Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-13
THE NEW UNION DEPOT
Progress Upon the Part Of
Railway Officials.
EARLY WORK ON TUNNEL
UNDERGROUND APPROACH TO
THE UNION DEPOT.
Conference Held Yesterday-Detai1s Of
Proposed Construction Fully
Discussed.
EARLY WORK ON TUNNEL

Work on the great tunnel which will lead
under Capitol Hill to the union depot at
Massachusetts and Delaware avenues will
be begun within the next ten days. MT
E. G.. Williams. representing the New
York Continental-Jewen Filtration Com
pany. contractors for the tunnel under
agreement with the Pennsylvania railroad.
was at the District building yesterday going
over with the engineer authorities the
various details of the preliminary plans.
The construction of this tunnel will be
one of the most important features of the
union station project. The contracting
company is making elaborate plans for
carrying on the work.
One of the problems to be solved is the
disposition of the thousands of tons OF
earth to be removed from the excavation.
The contractors have leased a wharf near
the foot of South Capitol street and will
construct narrow gauge railway from the
tunnel mouth at the junction of New Jer-
sey avenue and d street southeast to the
wharf The dirt will be taken down the
river on barges and disposed of wherever
conditions will permit. A great quantity
of the earth will be transported to the new
Long bridge for filling in the approach to
that structure.
Another problem before the contractors
has been that of securing sufficient guam
tty OF sand at a reasonable figure. Car
load after carload of sand will be used in
mixing the concrete and cement which will
be employed in constructing the tunnel
arches and sides. To successfully meet
this situation the contractors have engaged
entire fleet of sand dredges and have
chartered scows to bring the material to
the city. The sand will be dredged from
the Potomac river at some point below
Marshall Hall.
Where Work Will Begin.
The work on the tunnel will begin at
New Jersey avenue and D street. The tun-
this point so as to pass beneath list street
from B street northward. The construc-
ton will be by the cut and cover process
from the tunnel mouth to 1st and B streets
southeast. The ditch will traverse land
that has been purchased by the Pennsyl-
vania railroad, and portion of square $50
on which the new office building of the
House of Representatives will be erected.
From B street southeast northward there
will be no surface work of any character,
the tunnel throughout the entire length of
its run beneath LIST street being built by the
tunneling process. Residents along LIST
street will not be aware that any work is
in progress, as the tunnel will In some in
stances be as deep as fifty feet below the
surface.
be of the twin" type-two single track
tunnels. This is regarded as the most ap-
proved type of tunnel construction.
Mr.. Williams submitted to the Commits
sioners number of plans for the temporary
tracks. the location of machinery, etc, to
be used during the progress of the work.
Deposit Required.
AS one of the minor incidentals of the
work connected with the union station
-.
tracks within the District, the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company will be re-
quested by the District Commissioners to
deposit the snug sum of s45 725 to cover the
cost CT lowering and rearranging sewers
and water mains in the northeast section.
These mains and sewers are affected by the
changes in the grades of streets along the
into the union depot on Massachusetts
avenue and the changes contemplated in
clude the territory between H street north
east and Florida avenue.
Mr.. D. E. McComb, superintendent of
sewers, and Mr.. j. s. Garland acting SUI
perintendent of the water department., have
each prepared projects covering the neces-
sary changes.
The superintendent of sewers states that
the changes in the northeast sewers will
amount to a total of s34. 225. The changes
in water mains will cost 81 800. A portion
of this money, it is intended, will be repaid
to the railroad company when Congress
makes an appropriation for the purpose.
The company will pay all the original cost,
but it Is planned that in the end the only
burden upon the railroad will be the cost
of the changes within the railroad territory
proper. The changes leading up to the rail-
road, it is proposed shall be borne jointly
by the District and the United States.
The deposit of the $45, 725 required for the
sewer and water main work is one of the
conditions precedent to the issuance of a
permit for the Baltimore and Ohio viaduct
and will probably be made within the next
few days
The sewer work contemplated involves a
change in the grade of the sewer in M
street northeast between 1st and Sd streets
the cost of which will be 50, 500. The grade
of the sewer in L street northeast between
LIST and I'd streets will be changed, at an
estimated cost of 5000. The change in
the sewer in X street between North Capt.
toll and Sd street will cost $1S,635.
The Plans Outlined.
Acting Superintendent Garland of the
water department has submitted his pro-
ject for abandoning certain mains, lower
as follows:
Il have the honor to submit estimate Of
cost of abandoning, lowering and laying
new water mains made necessary by the
changes in street grade in connection with
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad work in
Delaware avenue northeast between H
street and Florida avenue.
Abandoning mains-Nineteen hundred
feet of 6-inch water main in H between 1st
and I'd streets: IT'S feet, more or less. of
6-inch main in l between LIST and I'd streets;
$50 feet, more or less, of 6-inch main in K
between LIST and I'd streets; 1880 feet more
or less. of 6-inch in Delaware avenue be-