New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-04

announced with pride was greater than that of the
cars of the London underground railways. 1t was
Illuminated by a zircon lght-simar to the cal
cium Hight of to-day.
THE mode of operation according to the de-
scripuon) is Of the most simple things imag-
Unable. Air is forced into the tunnel by g-
gantic blowing engine. The blower is actu-
ated by steam engine OF hundred horse
power. calculated to deliver. when worked at max
imum speed. a volume of hundred thousand
cubic feet OF air per minute. pressure OF one
fourth of one pound 10 the square inch would be
an aggregate Of three-fourths Of tun on the end
Of the car, far more than required for propulsion
The blowing engine positive in its action. press
ing the air into the tunnel When the air
current is reversed partial vacuum is produced
In the tunnel and the pressure o. the atmosphere
then propels the in the opposite direction.
The passageway which opens in City Hall Park
the inlet and outlet for the air used in pro-
pelling the car.
The formal opening of the specimen section
on February g. 1870. apparently attracted consd-
cradle attention. It styled an Under Broad
way Reception" and attended by State and
city officials and members of the press. Judging
from the comments OF the press at the time,
the results secured produced quite a novel SEN
saton in the metropolis and convinced many
that underground railroad Of the character
exhibited could be operated successfully. One
paper declared that 1T was virtually the opening
day Of the first underground railway IN America.
Another said: Certainly the most novel, if not
the most successful. enterprise that New-YOrk
has seen for many day is pneumatic tunnel
under Broadway A myth or a humbug II has
hitherto been called BY everybody who has been
excluded from it's interior; but hereafter the in
credulous public have the opportunity of
examining the undertaking and judging of its
merits Yesterday the tunnel thrown open
to the inspection of visitors for the first time, and
il must be said that every one of them came away
surprised and gratifed. Such as expected TO find
a dismal cavernous retreat under Broadway
opened their eyes at the elegant reception room.
the light airy tunnel, ana the general appearance
Of taste and comfort in all the apartments; and
those who entered pick out some scientific flaw
in the project sIlenced by the completeness OF
the machinery. the soj1ity Of the work and the
safety of the running apparatus"
a third. with breezy cocksureness of great
benefits TO follow. announced: The problem of
tunnelling Broadway has been solved There Is
no mistake about it, Even write COM
Portable passenger car is running smoothly and
safely between Warren and Murray SITS. demon
stratng beyond contradiction that it is only ques-
ton of time and money to give rapid and COM
Portable transportation from the Battery to Har-
lem
+. c. Beach. son of the inventor of the shield and
now connected with The Scientific American"
the night superintendent in charge Of the con-
struction work, and operated the car and explained
to visitors the method of operation after the tun-
mel completed. Nothing known of the
construction Of the tunnel" said he few days
ago until it was nearly finished Then a repre-
sentative of The Tribune got IN. dressed a
workman, and published account Of it. The
only evidence occasional pile Of sand in
Warren-st. at the extreme rear Of the building
There very large cellar which hired. and
the earth watch had been exCavated dumped
into the cellar The surplus was removed at night.
The construction of the tunnel was only known to
the CrotOn Commissioner. The public thought the
earth was from some building operation If they
thought OF Il at all
The machine was intended to 20 through sand.
but at Murray-st. struck an old stone wall
which supposed to be the remains Of an old
Dutch fort This quite an obstruction and re-
CURED delicate engineering TO get through il. We
were Obliged to remove the stones. one by one.
from in front of the machine. and run the risk Of
letting the top fall Ii happened TO hold so we
able to push way through In the Hudson
River tunnel they have struck the same thing. 1
believe the lower half OF -he shield is in rock and
the upper half In mud. The Hudson River tunnel
is being built precisely as built this expert
mental tunnel.
81 think in view Of modern methods II would
be perfectly feasible TO construct rectangu-
lar shield to be moved along shield was and
the soft portions Of the subway cut in this way If
they prefer to take the whole street All that :.
necessary Is 10 buG two shields each IN tako hal,
OF the street. They could have the openings for
the discharge OF earth in the side streets adjoining
Broadway.
Rrooklvn also has sealed tunnel with \ b,s,,r,
In the case Of this one an effort is being made bv
n number Of produce dealers who are OH ,cd 20
car, their produce over the Heights 10 the for
ries 20 have It reopened for their use. 1t passsa
through the hill in Atlantic-ave.. beginning at
Boerum Place and terminating In the negnbo-hood
Of Hicks-st Little Is known about this tunnel
BEFORE the Broadway tunnel was thought Of II was
n sealed book The Long Island Railroad formerly
ran through it, the terminus of the line then being
n platform about $50 feet long IN the middle of
Atlant,c-ave near the ferry house. Now that an
other part OF Atlantc-ava Is t-ing dug xos -eha