The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-07-14
?. R. R TUNNEL.
How the Starting Point Of its
Approach on the Meadows
Looks Today.
PROGRESS OF THE WORK
Difficulties in it's Path Across
the Marshes Which Con-
front the Company's
Engineers.
PROGRESS OF The WORK

udy nave more interest IOf lHe peopie VI
Jersey City than the great tubular tunnel
which the Pennsylvania Railroad is
about to construct under the Hudson
River between the States of New Jersey
bore is now removed from the realms of
lsprobability and the beginning Of its con-
struction is assured, has caused the
citizens Of this section of the State to
regard with deep concern every stage of
the work. Attention was directed more
particularly to the project last week by
the action of the company in filing in the
Secretary of States office a map and
description of the route the approach to
the tunnel will take in this county. To
of the route conveys little definite idea of
it's course, and even with the maps of it
which some newspapers published very
little accurate knowledge of its route is
impaired.
According to the description filed in
Trenton, the connecting link between the
main line of the railroad and the en-
trance to the tunnel on this side of the
river, legally known as the Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and New York Railroad. be-
gins "at a point on the main line of the
United New Jersey Railroad and Canal
Company near the east line of the Town
of Harrison" The eastern boundary of
Harrison is Frank Greek, the small
stream of water which empties into the
Passaic River a short distance west of
lthe new bridge which the company re-
Gently constructed over the Passaic for
the use of its through freight trains, and
almost opposite the Lister Chemical
Works on the Essex shore of the river.
This new freight route joins the main
line again just this side Of Waverly and
t1ufs out Newark entirely.
TO CUT OUT NEWARK.
For some time past the railroad COM
pary has been busily engaged in this
vicinity. large area of meadow COW
cred with thick growth of rushes, has
been reclaimed and filed in. The surface
has been treated with top dressing of
ashes, and where year or so ago was
an impossible bog is now large, solid
yard of tracks. A grade rises from this
point to the elevation at which the new
freight bridge is carried across the river
so that the trains using that route can
be brought to the tracks which will run
to the tunnel. During the past month
connection has beer made between the
main passenger tracks and the tracks
over the new bridge and it is said that
1T is the intention of the company soon
to begin running its through trains.
which do not stop at Newark, over this
route
From this point the tunnel road will
curve to the northward and after cross
ing the tracks of the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western Railroad, the New
ark and Jersey City Turnpike and the
Newark branch of the Erie Railroad,
probably at an elevation, will reach the
Hackensack River. In this vicinity there
is an old abandoned route of the Green
wood Lake Railroad which, although
nothing definite is stated upon the sub
ject. many familiar with such matters
think the tunnel road will follow
ACROSS THE MEADOWS.
After crossing the Hackensack the
road will skirt around the south of Snake
Hill and run to the western line of West
Hobokcn, where the tunnel will begin
and pass under that town, ,Weehawken
and the Hudson River to New York.
With the exception of the improvement
about the starting point there is nothing
visible to the human eye to denote the
route this new road will take. The tall
rushes and slender cat tails so dear to
the small boy about Fourth of JFly time,
growing to height above that of the
tallest man, stretch away in every di-
rection, broken only by the beds of the
railroads, and the broad rivers and the
small creeks tributary thereto.
RAILROADS IN THE WAY.
There is much speculation among those
interested in such matters as to the man
ner in which the new route will cross the
several railroads which run between its
starting point and the entrance to its
tunnel. These are the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western, main line and Nor
ris and Essex division, the Newark
branch and main line of the Erie, the
New York, Susquchanna and Western
and the Northern New Jersey. Besides
these there is the Newark and New York
Turnpike Most Of these are at grade,
while some are at an elevation in some
cases not of sufficient heighth to allow
+ the tunnel route to pass under without