The sun., 1908-04-11
P.R.R. TUNNEL ALL THROUGH
ONE MAY WALK FROM QUEENS
10 the JERSEY MEADOWS.

South bore Under bergen IIlll Connected
This Morning by May the North Bore
VIII he Through, Completing the ENca'
walton for 500 900 900 improvement.
By the time THE Sun Is on the street this
morning 1t will be possible TO walk under
ground from Long Island City to the Jersey
meadows, a distance Of SO miles. This is
made possible by the completion Of the ex-
cavation for the Pennsylvania Railroads
south tunnel under Bergen Hill, back Of
Hoboken. The tunnel workers under the
hill we're within few feet of each other
last night and Samuel Rea. third vice.
president OF the road, announced that the
connection would be made before morning.
The holing through Of the south Bergen
Hill bore marks an important step in the
Pennsylvania's vast New York improve
ment.' By the officials Of tho road II is
regarded as the beginning Of the end, 80 TO
speak, OF the great work which is to bring
at least 1000 trains a day into Manhattan
Island.
The two tubes under the North River
were put through almost year ago; the
excavation for the station, covering an area
Of six city blocks, has been finished for
several months, as have also tho tunnels
under Manhattan, and the Fast River
tubes we're connected only few weeks ago
The north bore under Bergen Hill will
bo through by May, and that will prac-
tically be the last Of the excavations. The
Pennsylvania people have declined TO make
any out and out prediction as to when the
entire t9O. 900 worth OF improvements
will be finished, but the directors in their
last annual report promised that trains
would be in operation by 1910,
When the north bore under Bergen Hill
is cut through in May the aggregate length
Of the Pennsylvania tunnel in the New York
improvement will be 1875 miles. Consider
ably more than fifteen miles has been
e1cavated. This is exclusive Of the e1-
cavations made for the yard tracks in the
station, which will aggregate about sixteen
miles Altogether more than $1,000 cubic
yards OF rock and earth have been removed.
Two tunnels will be operated from the
Bergen Hill portal to the Manhattan station
and four from the station east under
Manhattan and the East River.
The Bergen Hill section OF the tunnels
has been in charge Of Chief Engineer Charles
NJ. Jacobs, who also supervised the putting
through Of the tubes under the North River
Mr. Jacobs didn't expect to be present when
the underground connection was COM
petcd this morning hut Fred LAWS, the
resident engineer; James Forge the as
sistant; William Bradley, the contractor,
and Supt. McAianus had made plans to be on
hand to see the hole go through.
It's hardly likely that any Of the engineers
will attempt to walk TO Long Island City
right away, for it's no cinch walking even
under one river when the air n on and the
path is obstructed by all sorts Of things 1t
would be a mighty good days job making
that SO miles from tho Bergen Hill portal
to the East avenue terminal in Long Island
City. although one would have an oppor-
tunity to get a breath Of fresh air and sun
light in passing through the great hole
where the station is TO stand. And as for
the ordinary Long Islander who has been
reading for years Of the time when he would
he able to step into a Long Island train and
get Of in Chicago, it's safe 20 gamble that
he will stick to the ferries until the walking
is better.
The completed Bergen Hill tunnel is
920feet long running from the Weehawken
shaft to the portal on the west side Of the
hill. The floor Of the tunnel at the Wee
hawken end is about Is feet below the sur
face and about % feet below mean high
water At the summit o: bergen Hill. IN
the town Of West Hoboken the tunnel floor
is about 22O feet below the summit.
The driving Of the bores was one Of the
slowest and most tedious pieces OF work in
the entire improvement, although it didn't
present anything like the difficulties that
we're encountered when the contractor for
the Manhattan section ran into the bed Of
an old stream which used to flow north
and south where the Waldorf now stands.
That, however, was long befofe COWS we're
pastured on Manhattan.
About 1000 feet Of the Bergen Hill tunnel
had to be bored through the Palisade trap
rock. which was so hard that it was i'm
possible TO drill through more than foot
OF it in an hour even with the most pow
erful steam drills About 100000 cubic
yards Of rock have been taken out Of the
Bergen tunnels and this has consumed about
three years. More than $4,000 pounds Of
dynamite, or three pounds to the cubic
yard, we're used.
Figures which the Pennsylvania Railroad
has prepared show that in the New York
Improvement work they have o.s miles Of
river tunnels and the same number Of miles
OF land tunnels. The stretch under the
North and East rivers makes the longest
subaqueous tunnel in the world