The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-28

ent project grew. It had been decided
 by a municipal ballot that the city
 should own the system, but that 1t
 should be constructed under private
 contract on money loaned by the city,
 to be repaid by the contractor with in-
 terest It required six years to lay out
 the route and plan the size and char
 aeter of the tunnel and the viaducts,
 the work being under the supervision
 of commission of which Alexander p.
 Orr was president and William Barclay Parsons chief engineer. This accomp-
 lished, bids for the gigantic work were
 issued. There were but two responses,
 that of John B. Mcdonald. New York
 contractor, being the lowest at $35,-
 eo0,0o0. In spite of the splendid fran
 chise involved, the enormous difficulties
 of driving a great tunnel under the
 crowded city, the blasting and the pos- sibility of great catastrophe with its
 attendant liability. deterred all others
 than Mcdonald and Andrew Onderdonk whose bid was four millions in excess of the successful bidder. The contract | under which Mcdonald undertook the work provided that he should construct | the subway road In four years at a cost | of Ss5,000,e00: that he should have the | right to operate 1t for tifty years, with right of renewal for twenty five yearss that the city would furnish him with $35,000.000 by an issue of bonds bearing 1-2 per cent. interest. and | that in fifty years he should repay the $S5,000.o00 and interest by annual in- | stallments. The entire property would | belong to the city, and at the end of | the lease the city could release the sys- i tenn on Its own terms to whom 1t pleased. The contractor was to make his profit out of the construction and | operation iofthe road.
 The construction of the tube has in- volved difficulties of a character proba- ply never before faced in such work Portions of 1t passes under skyscrapers, | involving costly and specially designed supporting systems, and practically its | whole length lies under a crowded city ! requiring the solution of such problems l as those involved in the displacement | or hundreds of sewers, many of them great main trunk conduits, masses of Intricate and interlaced electric wires gas, water and steam pipes, and all without seriously interrupting the ser vices of these essentials to the life of | q great city. Old foundations were encountered in unexpected places and quick sands, strongly flowing springs | and long forgotten streams frequently called into play every device of modern engineering genius to meet perilous | emergencies. About three million | cubic yards of excavation were made for the tunnel. one-third of which was stone As this required blasting an | other serious obstacle was encountered
 in devising means for the safe use of
 explosives. particularly in those DOT
 tions of the work which were in the
 form of open excavation, or ditching.
 In preserving the grade the depth Of
 the tunnel underground varies largely,
 notably along upper Broadway where 1t was driven under the middle of the
 street. Here the roof of the subway
 IS put few feet under the pavement.
 The detailed work of constructing the
 tunnel was done by means of subcon-
 tracts, the route being divided into sec
 tiens which were advertised by the chief contractor. As extensive borIngs
 had been made along the entire route.
 the contractors were enabled to judge