New-York tribune., 1908-05-08
LAST PENN TUBE OPEN
Builders Celebrate Completion at
Dinner.

In celebration of the blasting open OF the iasI
section of the Pennsylvania tubes connecting Long
Island, New York and Jersey City. William Brad
lev the chief contractor for the work. gave a din
ner 10 Charles NJ. Jacobs, the chief engineer. at
Sherry's last night. There speeches by Con
troIler Metz President Mc(iowan Of the Board OF
Aldermen and other guests and original songs VIII
ten especially for the occasion.
The Smburned Subterraneans,' group OF anna
teur minstreis dressed in the costumes OF tunnel
workers, were revealed by the drawing of a cur
tain covering a platform at the end OF the room
and they added greatly to the merriment OF the
dinner. All Of the artists were members Oh ihS
engineering staff.
Or. Willism Harvey King. as toastmaster, nitro
duced Mr.. Bradley the first speaker He paid
elaborate tribute to the chief engineer and con-
graduated him the completion of the great
work which was for years thought an impossible
task He was followed by Mr.. Jacobs, who told of
the difficulties which the tunnel workers had en-
countered since the drill was started in 1903
Fred Lewis. resident engineer of the work. fol-
lowed Mr. Jacobs in answering the toast. The En-
gineerng Staff
Controller Metz made brief speech. IN which he
told of the financial side OF the building OF the
tunnels and of the city's part in the work Mr.
MCGOWAN followed him, and in his talk said, in
part:
Some said recently that We should be on o, our
guard against the Black Hand. which is develop
majority of the laborers In Your work aIe Italians
don't think we need guard against tne i5ananS hi
working and earnest men. 1t is the anarchist
against whom We must guard-the anarchist ,!l who
did engineer and splendid contractor.
sooner we put it down the better for us. Some one
has spoken of the growth of socialism. Inc work
ample of the work of ndividualisin. not a work OF
socialism or soca.stic ideals ana should STAND as
argument for the individualistic principle
other speakers during the dinner were John B.
Mcdonald. James A. Lynch. J. T O'Rourke and eX-
Corporation Counsel John j. Delany.
At the guests table with Mr. Jacobs were c. l.
Harrison G. NJ. IngersoIl, c. s. krick, Dr. hlnS'
W. S Oakman. ]. Waldo Smith, II. B. seaman
II. Steers. J. E. Walschied. b. w Carshdddon,
A j. County, assistant to the third vice-prcsdent
Of the Pennsylvania Railroad; James Forsie. An
drew Freedman and Wilbur Fiske.
Mr.. Jacobs fired the final blast in the afternoon
which accomplished the breaking down of the last
heading of the north tunnel under Bergen Hill.
Not only did the blast. which touched off at
1:95 p. m, make way through for the north tun-
mel, it marked the driving of the last heading
all the tunnels connected with the Pennsyl-
yania's local Improvement. The exca walton already
accomplished in the work amounts to sixteen ana
half miles The work of drilling the south and
north tunnels through the Bergen Hill section
alone has required 10000 pounds of dynamite and
three years of continuous effort
As soon as the opening had been made Mr.
Jacobs accompanied by several of the engineering
staff and representatives of the contractor, VIII
lam Bradley. entered the Bergen Hill portal OF
the tunnel and led the way through the Wee
hawken shaft and thence through the north tunnel
under the North River to Seventh avenue, in Man
haitian
The total length from the western end of either
Of the two Bergen Hill tunnels under the North
River the Borough of Manhattan and the East
River to East avenue, Long Island CITY, IS 5-S
miles
The only appreciable excavation left yet to be
accomplished in the Pennsylvania tunnels is on
the approaches to the big station between Ninth
and Tenth avenues, in Manhattan. IhlS Is all
open work.