New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-04
OLDTIME TUNNELS IN THIS BOROUGH AND BROOKLYN.
ONE UNDER BROADWAY BETWEEN WARREN AND
MURRAY STS.-ANOTnER IN ATLANTTC-AVE.

In the City Hall Park on the Broadway side near
the drinking fountain at the end of the wide walk
leading past the front of the City Hall, is grating
over large opening in the ground. 1t is rusted
and shows little evidence Of having been opened
in long time. 1t covers large passaSeway.
which, as one can see as one peers down between
the bars leads under the sidewalk and out under
Broadway. One could easily enter the passage If
the grating lifted, for 1t IS six eight feet
across and four five wide. 1t leads TO the ter
minus Of experimental underground railway
which few recall in these days. Near the junction
Of this passage with the tunnel lies buried the
circular shield with which the subway was bored
and the cylindrical in which passengers were
carried while the road was open to the inspection
Of the public. Many well known persons rode in
the car
This underground railroad, which began at the
southwest corner of Warren-st. and Broadway,
der the sidewalk, the south side OF the street.
curved out into Broadway and down that
street to a point opposite the south side Of Muir
ray-st.. built In 1853 by the Beach Pneumatic
Transit Company, of which A. E. Beach then Edi-
Of THE Scientific American" of the
chief men. At that time, as now, rapid transit to
Harlem of the problems being discussed
by the people of the city, and when this section
OF the subway was built, experiment, IT
thought that the road would be continued to the
upper end Of the island. The panic of 1873 and
the construction Of the elevated railroad killed the
scheme When the debris left by the destruction
in December 1885 of the building at the southwest
corner OF broadway dnd NarTef-Sl was cleaIeu
away early in the winter of 1899. the tunnel was
entered 1t was found that the subway notwth-
standing the construction of the towering Home
Life Building near 1t, was In perfect condition.
At the far end was found the which used
show the practiCabllity of the plan, the glass
missing from the oval window frames. The truck
on which it had the rails in front of
it. When a building built the site of
the fire the entrance again sealed up.
In view of the discussion regarding the construc-
Of the s1lfyv IN civ iii
turbing the surface of the street it is interesting
to note that no opening was made in the street
for this Old underground road There much
mystery about it, I'm fact. People knew that some
thing being done down under the street. Earth
being brought up at night from the building
at No. 260 Broadway. and the late pedestrian on
deserted Broadway could have seen in that neigh
borhood something resembling a rod pushed UP
through the surface of the street and a workman
noting its position. Throughout the day the ON
nibuses ratified and rumbled along overhead while
the work Of boring another section quietly went on
below.
1t was a representative of The Tribune who first
Informed the public what going on beneath
the surface. In the guise of workman. he en-
tered the tunnel when about seven-eighths OF 1t
had been completed. The following day full de-
scription appeared Up to that time no one not
employed on the work had been admitted, and the
only evidence the pile Of sand which occa-
sionalIy was to be in the rear Of the building
in Warren-st.
The subway was cylindrical in shape and eight
feet in diameter. The cutting was done with
tunnellng shield devised by Mr.. Beach This shield
the first to be operated with hydraulic power. 1t is
said was a short tube OF timber work. backed by a
heavy wrought iron ring against which the by
drauic rams acted TO advance the shield The
front part was heavy chilled iron ring. brought
to a cutting edge, and crossed on the interior by
shelves. also sharpened. In the interior was
pump to force the water into the The pump
was operated by two men. and the resulting press
put forth by the rams against the shield was
l26 tons. This forced the cutting edge into the
earth to a distance OF about feet. the earth
passing back through the centre. Whenever it was
desired to alter the course OF the shield 1t was
done by closing the pipes which led from the pump
the the side which was not to be ad-
vanced The acting upon the opposite side
advanced it, thus changing the course of the shield
The soil was found to be Of loose. sandy charac-
ter and occasionally stones were met with. These
had to be drilled and broken up. The position of
the shield I'm it's relation to the surface was deter
mined by driving up from the centre OF the tunnel
tube in sections until il reached the surface This
usually done at night, because the street
then vacant" account Of the digging Of tho
tunnel printed at the time described it. Mr.
Feach's tunnelling shield IL is worth noting mas
been used since to dig the railway tunnels under
the Thames. in London. in the St Clair tunnel in
Michigan, and several other tunnels under water
ways.
Under the sidewalk the south side OF Warren
st. was the sample station This was considered
the time TO be commodious and far from re-
sembling a damp and dinly lighted cellar IL was
apartment l2o feet long. fitted up as a waiting
room and was lighted from the pavement The
portal Of the tunnel from the station was nine feet
In diameter. the bed being 21f feet below the sur
face OF Broadway. The cylindrical car was fitted
with upholstered seats for eighteen persons Had
the road been extended OF one hundred feet
In length would have been built for it. SO the pro-
motors said. Tho interior height Of tho car At