New-York tribune., 1903-01-03
P. R. R. LETS CONTRACT
ONE COMP4NYS BIG TASK
Great Construction Work for En-
gineers' Firm.

Inc meChdnic6l ana etecITlcal equipment VI
power houses, passenger stations. and the COM
rlete underground system of tie new Pennsyl-
vania tunnel has been lntrusted by the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company the firm OF West
inghouse Church Kerr & Co., designing and
constructing engineers
AS the same firm is acting for McKim. Mead
White. the architects of the big hotel to be
built at Seventh and Eighth aves- and Thirty
second and Thirty-third sts, it will have
charge of all structural and electrical work In
the hotel above ground, we'll as designing and
constructing the substructure which is to be the
New-York terminal of the tunnel All the prob
lens Of providing access and egress for the
passengers at the New-York terminal all the
planning and installation Of the equipment OF
power houses all the details of the underground
work from the time the tUnr el is completed and
the tubes are put in until the cars begin to run
from Hackensack Meadows under the HUDSON
and East rivers beneath the island OF Man
haitian, out to Long Island-all this, 1t IS sald
is TO be given into the hands of the Westing-
house. Church. Kerr & Co, to be administered
under the supervision of the engineers Of the
Pennsylvania Railroad
This is the first time. engineers declare. tnat
any undertaking involving many different
kinds of designing and constructive work, mas
been turned over to any one company Before
the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad, il is explained, was
the problem of developing new department 10
meet the situation or else Of calling in some one
concern which could attend 10 all parts OF the
work to be done and coordinate them into one
harmonious whole. and it chose the latter
lust how large an undertaking this is may
be Judged from the remark dropped yesterday
bv an official of the engineering company, COM
pairing this wit1 another project he had been en-
gagged in-"but that was only an affair Of three
quarters of million
Westinghouse, Church. Kerr & Co. are
it Is explained. the only concern in the country
which has had the experience required They
have designed and constructed many electric
interurban lines Of sixty. seventy and eighty
miles They equipped the South station at
Boston They have equipped the addition OF the
Hotel Manhattan Gown to the elevators and re-
frigeratfng plants. The new Kingsbridge power
house is their work
AS prominent engineers Of the city point OUT
the result is simply to allow one company 10
bring together the results Of its work ana Sc
cure harmonious construction. and to make
the duties of the consulting engineer pervisory
instead of initiatory The railway CO Ipany will
have II is said the services of expt y IN every
branch OF the work all combining In an old well
established company.
1t is new departure. one company taking
charge of practically every part OF the equip
nent from planning the big particulars TO ar
ranging for the electric signals to summon the
bell boys in the hotel. but officials OF Westins-
house Church Kerr & Co. feel confdeut
that IL Is departure in the right direction
Much interest IS being manifested as 70
the problem of handling the passengers VINO
enter and leave the big underground station
in Manhattan. The whole question OF the dls-
position of passengers at railway stations off1-
ciaIs of the engineering company assert mas
hitherto received far more careful attention IN
Europe than in this country. but the best fruits
Of European investigation will be available IN
disposing Of the local problem
The main offices of Westinghouse. Church
Kerr & Co. of New-Jersey. are in the
Maritime Building. No. Bridge St The Off
GERS are Herman H. Westinghouse, president
Carl NJ Vail. secretary, and Herman H west
inghouse George Westinghouse, Walter c. Kerr,
George c. Smith Henry J. Conant and Carl NJ
Vail directors. This company controls the en-
gineering branch of the American Westinghouse
companies whose output was estimated last
wear at over S3OoooOO0 The English branch
the Trafford Park Works at Manchester-ern-
ploys over 5000 men and took in last year
orders for over 100000