Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-02-25
REPRESENTS EXPENSE
OF SIXTY MILLIONS
Work Was Started in 1873 and
Abandoned Twice Completion
Awaited Perfection Of Electric
Locomotives Roosevelt
Sends Message.

New York, Feb. 2j-Siras pin Z
! hands in fraternal greeting across the
| New York-New Jersey boundary line,
| from the platforms of electric trains
sixty feet under the Hudson river,
Governor Hughes and Governor Fort
today formally opened the first tun-
mel connecting the metropolis with
| the New Jersey mainland. Marking
the completion of one of the most
stupendous engineering feats of mod
ern times, the meeting of the two gov
ernors will doubtless become historic.
President Roosevelt pressed the
electric button in Washington that
started the electric trains bearing
Governor Hughes and Governor Fort
speeding toward each other, the for
mer leaving Morton street, New York,
and the other starting from Hoboken.
The trains met exactly on the state
line, at which point the tunnel was
lined with bunting. Then followed
the memorable greetings between the
two state executives. y congratula-
tory message from President ROose-
welt was read.
In addition to the governors and
their staffs, the trains carried dis
tinguished representatives of the mu-
nicipal bodies of all the larger cities
of northern New Jersey, as well as
of New York. Officials of the tunnel
system awaited the trains at the state
line. Following the brief exercises in
the tunnel, both official parties pro-
ceeded to Hoboken, where the pro-
gram provided for short speech max
ing and an inspection of the tunnel
plant Great public demonstrations
marked the opening at both the New
York and Hoboken terminals.
The celebration will be brought to
close tonight with a dinner at Sher-
ry's, in which the state and municipal
officials of New York and New Jersey
will take a leading part. The tunnel
officials say that this dinner will
eclipse anything of the kind ever held
here. Governor Fort and Governor
Hughes will be the chief speakers.
Cost Is Large
This new under-riVer system repre-
sents an expenditure of nearly S60,-
600, 900. 1t is one of the worlds great
est engineering accomplishments and
Is certain to have a marked influence
not only upon the future development
of northern New Jersey but also of
certain sections Of Manhattan
The scheme of tunneling the Hud-
son river was first put forward in
1878 by ID. c. Haskins, a civil engi-
.neer. a company was organized and
lot of money spent on building a
solid brick tunnel 1900 feet long. The
company failed and the work was
abandoned i'm 1850. Ten years later
English capitalists engaged the firm
of Pearson * Son, who are now con-
structing the East River section Of the
Pennsylvania tunnels, to extend the
hole. This time 1,S00 feet were built
before the job was given up. Com
pressed air was used in construction.
The fatal flaw in the enterprise was
felt to be the impossibilty of using
steam locomotives, with all their out
put of smoke and gas, in the bore
when Ii should be completed The
electric motor was in its infancy.
William G. McAdoO, a lawyer, saw
the possibilities in 1901, and organ
lied a company which acquired the
$500 feet Of the old tunnel and com
pleted it by means Of the steel ring
method A second parallel tuoe was
built. These are the tunnels opened
today. while other sections Of the sys-
tenn will be in operation next sum
mer.