Semi-weekly herald., 1909-08-19
100000 STATION
NEARING COMPLETION
tBy William E. Curtis, Correspondent
of the Chicago Record-Herald)

| tBS William h curtis, correspondent
of the Chicago Record-Herald.)
| NEW YORK-The new Pennsyl.
vania station in New York City is ap
preaching completion and the tunnels
which connect 1t with New Jersey and
Long Island under the Hudson and the
East rivers are now ready for The
rails. The architects and engineer 9
tell me that everything will be ready
for the active operation of trains shoi t.
, ly after the list of January. In the
meantime more than 1000 men. chief
lv skilled mechanics, are at work com
pleting the dome of the station and
putting finishing touches to the tun.
mel The tunnels, which are continu.
Gus tubes of steel six miles long, lined
with concrete. have been finished and
the contractors, Messrs Pierson of
London, are now tearing down their
plant and shipping their machinery. 1t
is expected that the last stone on the
building will be placed In position this
month. The last piece of structural
steel Is already in place, the last rivet
has been driven and the work of fin
ishing the woodwork and fitting out
the interior of the stupendous building
remains to be done.
The Pennsylvania Railroad company
will have expended $4,000, 900 when
the job is completed as Alexander ].
Cassatt, the late president A-of that
corporation, planned 1t six years ago.
TINS represents the cost OF six blocks
Of property in the heart of New York
City. the construction of two tunnels
under the Hudson river to New Jersey
and two more under the East river to
Long Island, the electrification of the
terminals, and the erection of a build
ing larger than the capitol at Wash.
ington
The area OF the new terminal is
twenty-eight acres. The station covers
the ground bounded by Seventh and
Eighth avenues. and Thirty-hrst and
Thirty-third streets, an area of eight
acres. The main entrance is in the
center of the Seventh avenue facade
which extends 430 feet, but all four
o. the fronts are practically of the
same design, those on Thirty-flrst and
Thirty-third streets being TAO feet long
while the capitol at Washington is 1872
feet long.
The maximum height above the
street Is 153 feet. and the tracks upon
which the trains will come and go are
forty feet below the surface. The
station is. thus divided into three lev
els. From the street level the outside
walls rise to height OF sixty feet
except In the center. where lofty
dome covers the general waiting room
which will be 277 by lO3 feet and will
be approached by a concourse $40 feel
long and 2l0 feet wide.
! AT the corner of Eighth avenue and
4 Thirty-third street there Is an eleva
( ton of four stories divided into Offices
I for the officials OF the railway com
pany
The architectural ornament Of the
four outside walls is Doric colonad'
thirty-fiye feet high, surmounted by Z
low attic. The material of the ex
terror is pink Milford granite, similar
to that Of which the University clul
in New York is built, and many othe
conspicuous buildings throughout tn
country. The structure within is
skeleton framework of steel, supporte,
by columns resting upon $50 concret
piers. each of which win carry loa
OF 1,600 tons. There are entrance
OF all sides. which lead into pavilions
with divisions for carriages. foot pa.
sengers. baggage in and out, all class
fed TO avoid confusion. Suburba
passengers will have entrances an
OF the long-distance trains. and tn
scheme has been worked out so con
pletely and with such ingenuity ths
one is at loss to see how any pc
son could 30 to the wrong train, II
has the eyes to read the signboards {
3 tongue to ask question.
4 The station is nearly twice as lars
: as that I'm Washington. There will |
I twenty-one tracks. capable OF handlir
$ 1.450 trains day and half millie
r. passengers. The aggregate length
n the tracks in the station is sixties
4. miles. The total length of the pis
e forms from which the passengers ent
e or leave the trains is 2l,500 feet
e. nearly four miles.
E The main entrance Il flysd In d
4, esAtes a ~ structure - seysa