The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
BROOKLYN TUNNEL THROUGH.
CONNECTION MADE BY 6J FEET
OF TEN HNCH PIPE.
Headings or North Tube sim 81 Feet Apart
but VIII Meet in a Few Days-BOres
Coincide Almost ExactIy-ThrOush 90
the Long Island Railroad Station.

the Long Island Railroad station
Sandhogs working below the bed Of the
East River added another chapter to New
York's underground history when they
bored yesterday. through the sixty-fve
feet Intervening between the two headings
Of the north hlhs Of the pair Of subway
tunnels ween Manhattan and Brooklyn
and put in a ten inch pipe that opened
clear way through.
The tunnelling was begun In September,
1903, one end from the Bowling Green sta
tion of the Manhattan subway and the other
from the foot of Jorslemon street, Brooklyn.
Yesterday when the headings OF the north
! tute had got so close the engineers, being
anxious to learn how nearly the levels
would check and how near the hores would
meet along designed lines, ordered a ten
inch pipe driven through. This work took
up the better part Of the day and was done
from the Manhattan end at a point almost
directly under the middle of the river red. =
IL was shortly after 8 o'cloc when Fred
erick Noble, division engineer Of the Rapid
Transit Company, listening in the Brooklyn
chamber, heard a %throbbing against the
head wall. Fifteen minutes later a part OF
the Brooklyn heading caved IN with a whizz
and a roar and the friendly end Of the 10
inch pipe poked through within a tenth Of
an inch of the spot where ii was sup
posed to nit. The mud and sam were
quickly brushed of the end of the pipe
and the wooden plug was bait cred out.
| AlraaAy a Hypi~a uaa AZ Hing anviniIllv
through it.:
Hello, BrooSlynl Hello, Brooklyn! oh,
you Brooklyn!"
II was Thomas j. Brown, general super
intendent in charge Of the work.
Noble returned the greeting, which
sounded with a roar upon the ears Of the
listeners at the other end owing 10 the in
tensifed pressure OF the air. Workers
in both tunnels raised all sort, Of cheers
! and shouts. Everybody wanted TO talk
and peer into the iron pipe at once. In
the excitement it never occurred to either
side TO ask how near the Business had
checked out. Maybe If il had not been
for a wager that Noble had with Brown
the natter would nave been forgotten en-
tirely. This suddenly dawned upon Brown
and, pushing aside a squad of men. he
learned to his JOY in one way and his sorrow
in another that be had lost; for his opinion
had been that the Two bores would misft
by at least one-tenth Of a foot.
Boys" shouted out Noble when he
learned the good news, you'll not only
have the honor Of connecting New York
and Brooklyn, enough, glory for any man
10 hand down TO his children, hut there is
a treat corning to everybody, and II won't
/ be dry either
Word was sent to D. l.. Hough, president
Of the New FORK Tunnel Company, the
builders. Hough was from Missouri, he
said, and came down on the Jump to look
the Job over. He was g~rinning from ear
to ear last night and said be was never
more tickled in his life. Everything was
Perfectly satisfactory, Hough said, and
the two shields proper ought TO meet some
time early next week, as they were making
a combined Roadway Of about twenty feet
a day. When they meet there will lie a
celebration to which Mayor Mcclellan,
Borough Presid ents Ahearn and Coler and
the members of the Rapid Transit Com
mission will be invited.
The south tube, if nothing blocks the
present work, will be joined up in about
six weeks. The north tube has always
believed to be- bad practice to drive the two
tubes abreast.
With the tubes that we're joined up yester-
day and the other work thus far completed
there is a continuous tunnel from the Flat
bush avenue railway station to the ter
minals Of the Manhattan subway.