New-York tribune., 1902-02-08

the use OF steam power. The original tunnel it
may here be remarked, consisted of a rock bore
of two city squares. from Ninety -fourth-st. to
Ninety-sixth-st. The whole of the tunnel as il
now exists from Ninety -fourth-st south to Fif-
ty-sxth-st. is artificial, and was constructed by
the railroad company and the city of New
York Jointly. under special legislative authority.
the city paying Ope-half of the cost and prOvid-
ing three out of the four members of the
gineering board.
The board recommends:
FTrst-That the signal or train block in the
tunnel between Fifty-ffth-st- and Fifty-eighth-
ST. be abolished on all four tracks and it's
trackage added to the next northerly block.
Whlch extends to Seventy -second-st. on the in
bound track. and to Seventy third-st- the
outbound track. This change will give the new
south block, which is now approximately ISS
feet long. length of 4.419 feet on the inbound
tracks, and 464O feet on the outbound tracks
The middle block extending from Seventy-sec-
ond-st. to EiShty-sixth-st on the inbound
tracks. and from Seventy-third-st- to. Eighty
seventh-st. on the outbound tracks is about
$500 feet long. The northern block. extending
from Etghty-siXth-st. to Ninety -eighth-st., is
now 3219 feet long on the inbound tracks. and
from Eighty-seventh-st. to Ninety-seventh-st-.
on the outbound tracks. is 2.59S feet long
Second-That this block last referred to. be
heightened by removing the signals the in
bound tracks, now at Ninety-eighth-st.. TO One
undred-and-second-st., and on the outbound
tracks from Ninety-seventh-st. to One-hundred-
and-hrst-st, and further that the location of
the crossover tracks now at Ninty-seventh-
ST. and Ninety-eighth-st. be changed TO cor
responding positions between One-hundred-
and-frst-st- and e-hundred-and-second-
This change will make this block 4 2S6 feet in
length on the inbound tracks. and 3.645 feet on
the outbound tracks.
CHANGE IN SIGNALS URGED.
The board is of the opinion that these last
mentioned signals and crossovers are now too
close to outbound trains emerging from the
north end of the tunnel The board will watch
the operation of the tunnel in three blocks with
especial care, and if it results favorably will
next give attention TO the feasibility of adopting
two block plan which. If practicable as TO
time and the volume of traffic. will doubtless
conduce TO greater safety in operation. The
fact will remain that all railroading is danger
Gus. and that only relative safety can be OBJ
tanned by the best rules, devices and discipline.
Third-That all distant and home lamp sig
nails on the 1rernen's side. in the centre tunnel.
be placed on standards or spindles at a height
of nine feet above the top of the rail, that
the lens will be on a level with the cab win
dows; and that in the side tunnels the lamps
be raised to a height of nine feet above the top
of the rail on each side of the tunnel: also that
each home signal lamp be duplicated by placing
an additional lamp of the same size and power
two feet above, or two feet below. TIE nine foot
light. as may be found most serviceabIe
The use of fresh soft coal in locomotive fur
naces while passing through the tunnel has al
ready been forbidden by this board. and any
firing or stocking hereafter done within the
tunnel must be done only in emergency. and
anthracite coal or coke only shall be used
F'ourth-That temporary changes in the yard
tracks, TO be made on newly purchased prop
erty. he begun forthwith, and completed with
out delay
Fifth-That the proposed underground suburb
an traffic loop. the plans for which have been
adopted by the board of directors of the New
York Central and Hudson River Railroad Com
fore the board he carried to completion with
all diligence as soon as the necessary legisla-
tiOn is had.
THE TUNNEL AND YARD.
The tunnel itself is not especially difficult for
the operation of trains except as il is ObstruCted
by steam and gases from combustion and by
occasional fogs, taken in connection with the
immense volume of traffic which passes through
it TO the Immediately adjacent terminal and
train yard The railroad company has year by
,ear. during the last ten years felt the abSo-
lutte necessity Of escaping from its cramped en-
vironment az that terminal, yet, when 1t but
recently made improvements in the Grand Cen
trail Station in the line of comfort and elegance.
it unwisely extended the station northerly some
seventy feet. thus reducing by that amount the
length of the tracks in the train yard proper
This was, in the opinion of this board, a step
in the wrong direction The size and available
shape of the yard is such that nearly all traffic
going into emerging from the tunnel over its
four tracks, must go over but two tracks for
several hundred feet in the yard between Fifty
hfth-st. and FOrty-eighth-st and these two
main line tracks are crossed more less fire.
quentIy by practically every outgoing regular
train or shop train engine. This cramped
condition to yard room is the main source Of
the present troubles in operating the tunnel
itself. because it necessitates the passing Of
nearly all OF the regular trains back and forth.
empty. between the station yard and the shops
and yards at Mott Haven, for cleaning and
storage. The testimony is conclusive that this
Shutting of empty trains and light engines
through the tunnel in both directions occasions
not less than 20 per cent of the present daily
movements in the tunnel. and creates likewise
40 per cent of the obstruction to view arising
from steam and gases. The 323 regularly sched-
uled trains could be managed with compara-
tive ease if the yard room was ample
TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT REMEDIES
The railroad company has felt this need for at
least three years past, and il has been the sub
ject of much public discussion more particu-
larly in connection with the intOlerable atYnos-
pheric conditions which affect passengers in
rejonder of the officials this criticism has
been that the required real estate for enlarge
ment of the yards could not be obtained. and
that as to electricity there was then no feasible
system by which the volume of traffic could be
handled.
Now however. partly owing to its awakened
sense Of its business necessities and partly
to the recent rapid advances in electrical en-
gineering, the company has been forced into
bringing forward plan for improvements
which will embrace an increase of the ward
and the separation of the suburban traffic
from the through traffic by carrying the sub
urban trains underground. from the tunnel by
a loop system to independent station, and
operating the local t;ains by the multiple unit
electric plan.
This appears to this board to be the solution
of the problem of to-day, but, unfortunately. il
cannot be Immediately carried out nor can ft be
acquired surface area, added to the present yard
through recent purchases. will give some relief
by affordng more room for car storage and
the board urges emphatically upon the company
the pressing necessity. as well as duty of the
corporation to put this relief into effect with
out delay The board believes that this rnodi-
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