Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-24
TushEI sssrE1 INDICATED srrnE BLACK uAEs

man. He is tall and spare He has a thin,
clean shaven face His eyes are blue and
deep set. His voice betrays soft southern
accent, imperceptible almost, yet that
keeps the listener attentive to hear how he
will pronounce this or that particular word
He Is lawyer by profession. He was
practicing law In Chattanooga, Tenn, in
1872, when he determined to move to New
York. Before coming to the metropolis he
had been attorney for railroad interests
there and in Knoxville great deal of his
practice IN New York came to be of similar
character. Naturally. matters affecting
transportation, whether railroad or munich
pal. appealed particularly to him and at
tracted a great deal Of attention from him.
At the same time as member of the bank
ing and brokerage firm of Pemberton & Nc
Adoo. he devoted not little of his time to
matters financial. From 1892 until his tun-
mel project was financed ten years later he
was a member Of this firm: and from 1896
to 1902 his law partner in the firm Of Nc
Adoo G. McAdoo was the present police
commissioner of New York city, William
McAdoO. but not a relative.
OF course, Mr.. McAdoo, student that he
necessarily had to be Of New York's rapid
transit situation. did not Tong remain in
ignorance Of the fact that when he was
Of ability and reputation. organized the
Hudson Tunnel Railroad Company, with
capital Of $10,00O,0OO. That was in 1873:
and the plan was to build tunnel from
the foot of 18th street, in Jersey City, un-
der the Hudson, and thence to the New
York bulkhead line at the foot Of Morton
street, distance Of 5,400 feet"
An Old Tunnel Plan.
From this point the tunnel was to be
continued to the south side OF Washington
Square, where several blocks Of land were
to be acquired and large terminal sta
ton built. The tunnel was to be Of solid
masonry three feet in thickness. 1t was to
be circular in form, with a height Of twen-
ty-sx and g. width of twenty-four feet,
painted white and lighted by gas Through
1t from a connecting entrance near the foot
of Bergen Hill, Jersey City, five of the big
railroads terminating on the Jersey shore
of the Hudson were to run their trains into
Manhattan. The trains were to be hauled
by specially constructed engines, which
would have sufficient power to overcome
the tunnel grades and would consume their
own smoke and steam. thus keeping the air
fresh in the tunnel All told, this plan
called for 1900 feet Of tunnel and ap-
proaches.
In November of 1874 shaft was sunk in
Jersey City to distance of twenty feet;
then the work was enjoined by the Del
aware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Company. 1t was not until five years later
that the railroad was finally put to rout by
court decisions and the work begun afresh.
But the tunnel builders were not through
with trouble. In July Of the following year.
when everything had been going splendidly
for some time under Mr. Haskin's system
of applying compressed air without the use
of shield to hold up the earth, a assure
was struck the air escaped. letting In the
river, the door Of the air-lock became jam
med, twenty men were drowned in the
rush of water and silt, and the tunnel was
flooded.
Mr. Haskin was undaunted. The tunnel
was cleaned out, and for two years the
work progressed. Then the money gave
out, and Mr.. Haskin and his associates.
having built over 1900 feet Of the original
tunnel and nearly 600 feet of a parallel
bore. thirty feet to the south, were reluc-
family compelled to recognize defeat.
For eight years the tunnels remained
filled with water Then the company was
reorganized, and the famous English con-
tracing firm Of s. Pearson & Co. under
took to complete the tubes. Two thousand
feet of iron-lined tunnel was built by them;
then. in 1892 work again came to an end
no more money.
That was the year when Mr.. McAdoo ar
rived in New York. Perhaps the seeds OF
his plan to bore under the Hudson were
ssown then. At any rate long before he got
possession Of the franchises OF this ADAM
doned enterprise, and despite its tragic his
tory. extending over period of twenty
nine years, had secured the necessary capt.
tal he had recognized the urgent need of
doing something to improve traffic condi-
tions between the metropolis and New Jer-
sey.
McAdoo's Original Plan.
Mr.. McAdoo's first plan was simply to
complete what is known as the north tun-
mel of the original scheme. put In two mar
row gauge tracks and run small cars back
and forth between 18th and Henderson
streets. Jersey City. and Greenwich and
Christopher streets. New York. 1t was not
long. however. before he decided to COM
plete the south tunnel, thus permitting OF
the operation Of single standard gauge
track In each tunnel. making the liability
Of accident practically nil and enormously
increasing the carrying capacity. These
tunnels will now be extended up 9Th ave-
nue. to SD street, and from 9th street and
9th avenue eastward to 4th avenue and AS
tor place.
Shortly before the work of moving the
shield was begun in the north tunnel. on
October %, 1902. Mr. McAdoo, who had also
been thinking hard about the congested
condition of traffic at Cortlandt street.
where two ferry lines discharge passen-
gers into this busy and overcrowded thor
oughfare, took up the question Of driving
two tubes under the river to connect the
metropolis in this neighborhood with
the Pennsylvania railroad terminus in Jer-
sey City. Then came the idea of connect
ing the trunk line terminals. and early last
year he worked out the scheme of con-
Meeting the original tunnels with the great
metropolitan shopping, hotel and theatrical
district at SD street and the New York
subway at 9th street and 4th avenue.
ut Is a project not evolved In a day or
a week. 1t Is project that, by reason Of
its great scope and the history back of the
original undertaking from which It sprang
required great force, courage and nerve
to push 1t successfully In It's formative days.
1t is d piece OF work still requiring all OF
those enviable attributes. and in the orin-
Ion OF the man primarily back OF It It Is e.
piece Of work which will solve the rapid
transit problem for the sections Of the city
and suburban country It pierces and draws
on for many generations to come.
The travelling and committing millions
now dependent upon slow. inconvenient
and unsatisfactory ferryboats between the
e debt OF gratitude to Mr.. McAdoo Tor the
service he will substitute. and which in all
respects will be as rapid and satisfactory
~ that OF the N0w York subway. even