere mas oeeh
progress since at the rate of one hundred teet
month With the same progress maintained the
tunnel will be completed to Manhattan In seven
months. The work has been progressing en-
tireiy from the New-Jersey end. Work on the
second tunnel will be carried on from both enos,
and as six hundred feet have been bored from
the New-Jersey end already, the engineers pc
leve the second tunnel can be completed IN
about eighteen months.
Of1cials of the Erie and Delaware Lacka-
wanna and Western railroads said yesterday
that while there had been no arrangements
made with the tunnel company for transporta-
ton of passengers from the terminal stations OF
the two roads In Jersey City and Hoboken such
ARRANGEMENTS might be made before the tunnels
are ready for use. The Erie has Its own FERRIES
running to Chambers-st. and TWenty-thlrd-st.'
in Manhattan and IL probably viii continue 10
use the ferries for passengers, even II II mas a
connection with the tunnel The Delaware.
I,ackawanna and Western has contract win
the Hoboken Ferry Company by whlch pas
sengers over the road are transported TO Bar
clav-st and Christopher-st., In Manhattan
without paying extra fares. II the tunnel com.
pany runs spur to the Lackawanna ternlllh
in Hoboken there probably viii! be another con
tract by which Lackawanna passengers can
have free transportation through the tunnel
Apart from the traffic to be derived from the
two railroads however, the tunnel company re-
CARDS the trolley lines in Jersey City ana no
boken as natural feeders Of the tunnel me
con1pany's line is planned TO tap all the trolley
lines on the New-Jersey side.