Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-02-01

The new Brooklyn tunnel Is q
monument to modern engineering. 1t
has overcome the greatest physical
obstacles nature has ever laid in the
way of rapid transit. 1t cost ten mill
lions in money and many lives.
The most important immediate
question to be asked of the tunnel
is What relief will 1t give to the
crush at tho, ~ -'.'vu Bridge7
=. ..i'Nd Rte' DrUoKIySr,s ntsM p The
,aembers OF the Public Utilities Com
mission say this is problematical The
most conservative estimate is that it
will relieve the crush to the extent
of fifteen per cent.
According to the best available fig-
ures, fifteen per cent. of the peo-
pie who cross the bridge use the sub
way. Many of them probably will
leave the subway at the bridge sta
tion in order to take trains to their
destinations in Brooklyn. The tun-
mel will carry them only to the Bor-
ough Hall station. OF course many
people downtown-below the bridge
station--will take advantage OF the
tunnel trains, but the number cannot
be estimated.
100000 Cross the Bridge.
At the present time 100000 per-
sons use the Brooklyn Bridge every
week day. During the busiest hour
$4,000 cross the structure. If the
subway tunnel trains are used to
their fullest capacity they could
carry $4,000 in an hour. The OFF,
cials, however, do not anticipate that
they will be asked to carry capacity
business until the subway is extend
ed beyond the Borough Hall station.
The Battery tunnel met with more
delays than any of the others. 1t
seemed to be hoodooed from the very
beginning. Work on it was begun
early in 1908, soon after ground was
broken for the main subway. In the
first place Mr.. Belmont maintained
that loss of several millions would
be sustained because the bid of the
contractors was too low. Then, after
years work, certain parts of the
tubes had to be reconstructed. When
the tubes were almost completed 1t
was reported that the tubes had set
tied in two places where they had
been lala IN quicksand.
Marks an Epoch in IlAsineering.
For more than two years the Pat
terry boring was a source of constant
perplexity to the Rapid Transit Com
missioners and to George S. Rice,
their chief engineer. The work was
laid out under the direction of Will
liam Barclay Parsons when he was
chief engineer of the board, and he
steadfastly maintained that there
were no difficulties that could not be
overcome. AS late as last spring
alarming rumors started an investi-
cation. 1t was announced that it had
been found necessary to remove Sec
tions of the tubes and to build con-
crete foundations under them where
quicksand had been found. Several
distinguished engineers were called
upon and they all declared that the
concrete bottom made the tubes per-
fectly safe. Mr.. Pegram then an
nounced that trains would be run
ming before snow fell. So many de-
lays ensued that it became a matter
of speculation as to whether the Bat
terry tunnel or Mr.. Belmont's tube to
Long Island City would be the first
to carry trains.
One Mile Under River.
The distance from the Bowling
Green station to the Borough Hull
station in Brooklyn is one and six
tenths miles, and the length of the
river tube Is one and one-quarter
miles. The tunnel trains will travel
at the rate of nearly twenty miles an
hour, and under two-minute head
way. According to the subway Off
cials, the trains could travel safely
at far greater speed. Trains have
been run through at sixty mile speed.
The opening of the tube marks an
epoch in engineering and rapid tran
sit. 1t means that nothing can stand
in the way of modern scientific pro-
gress; that the brain and energy Of
man can overcome any physical OBJ
stacle nature may construct.
These tubes forced their own way