New-York tribune., 1903-11-29
RIPPING UP ACRES.
Vast Site for NezU Grand Central
Station.
Station.

several weeks and yet itS keepers have not been
arrested II has dug its way through brick and
mortar and laid waste whole blocks Of buildings
and vet IL is still unchecked "Bucyrus" may
be seen any day by the curious passer by roofing
away with its ponderous snout at cellar waHs
or the bottoms OF chimneys. and with snort
that is half hiss and half roar tossing sew
eraI tons Of debris over It's back Sometime,
its teeth slip and only scratch a wall; but
"Tyucyrus" only rene~s the attack with more re-
IentIess fury With the force OF a battering ran
its undershOt Jaw again grapples with The brick
and tears them asunder. Behind. on either s1s
of its trail. are heaped great piles OF rubbish.
which the giant has thrown aside after IFS work
Of destruction The trail extends backward tOr
blocks and banks UP cross streets Ike the earth
works Of an army. On either side OF the mon
ster stand other buildings, including private
dwelling houses. apartment hotels, warehouse
churches and hospitals. which will before lons
feel it's teeth biting into their foundations
"BUcyrus" is a steam shovel. and therelo1e ~
feats Of strength seem all the more wonderful
One need only watch the pOnderous machine a.
work for a few moments. aad he viii almost be-
1iaye that IT is alive Every move OF the CT
clopean Jaw is governed by man at the lever
of the 100 horsepower engine. and the mechan-
ism fs so finely adjusted that the SO-tOn machins
responds to his touch almost as sensltiyeiy az
does a horse to the rein Of driver. And should
a stone lodge between the powerful teeth. ths
law Of .Bucyrus'' needs the dentist Just as much
as does an aiIing human maxiilary. a sharp
bIoyy from a sIedge hammer. and those teeth are
ready to begin gnawing again And when ths
steam is high in the gauge. and the coast
clear ahead. this monstrous vandaI scoops %
three great mouthfuls each minute. and. hoist
ing them aoft at the end OF its crane. it swings
f~qro. oa-a
standing ready on a SIDE track Sometimes such
a rnouthfuI will weigh fifteen tons. and ths
average bite contains a cubic yard and half ot
material In two hours "BUcyrus" has rooted uo
and loaded away the cellar walls and founda~
tions Of an ordinary dwelling house. work
which twenty men working hard ali Gay could
barely accomplish.
The demolition Of buildings on the SIX blocks
along Lexington and Madison aves. which ara
to be added to the present terminal OF the New-
York Central Railroad Is far more Formidable
however. than one might suppose from merely
watching the steam shovel "Bucyrus' at work
The rubbish which this machine loads into cars
must be carried out over the tracks OF the Park-
ave. tunnel along with the rest Of that vast
traffic which passes in and out Of the three
mile hole" Eight hundred trains come and go
each day to and from the Grand Central Station,
and the dirt trains must be operated without
interference to the passenger service at the
present time the task is easier than It will Be
when the work has still further advanced be-
cause now most Of the wreckage OF demolished
buildings can be carried away IN the night time.
When workmen begin to excavate beneath ths
tracks Of the present switchyard. which Is TO %
lowered thirteen feet. the problem viii becoms
much more difficult to solve
-Bucyrus" IN itself might not attract atten-
ton for the reason that steam shovels are a.
most as common as hand spades IN these days
and "Bucyrus'' is twenty tons smaller than ths
largest steam shovel made But the audacity OK
this iron monster cannot fail to provoke wonder
Never before in the history Of the city has a
steam shovel been used. SO engineers say. N
/ roofing UP buildings
| .Bucyrus' does not begin the work OF dernoI-
| ton The professional wrecker. who has a sub
| contract for his work. comes first One may see
| the evidences of his ravaging hands IN sLrvtv-
| ing buildings along LexingtOn-ave- The gaping
/ windows of the Women's Hospital buildings. Ia
/ the block between FOrty-utnth and Ffftieth sts-
| show that there has been destructive work With
in. One may also see the marks Of II on the
| Adams and American Express companies ware
| houses and the Orphan Asylum building. be-
| tween Forty-eighth and FOrty-ninth sts-: IN the
| apartment houses. the dwelling houses. ths
| cha pei and Sunday school Of the Church OF the
| Holy Rest between Forty-ffth and FOrty-sev-
| enth sts. and IN the rows Of dwelling houses
and the Lutheran Church. between Forty-hfta
-~f ~or