Columbia courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1902-1905, 1904-11-04
GREAT SUBWAY FINISHED.
New York's Great Tunnel In Working
Order

New York's Great Tunnel In Working
| Order.
New York.-Exercises marking the
completion Of the main artery Of Man
hattan's subway and the formal trans
fer of the great underground tunnel
by the contractors to the city were
held in the city hall. At the conclu.
sion of the exercises Mayor Mcclellan
and guests marched to the city hall
subway station, where special train
was awaiting them. Promptly at 2
o'clock the mayor turned on the cur.
rent, and simultaneously 20 other
trains which had been stationed at
various points in the tunnel awaiting
the signal were sent away on their
first oficial trip.
Underground Road a Marvel.
The subway is the consummation OF
years of study Of the transportation
problem on Manhattan island and 1t
marks the completion Of the first stage
of what will be the most comprehen-
sive system Of rapid transit in the
world. Considering the peculiar diff
fculties faced by its builders. the sub
way stands unique as feat Of en-
cheering and construction.
In the shape Of an irregular Y, with
the stem resting at the city hall.
Nine miles of this total of about IA
were ready for traffic, but 1t is ex,
pected that the East Side division and
the remainder of the West Side line
will be ready in about three months.
Ground was broken for the tunnel
on March rs, 1900, after years of'agi-
tation and legislation, out of which the
present project grew. 1t had been de-
cided 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
interest. 1t required six years to lay
out the route and plan the size and
character of the tunnel and the VIA
ducts, the work being under the super
vision of a commission, Of which Alex
ander E. Orr was president and Will
liam Barclay Parsons chief engineer.
This accomplished, bids for the gigan-
tic work were issued. There were but
two responses, that of John B. McDon-
aid, a New York contractor, being the
lowest, at $35.000,000.
Built Under Crowded City.
The construction of the tube has in
volved difficulties of character prob
ably never before faced in such WORK.
Portions of it pass under skyscrapers,
involving costly and specially design
ed supporting systems, and practically
its whole length lies under crowded
city requiring the solution of such
problems as these involved in the dis
placement of hundreds Of sewers, many
of them great main trunk conduits,
masses of intricate and interlaced cleo
trio wires, gas, water and steam pipes
and all without seriously interrupting
the services of these essentials to the
life of a great city. Old foundations
were encountered in unexpected places
and quicksands, strongly flowing
springs and long forgotten streams fire.
quently called into play every device
of modern engineering genius to meet
perilous emergencies. About 3,OOO,Ool
cubic yards of excavation were made
for the tunnel, one third of which was
} stone. AS this required blasting, an
other serious obstacle was encounter
ed in devsing means for the safe "st
: of explosives, particularly in those por
lions of the work which were IN INT
form of open excavation, or ditching.
Human Life Sacrificed.
The tragedy of the entire WORK
, which up to date has cost ABOUT ~
t lives, lies practically in the diV'sio'
on Park avenues in the thirties AM
forties.
9 up to Date Power.
The system is electrical. one grea
mower house developing the require
a energy. The cars are OF the lates
e type, being especially designed lor Tn
system, and are either copper or s'ee
n sheathed. Trains will run a mile
minute,