New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-12
TUNNEL ENDS MEET
FNGINEERS Walk ACROSS.
Jgo1e 70 Hare Cars Raining RcgH-
Iarly bg Ncrt Apr7L.

-. ,,,f,,,r.as f,efore noon yesterday tne
shield from the Jersey end - the Morton-sl-
sunnel touched that from the New forN e'o'
and the dreams and Intermittent toll ~ thiT''
,-aars were completed. A minute later W. o.
nfcAdoo rresi6eut ~ the Neu-York and New
Jersey Railroad. builder 81 The tunnel s'eprea
ont into the Morton St shaft and was the first
man N .--oss the North River on dry land The
,,-ort- was finished forty-tr-o days ahead OF the
specified time.
Following Mr McAdoo was Waiter Oakmhn
,-ice-rresideut % the company. and Chories NJ
Jacobs chief ene1neer. MI Jacobs was the
engineer 81 che Gas main tunnel from Astoria
10 Nevv-YorIx city. and had the honor when
THAT work was completed 81 being the hTsi man
20 walk unda- the East River II is now one
scar and ten months since this company. under
7Ir Jaoohss direction. took ID the work ena
much credit IS given 20 him for completing the
tunnel ahead OF time. As it was, the shields
were ioinea three DAYS sooner than had beer
expected mp til yesterday.
About II o'clock the two ends were within
FOOT OF each other. and worlSme3 behind the
shield coming from New-Jersey began TO hear
the voices OF the men IN the New-York heading
When the worl1men realized that the task was
81 last about finished they yelled at each other
through the thin section Of silt ia a medley OF
hair dozen tongues until tie wall was finally
broken through.
Il was al II 80 O'Clock when the last ring OF
;he cast iron casing plates was rveted into
.race. So great had been the accuracy Of the
1lans 81 CHER Engineer Jacobs that e. was
10und the joining Of the two sections had been
exactly "a line both as to level and direction
without hairs breadL Of variation. In no tUn-
5ol OF modern times, il is said. cUt under sim
liar conditions. has there been such accUrac-
of construction. In the tunnel under the De
Hr0It River. from Saruia 20 Port Huron com
pleted several years ago, q fauauon III lh@
courses az The headings or only three-quarle.S
Of an inch was considered a remarkable achie~e-
iuent.
1n the afternoon a party Of officials consisting
~ twenty persons. made an inspection tFlp or
1iat cars drawn by cable. With president NJ
Adoo were Vice President ". g. Oakman, Chief
1suElncer Charles NJ. Jacobs. Directors John
shelton Williams and O.. Tracy Rogers, VIII
sam Barclay Parsons, chief engineer OF the
Rapid Transit Commission FreSldell' Ih'l,',S
~ NcCarter OF the Public Service CornoTatirl
at Now-JerseN. and others.
Another party. under President McAooo
leadership viii probably make the trip through
The tunnel to-day
There are still many months Of work 10 DO
done before the south tunnel is compieled ana
1he entrances on either side are lniShed Inc
work The entrances Is OF an easy nature
compared with the work under the river DOT
tom. however. and VIII not long prevent the
entire completion OF the enterprise. AS f0r the
south tunnel. while the companNs engineers
Say that they expect 10 meet with the same
on the north tunnel. the experience on the COM
1letcd section and The new shield I'm use VIII
enable them 30 finish the south tunnel IN much
quicker time thau the other. An officer OF the
company said last uiEht that from present prog
ress Il is expected that both tunnels and their
approaches VIII he finished and the cars viii DE
running by April 1905.
The founder OF the firm OF s. Pearson & Son
htlilt large part Of the MOrtOn-sJ tunnel ana
Il would have been built long ago by that hrln
II he early owners OF ii had had suflcieit
financial resources.
Though greater part 81 the Jersey end or the
sunnel built nearly thirty years ago, ana
has lain buried IN r. bed Of silt mud and rock
beneath the bed of the North River, the Pearson
part OF the tunnel is every inch As good to-day
Il thirty wears ago. In fact, time has
made IL stronger. =. @. MOir member OF :.
Pearson a. Son. said last night that he Morton
tunnel first begun by a man named
ERskins. While Mr.. Haskins was the contractor
The tunnel leaked. and about twenty workmeD
were drowned. The Pearson company was then
called ON. he said. 10 undertake the work and
did 80. until the owners Of the tunnel ran short
~ money. The Pearson company had never had
Hny tunnel disasters