New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-23
FRESH AIR FOR TUNNEL
PLANT SITE PURCHASED.
VestiIator for Brooklyn Tube To
Be IN JorGIcmOn Street.

Aste- elk months OF effort the Irterborough Rapid
Transit Company. which IS 20 operate the Eas-
River tunnel 10 BROOKLYN has bough, a piece OF
property !n JoTalemou street for The plant 10 ven
slate the tunnel Work viii be started at on
fke shsf; from the tunnel the surface. Through
this the electric power cables be stretched
each end Of the tunnel TO the transformer sta
ton 81 Willow Place.
George E. Rice. chief engineer 81 the Rapid Fan
cit Commission. said yesterday that there was no
truth r. n rumor that more defects had been
found i tta tunnel. witch would delay its opening
gor soa,e time. lie said a. IS kror-r some time
aFo e Was found that the dipping % tie shield had
cauEed tie Sc 10 be uneven ir parts OF the
tarnel. IA orcer 20 remedy this Gus down the
aeor q lie tcaEsl in some places and in Other
places put Plates "a the roof. But this WORK
is al done nov. sofh tubcs through and we
are cutt,- OFT The cors-.aciioa Shell in tho last
tube This w.l take about six weeks. Mer are row
engaged in caIAinS up sliEhc leaks In various
places. such always 40 he found in this sort
OF work. All teen that VIII remain 10 ne done Will
be the las ing of tie trAckr. the draE ns through ~
tho heavy power cables tie installation Of the
signal system.
Unless some unforeseen contingency arises ex-
pect we shall be running through The tunnel
in June. The Flatbush extension viii probably BE-
ready sn September Some TWO months ago. while
we're putting IN some new plates the pavement
in Joralemon street sagged slightly. but that did
not delay US at all, and has been entirely fixed.
How ventilate this 5000 foot tunnel is intri
cate and almost unprecedented problem on which
CHIEF Engineer Rice has been working for more
than six months. The plans now completed are eK-
pecied TO prove entirely successful
First, Il was necessary get land. This proved
! a much harder task than had been Imagined *
was desirable to have the plant as near the river
as possible as the Joraiemon section Of the ,onneI
will be well ventilated from the Borough Han sla-
tion No land could be obtained from the Brooklya
Dock Company the west side - FurHan street
The Water Department, which owns some property
sust the east side OF FErnian street which IS 10
be used for a salt water pumping station refused
20 allow the ventilation chamber. which. by the way
Is to be beneath the surface Of the ground to be
constructed there.
An estate which owns most Of the property be-
sueen Fur.nan and Hicks streets. in Joralemon
street. refused 70 sell any OF it, Some OF ii could
have been obtained by condemnation proceedings
but that would have taken too long Al one unle
dent Tittleton al Hicks stresr was chosen but
recently the Peterborough Company has closed the
Tie tunnel IS some sis1y feet deep at this point
The d:fiieulty in getting propeijy for The veniila-
trio cables for the tunnel: II was necessary TO
know the exact point at which the shaft would be
Runk TO get the lengths right.
1he shaft from the surface 70 the tunnel viii be
fore reaching the surface viii be turned in toward
fhe curb and onto the property bought for the pur
pose. The ventilation chamber there VIII be built
or concrete and viii he g feet broad So feet long
end 10 feet deep. IN it viii be installed two blowers
With seyen-foot fan wheels driven by electricity.
hs air VII be supplied through an intake 70 the
tIlace aud up Sufncient distance 10 set good fresh
air The air VIII be blown into the tunnel through
nozzle on either side OF the tGbe. and il viii be
possible 10 force IN 5000 cubic feet mirute al
though that much viii not often he wanted
The air in each tube IS 10 he driven Ia The dlrec-
ZION the cars are moving. By clever device il
will he possible to change the direction of the air
IN either tube. IL necessary.
Nhiet Engineer Rice said yesterday 4 would not
siafS , 70 Tait ior TIE completion Of the ven
81 the trains would. under ordinary circumstances
efahse the air so that il would not be intOlerable
me pogef Tor the operation Of tho tunnel will he
brought from the seth street power house in Man
haitian. ' al ~A-ii-