The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-04-06

y dream that had stirred tie pulse
i, OF two great cities for 80 years became
reality when 20 men passed through
completed tunnel under the Hud
s>n river. They began their his
toric journey from the Jersey City
side at 4 IL p. ~, and emerged from
the mouth Of the tube in Manhattan
at 4 35.
The gang Of men pushing the cut
ting shield unde- the bed of the river
had broken through into the New
York heading just before noon, and
the last ring Of the cast-iron casting
plates was riveted into place at l.:j5
@. IN. That ended it.
The men gathered in the Manhat
tan heading could be heard cheering.
So exact had been the calculations {
the engineer that when the closing
shield was opened the tunnel was
found to be connected without an inch
of discrepancy.
The first to look through the shield
into the New York heading was Supt
James Brady He yelled with deligl
| "a he gazcd on the faces Of the New
York gang of workmcn.
"We're here at last boys" he said.
sticking an arm through the opening
and shaking hands with General
Superintendent George B. Fry. A
dozen eager men in overalls took the
closing shield apart, and then there
was no obstacle to free passage
through the tunnel from shore to
shore.
The good news was telegraphed
to the Office of the New York and Jer-
sey railroad company, No. Is Wall
street, and flag was run up over the
terminal structure at the foot of Nor
ton street.
President William G. McAdoo was
delighted to learn of the completion of
the tunnel. Q He had not expected it
for several days, owing to the unex-
pected obstacles that had been en-
countered at the very last. Rock had
been found, and to blast it had been
q delicate undertaking. Chief Engi-
neer Charles NJ. Jacobs quickly got
the cheering tidings from President
MoAdoo, and both at once set about
organizing pioneer party to 60
through the tunnel.
A tug conveyed the party to Jersey
City, where they debarked at Fif-
teenth street. There they divested
themselves Of overcoats, shoes and
hats and put on rubber boots and oil
cloth coats and caps. They we're
lowered into the entrance to the tun-
uei looking as though they werc atbout
to explore coal mine.
AT the bottom of the shaft they
were examined by doctor to see
if their hearts and lungs were all
right.
Before entering the first air look
where the pressure was II pounds to
the square inch, each member of the
party was handed box of gum and
told to chew fo- dear life.
eff you feel that you are about to
turn inside out, remarked the doctor
cheerfully, swallow, swallow, swal-
low as fast as you can"
Thus encouraged, President Nc
Adoo and his companions set out on
the first stage Of their journey. The
air roared while the pressure was
being turned on. Seated in the small
cable cars which had been used to
carry out excavated materials, through
the electrically illuminated steel tube;
now into the dark. now into the bril-
liant light; down and down, to the
lowest point, far under the bed of
the Hudson; then gradually up, until
they had travelled 1000 feet from the
entrance.
There they reached the end of the
first lock, and crawled through the
stout steel doors into the second
lock, where the pressure was even