The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-03-12
OPENING Of FIRST
HUDSON TUNNEL.
Big Problems Overcome BY Engineers
in Building Subaqueous Tubes.


week of the first of the Hudson
River tunnels. after a history of
discouragements and delays with
out a parallel, a new transit era
began in New York city. Though
of particular interest to the thou
sands of people who travel between
Manhattan Island and the neigh
boring New Jersey cities, it is also
OF more than ordinary interest to
engineers. The tunnel under the
Harlem River and the one under
the harbor to Brooklyn have been
IN operation some time, but the
new Morton street route has a
special interest.
This subaqueous tunnel is part
OF an extensive system Of passen-
ger subways and tunnels on both
sides of the Hudson River, with
approximately eighteen miles of
single tube, having connections
with the Pennsylvania, Erie ana
Lackawanna stations on the west
bank of the Hudson and reaching
northward in this city to SD street
and Sixth avenue. The system
includes not only the twin river
tunnels at Morton street, but also
another pair of single track tun-
nels extending from the Pennsyl-
vania station in Jersey City to a
large new terminal building at
Cortlandt and Church streets, in
the downtown section of the city.
In November, 1874, work was
started on the Morton street tun-
nels. These plans were laid down
by Dewitt c. Haskins, who was
president and manager of the
Hudson Tunnel Railroad Com
pany. 1t was his plan to build a
double track brick tunnel, but
later he decided on two tubes. A
brick shaft thirty feet in inside
diameter was sunk on the New
Jersey side and an opening cut
through it to start the tunnel. At
once many difficulties were en-
Countered, and it was found that
the sinking Of the shaft had 50 dis
turbed the surrounding ground
that 1t was impossible to start the
full tunnel section at the shaft.
Then it was decided to start a six
foot tube, which was enlarged in
funnel shape as it advanced, end
ing i'll the full section, about nine
teen feet IN diameter, in distance
OF thirty feet From this point
the two separate tunnels were
started. Another great difficulty
was in the use of the compressed
air, little being known about it for
this work at that time.
The method Of tunnelling con
sisted in advancing the heading
without any protection against
caving except the air pressure
against the wall of silt. The lin
ing was composed at first entirely
OF brick, but so much difficulty
was found in combining the air that
Captain John +. Anderson sug-
gested the use of Hanged iron
plates. Their purpose was to hold
the air pressure until the brick
lining could be built, and since
their thickness was only one-fourth
inch they were not relied upon en-
cept for the temporary construc-
ton purpose.
An improvement upon the un-
protected heading method of div
ing the tubes was put into opera
ton il 1880. This was the pilot
system worked out by Captain
Anderson, at that time superinten-
dent of construction of the tunnel.
This pilot consisted Of a tube from
| 50 to 90 feet long, s feet in dame
ter, the forward end of which pro
jected some feet into the silt in
advance of the heading, while the
rear end was held centrally in the
completed position of the tunnel.
1t was made of interchangeable
flange plates, the rear ones being
advanced as the work went on.
By this device it was possible TO
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