Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-07-04
A New York City Undertaking.

lne July hmerlcdn mdSazine con-
tains an article on Manhattan an
Island Outgrown," which is the best
description yet made Of the extraor-
binary transportation improvements
now being made in and about New
York City.
The transit problem in New York
City today has become the most diff
cult, complicated and vexatiOus which
faces any American citizen and twice
as much money is being spent to solve
it as is being expended on the con-
struction of the Panama Canal.
That trans-oceanic ditch will cost
$2Oo,OOO,OOo.
1.-The Pennsylvania Railroad alone
is spending $lOO,OO0,oOO to tunnel
the two rivers and build terminal
| in Manhattan. The McAdoo tubes
under the North (or Hudson) river
will cost $75,000.000 more. The
New York Central Railroad is going
to erect an enormous new terminal
station and bring all its trains into
the city by electric power. The
Belmont tubes under the East river
to Long Island City and the city sub
way tubes from the Battery TO Brook
lyn represent the expenditure Of mil
lions more. And new subways I'm.
der the East river and north through
the city itself are being planned, while
new bridge is under way across
BlackwelTs Island. The creative ar
lists Of the twentieth century are IN.
doubtedly the engineers (the creative
instinct is not dead /; it is merely
working in another medium) and
New York City will soon contain one
of the greatest achievements, an
achievement even more radical than
at first glance it appears, for it is
made possible by electricity and rep
resents for the first time on thor
ough going scale the change in motive
power on railroads from the steam
locomotives of the past seventy years
to the electrically driven train. In a
short unexpectedly three years at
most-four railroad systems will bring
their enormous traffic into the very
heart of Manhattan Island under riv.
ers and streets and avenues, without
puff of smoke or a sound of steam.
Underground, in silence and clean
air, they will come and 80 depart
again, while the Hudson River steam
ers pass over the Washington Express
and the carriages on Park Avenue roll
above the Bay State Limited. The
achievement is stupendous and unique.
"The building Of the tubes under
the rivers, of course, meant no inter
ruption Of the normal traffic, but the
connecting tunnels under the city
and the erection of the terminal were
different matters says the author OF
the article. "Yet 80 deep down in
the rock were the connecting tunnels
that they passed under Thirty.second
and Thirty-third streets, across Fifth
Avenue, and below the Waldorf-As-
toria Hotel without cracking the as
phalt or waking guest. The only
visible sign was dumping machine
at shaft near Fourth Avenue, run
silently by compressed air, and the
vanishing of turck one day into
sudden hole in Thirty.third Street.
due to a quicksand cave.in. But
even the horse was rescued unframed.
The signs at the terminal, however,
are numerous enough, for at present
the station is yawning hole half
mile long and two blocks wide, like
gigantic earthquake freak, with three
avenues, an elevated structure, sew.
ers, water mains, gas pipes and the
like straddling across it on steel stills,
performing their normal functions.
Millions of dollars worth of houses
were condemned and torn down to
make way for this terminal In the
heart of the city, and when it is done
it will bring the passenger traffic OF
the entire Pennsylvania system and
the entire Long Island system into
Herald Square"