The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29
UNDURPRESSUREN The TUBES
4 TRIP THROUGH THE NEWEST
EAST RIVER TUNNELS.
How II Feels 10 he Put Under an
Air Pressure Of Thirty.fOur Pounds
Austin COrbln's Dream Nearly Accom-.
pllshed by the PennSyiyanla Railroad.

AIR pressure OF TniftNsIOuf F0unul
Austin COrbin's Dream Nearly Accom-
pllshed by the Pennsylvania Railroad,
10 thess days Of ~subaqueous and subter.
Tanean transportation one becomes tlreC
Of wondering AZ maryels and 10 aDt "a
et back in his car seat and take for granted
the engineering feat which made II poe
slble for him TO travel under ground OF
water in comfort, He reads HE paper or
perhaps watches the blur ~ incandescent
lights on either side from the oar Windows
and II his companion ventures to mention
the wonder Of il all he IA apt TO reply, with
. Mite contempt at the childishness Of the
other, that this "a tho twentieth century and
that we are living in the creates. city and
the greatest country of the world.
What do you eXpect?' he may ask,
"This isn't the age Of stage coaches and
ferrymen.'
And in his snug contentment he is apt
20 forget that miracles n engineering are
not born, but made. they DO not happen,
but are the result Of hard. courageous, well
planned work.
The tunnels which the Pennsylvania
Railroad has caussd 10 he built to connect
Manhattan with Long Island, and which
with the tunnels under Manhattan and the
North River and the bridge over He'll Gate
will make possible through trains between
New England and the West by way Of New
York. are nearing completion. They we're
the dream Of the late Austin Corhin. presi-
dent ofthe Long Island Railroad. The dar-
ing of the late 4. = Cassatt, president Of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. was great enough
70 conceive the scheme in its entirety.
But the real problems Of construction
we're only solved when the great siecl tubes
had been put in place. for with every varia-
tion in the strata below The river bed and
with every day in the progress Of the work
new questions presented Themselves. II
wac the creates, feat Of lis kind ever under
taken,
The experience Of earlier efforts in a
similar direction furnished object lessons
but no parallels. 10 understand fully the
labor involved ono rust have worked down
in the caissons and in the shields from the
beginning 10 the end Of tho task.
But 2 c-rtain superficial Comr rehsnsion
Of what Il all means. a comprehension
savoring more Of wonder than Of knowlodge.
can he obtained h. n trip through the tubes
in their present state with the shields which
have travelled slowly toward each other
from opposite sides Of tho river and finally
have met, removed, "a in tube A, or with
tbs shields now being demolished, but still
giving the layman a faint idea Of their Use,
az In tube R,
A PARTY Of reporters and others we're
taken through the tubes last weeR. They
we're met at Long Island City by E. ".
NOR, vice-president Of s. Pearson 4 Son,
Inc, the English firm Of contractors which
has put through the work.
NOR is a big Scotchman who at the age
OF q was chosen assistant to the builder Of
the Forth Bridge and a year later was in
charge Of sinking tho caissons, building the
piers and constructing the cantilevers Of
that bridge, Of which The s~sn is the great
est Of any completed bridge in the world.
He was engaged b. S. Pearson & Son to put
through the first Hudson tunnel in 1899.
When this undertaking ives stopped through
lack Of funds he returned 10 England and
took charge Of the BlacXwall tunnel, the
greatest Of Ito time.
NOR years a rough flannel suit. flannel
shirt hip boots and a very hard looking
felt hat and has big hands and a ready
smile. which adds a little more TO the idea
you get Of him. With him we're Henry Japp,
managing engineer Of the work, who helped
10 build three Russian and three Japanese
ba~ttleships which mot in the late war; a
couple Of other mon the history Of whose
achievements would make interesting read
ing, and DR.. MacWhirtcr Of the medical
staff.
The first thing to he done was for the
visitors to got out Of their street clothes and
into rough suits, hip boots and sou'westers
Then DR.. MacWhirtcr led them TO the
hospital air chamber. This is a replica in
the medical Offices Of the air chamber In
which one is put under The pressure Of tho
tunnel and then passed on into the tunnel
itself.
The hospital air chamber is an idea Of
Mr.. Moir's which hc has found the only
practical Treatment for the bends, Of which
90 much has been said and NJ which 40 little
Il known, A workman with the bends is
put into the hospital air chamber. the pres
sure Ia applied aud then the air is let out
again very. gradually.
The bends, 30 faras it has been diagnosed,
consists in the forcing into the blood Of
air bubbles, which block arteries and veins,
impairing circulation, II usually affects
the knees and other Joints. Ordinary
Ag-1. Kill -aa.N.I - - ---1-N : |
very serious matter for one whose physical
makeup is all right. Excessive alcoholism,
weak heart or defective kidneys make
Caisson disease, az the more serious aspects
are called, a dangerous thing 10 have.
In this hospital air chamber DR.. MoWhirter
put his visitors through a preliminary
training. IF your cars pain you badly
raise your hand he said, and he watched
their faces a. the door Of the steel box was
shut and the air was turned on. The
pointer OF the little dial In the corner
which Mr.. Moir was watching crept up a
pound or two, and the rushing sound Of
the incoming air was quite ~subordinated
TO the other sound which the pressure on
the ear drums caused each man to hear for
himself.
When the dial pointer showed four or
I'VE pounds pressure the ear drums we're
driven inward enough TO cause considerable
discomfort and a little pain. BY holding
the nose and blowing the car drums out
again. aided by frequent swallowing, this
was soon relieved, and the pressure. which
had been stopped where il was for a tnoment
TO give the tenderfeet a chance 10 accus-
tom themselves to il. was resumed.
The additional pressure seemed TO make
little II any diference-one's troubles are
over when he has withstood five or six
pounds. The continued swallowing and
NhA $1,000 ~ aVVuaaVa lRtaI z-. - |
and mouths. n difficulty which was met
hY Mr.. Moir. who had siocked his nnckets