The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-11
UNDERGROUND LIFE IN GOTHAM.

Unapparent to the eye a great under
ground city has developed in Manhattan
"a city densely populated by workers
who rarely see the sunlight 1t is the
city Of the skscraper Easements and eX-
tends downward TO bed rock in some
places below the surface OF the East and
North rivers There, built amid sunken
caissons and within coferdams OF steel
and concrete. are three, four or five story
of the building lower than the street.
\ writer in the Worlds Work notes that
most of the jewellers underground. engi-
neers. fremen. oilers and other employees
are nearly all men past middle life.
Crews Of from forty to sixty men are
required to operate the engineering mech
anism of the great Office buildings. IN
the boiler and engine rooms the force
works in three shifts of eight hours each
The early watch begins at : q. m. and
ends at p. NJ. Then the middle watch
comes on and works till Il p. m, when the
late watch begins. No man leaves ms
post till he is relieved by his successor.
Each watch comprises an engineer. an
oirr. two firemen and two coal passeTs
and there is always ready at hand II
wanted. a chief engineer. with his as
sis54nt. The remainder Of the working
force OF the building Is composed oilers
zone for each four elevators, electricians
plum 1erS. steE1ntitters. machinists' car
renters. cabinet-makers. masons, plaster
ers. painters and cleaners.
They are comfortably housed and sur
ro,, % su by many appliances Of luxury
tubs Cor bathing. shower Baths. dressing
cthf- 4 marble hand-basins- There Is
a rrofusion Of nickel and polished steer
and hardwood neutrality-suspicious. mat
might Be asked for in the most luxurious
home.
Usually the building really works only
-,n hours. and the niSh, shitt IS small
sr than the day shift IN one or Two
~ the Ia~ce hotels. whsre the day over
1a-s .ba nicht and The night merGes
with the day. there is no dInernee. III
-bo noyver-roor1S Of the Waldorf-As-
roris three stories below the street. i9o
men are employed. There. too. in winter
100 tons Of toal q day are consumer III
seven furnaces for n hotel must Keep
--s-lf warm at every hour q the TWEEN
ry-four FIFTY tons OF a-ulci-l ICE are
used daily during the sumner. and m
thousand carafes o. water ci.i 'ed oy
III. ice-ma chine: 4.ea pcuuos OF meat.
tsb and game arr rs. Z 40 IRE Eng ten
p,rature in the ref igerators.
Every drop OF water coz un-ed IN the
underground city is altered. DsaughtS
NJ cool air fan the hot b--ath Of the
furnace from ttc brow "a the coal
hzsver In the Easement Of The nsT
sto-I Exch-nge a ref-1 a. or vice f'-
s,,0plyias Geld air ana teaper.ns the
hsr wave 10 tac perspirioe e-oser is said
10 be the perfection Of venulatins sys
terms
What is To be the ultimate revelop-
r,s-- q New York below the
-sverente Already stores along the
subway are in perspective while the great
e,,h-arranecus borlugs Of the PeuRsyIva-
MIA railroad. with the worlds lsrgest T-as-
se--er station 10 he built more than half
underground. equipped with novinS plat
forms and stairways. and other projected
s,bwavs 10 come. open up visions Of g
city beneath q city. OF great buildings
/ connected underneath by tunnels. I'll pes
sage ever wide areas may be accom-
f Dlished without the need of mounting 70
( he surface. haps IN the New York
{ OF another century much OF the heavy
/ truck traffic VIII oe CARED On under
{ ground. leaving the surface streets 70
/ the pedestrian and the light vehicles.