The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1904-03-12
THROUGH The
TUNNEL
First Trip Under the River
Made Yesterday by a
Distinguished Party
PRESIDENT H'ADOO In THE LEAD
Visitors Medically Examined
and Equipped With
Chewing Gum Before
Starting on the
Journey.

The first journey clear through the
Hudson River tunnel was made yester-
day. The north bore was completed
cast iron plates having been riyeted into
place at that hour. So exact had been
the calculationss of the engineers that
when the closing shield was opened the
tunnel was found to be connected with
out an inch of discrepancy. The men
pushing the cutting shield under the bed
of the river heard the men gathered in
the Manhattan end cheering as they
broke through. Superintendent James
Brady was the first to look through the
shield into the New York heading. AS
the New York gang of workmen he
yelled with delight.
Were here at lastw he exclaimed,
as he extended an arm through the
opening and shook hands with General
| Superintendent George B. Fry. The
| closing shield was soon taken apart and
there was no further obstacle to the free
passage through the tunnel from shore
to shore.
| As soon as the news was flashed to
the Office of the New York and New
Jersey Railroad Company flags were run
up on the buildings at both ends of the
mile shaft.
Chief Engineer Charles NJ. Jacobs at
| once set about organizing a pioneer party
to go through the tunnel. This party
consisted of President McAdoo Vice
President w. G. Oakman, Chief Engi-
neer Jacobs, Chief Engineer w. B. Par
sons of the Rapid Transit Commission,
Directors John Shelton Williams Of
Richmond, Va, and G. Tracy Rogers;
| President Thomas NJ McCarter of the
| sey, Associate Engineer J. v. Davies,
| Banker Francis r. Pemberton, Lawyers
G. Sidney Shepard, Edward r. Greene
and Hall P. Mccullough of the general
counsel of the tunnel syndicate, w. S.
Moir of S. Pearson's Sons, London, con-
| tractors for the Pennsylvania tunnel un-
| der the Hudson; Secretary Charles W.
| King of the McAdoo syndicate, Superin-
! tendent f. R. Courtney of the uncom-
pleted south tunnel of the same company,
| President Kenyon B. Cenger Of the
Kniekerbocker Improvement Company,
Superintendent James Brady of the New
| Jersey end of the finished tunnel, and
| Superintendent Patrick Fitzgerald Of
the New York end of tRe south tunnel
This party embarked from the New
York side on a tug and arriving at the
| Jersey end of the tunnel, at the foot of
Fifteenth street changed their overcoats,
shoes and hats for rubber boots and oil
cloth coats and caps and were lowered
| to the mouth of the tunnel Here they
were lowered to the mouth of the tunnel.
Here they were examined by DIR. Loom
is to see if their hearts and lungs were
all right before entering the first air lock
|
each member of the party was handed a
box of gum and told to "clear for life"
| The air pressure in this lock is II pounds
to the square inch.
The first part of the journey was made
by the party in small cable cars that
had been used to draw out excavated
material The party rolled along the
rails through the electrically illuminated
steel tube at times in darkness at others
| through brilliant floods of lights down,
down to the lowest point, far under the
| bed of the North River. At distance
of about 1900 feet from where they
started they reached the end Of the front
air lock and crawled through the stout
steel doors into the second lock, where
the air pressure was even greater. The
rest of the journey was made afoot.
Each member of the party was chewing
gum, in accordance with the doctors ad-
| vice. ssfor dear life" 1t was a long
tramp to the point where the connection
and the new members of the party were
had been made but few hours before
gasping for breath.
AT one stage Of the journey Chief En-
gineer Jacobs told the party they were