Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-17

&Nes:; New Ne" '1 York fro"
Chicago, New Orleans, Cinclnha''-a' an '"'
west. south, north-without seeli7
fer,vboat. much less having the po'ieI VI
changing to one. You MAY go iroi'' -
sev CITY to Brooklyn and never
water. though two rivers bar your way
Similarly you may go from fiii'ueipi'''
to Boston.
You will span the Hudson and the East
river which circumscribe Mdiiia'''
island far below their surface. You VIII
mako your transfers in New York under
the streets You may even take tram
from some far-distant point and cross
under two rivers and the entire width OF
New York city proper to suburban Long
acknowledgements Point if your journey
takes you that far.
Commuter shopper and traveller Will
have the choice of entering the heart oi
downtown New York or the center OF the
uptown hotel and retail district right out
on Broadway and SD street. only one
block from that big pile of red brick, the
famous Waldorf-Astoria.
There is no tunnel system in the world
that can compare with the great tubes
that now make up New York's tunnel
system Thanks to the genius and fore
sight of one man, the last link in the
great chain will be completed next June.
That man is William G. McAdoo; he
had the courage to take up the work
where others had left off in despair.
Begun thirty years ago and abandoned
again and again. the finished work
stands as monument to that one mans
industry. Already trains are crossing
from Hoboken to New York under the
Hudson, and already trains are crossing
10 Brooklyn to the east, and to the bor
oush of the Bronx to the north. under
the East river All that remains to be
done now is to finish the spur over on the
New Jersey side of the Hudson which will
connect the great terminals of the Lack
awanna the Erie and the Pennsylvania
railroads and bring to New York under
the river the incoming passengers on all
these lines whose connections cover the
United States outside of New England.
Then the day of the ferryboat will be
at an end. You Will be whisked Mr.
Travelling Man and Mr. Tourist. from
any railroad you may elect to arrive
upon right into New York either uptown
or downtown. If you wish then to take
the subway, there will be a spur from
the Hudson tunnels across-towI. to the
subway downtown at Fulton street and
uptown to the subway at Aston place. Or
YOU may take the Hudson tunnels own
subway which runs directly from the tun-
mel up to :3d street and Broadway with
out change of cars Who would have
dreamed ii ten years ago?
Today there are built building under
the two rivers surrounding Manhattan
Island just fourteen tunnels. six under
the Hudson and eight under the East riv
81. OF these under operation are the
Two subway tunnels TO Brooklyn and the
two subway tunnels to the Bronx, all
four under the East river. On the Hud-
san side there are now in operation The
two McAdoo tunnels from Hoboken TO
Morton street, New York, and thence
over to 9th avenue and up to I'D street.
There remains of this system to be COM
pleted only the ten blocks under 9Th ave
nue. to SD street.
Under the East river there remain To
he completed the two Belmont tunnels
from AID street and the TWO Pennsylvania
tunnels from I'D and SD streets Under
the Hudson, completed. but not Yet in
operation, are the two rema ming McAdoo
tunnels, and the two Pennsylvania tun-
nels.
And the cost of this great enterprise?
When It is stated that the McAdoo tun-
nels alone cost 500, 100000. including an
$1,000 900 terminal building. which takes
I'D two blocks on Church street. New
York. one realize what ali fourteen
tunnels will stand for in money when
they are completed and in operation. Tie
completed tunnels will cost $50 600
Failure and success. romance and trag-
edy are all woven into the story OF these
great tunnels And il was u young law
Yer from the south who finally brought
10 frution the mighty project of tunnel
ing the Hudson, L distance of near
three miles-the longest tunnel under
water in all the world.
Thirty years ago, when William q Nc
Adoo was a small boy at school. men
started to tunnel the Hudson. In 1879
work was begun by ID c. Haskin, "a civil
engineer. who failed in 1880. after 2ot
feet had been built.
Construction was resumed by the Eng
lish contracting firm of Pearson x Son
in 1890 After t.so0 feet more were tun
neled the enterprise failed. And cher
came to New York young William g. No
Adoo. to practice law. He had little Of
this worlds goods, but he possessed su