Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-11-25
PLAN BETTER AIR
IN W. 5. TUNNEL
At WEEHAWKEN
Utilities Board Approves Rail-
roads Plans for Ventilation. :
Other Decisions.
Especial to the Newark start

Especial to the Newark star.l
TRENTON, Nov. 25.-The Stat
Board of Public Utility Commissioner
today announced decisions in sever
cases which have been under consid'
Grafton. The most important decision
is the one in which the commissioner
hold that the complaint made BY
Colonel Charles w. Larned, of the Wes'
Point Military Academy, in reference u
the poor ventilation system used in tht
Weehawken tunnel, is well founded
and have issued an order recommend
ing that the New York Central and
Hudson River Railroad Company dc
forthwith install a system to better ths
conditions in the tunnel. The board al
the same time approved of the plan
outlined by the company at b hear
ing some time ago. In which Colonel
Larned agreed with the company that
1t would relieve the present unsatis-
factory conditions.
The plan of ventilation consists OF
two huge electrically driven fans cap
able of delivering 100000 cubic feet OF
air per minute through a nozzle ap-
proximately sixty feet long. The IN
ner surface Of the nozzle conforms to
the tunnel section, and the outer sur
face is funnel shaped, decreasing in
size from the fan to the tunnel Open
ing. 1t is so arranged as to deliver
the air in a stream around the sides
and top of the tunnel opening and SC
adjusted that the centre of gravity OF
the air blasts coihcides with the centre
of gravity Of the tunnel section.
The Proposed System.
The location Of the ventilating ap-
paratus is to be outside the New Dur
ham portal Of the tunnel, and. the cleo
trio current Is. to be furnished by the
Weshawken power house. Extra trans
mission apparatus is to be installed In
two units so as to provide against &C.
cident to either unit. The present ven
tilating shaft will De closed in order
to make the new system effective. The
aim Of the proposed system is to so
dilute and remove any combustion
gases and vapors as to render them
%innoouous.
Colonel Larned, who brought the
conditions of the tunnel to the atten-
ton of the Public Utility Commits
sioners, appeared In person at a hear
ing to substantiate his charges. The
railroad practically admitted that con
ditions in the tunnel as regards venti-
lation were unsatisfactory, although
denying that they were as bad as
described by Colonel Larned. They
also called their engineers, who testi-
fed that the company had been con-
sidering the adoption Of measures to
improve the ventilation. One of these
was the system which the board has
approved and which, more nearly than
any other, met the views of Colonel
Larned. In his testimony Colonel
Larned said that the gases In the tun-
mel were a serious menace to the health
Of passengers.
Complaint Against N. J. c.
The complaint made by the Eighth
Ward Citizens League of Jersey City
that the Central Railroad Company
falls to sell tickets on both sides of
the tracks at Westside avenue is dis
missed. The board, however, has is-
sued an order recommending that the
railroad company arrange to stop its
trains at a distance of, not less than
fifty feet from the bridge. The order
is the outcome of another complaint
made by the same association that pas
sengers are in danger from the bridge
'girders at the Westside avenue station,
The complaint made by James H.
Baker and forty-nine other residents
Of Hopatcong and Arlington, who COM
planned Of the train service for Dover
and who sought to have the train leav-
ing Hoboken at 4:45 p. m. stopped al
Dover, is dismissed. ~
Locnl Companies Affected.
The commissioners approved the issu,
ance of $1,000 capital stock of the
Public Service Gas Company, the stocl
to be issued at par for cash, and the
commission has requested the company
to make a semi-annual report as to the
amount Of stock issued and the pur.
poses to which the proceeds have beer
devoted.
This board has also approved the ap.
plication of the Newark and Bloomfield
Railroad Company for leave to issue
20. 1923 shares of its capital stock for cast
at not less than it's par value. On Octo'
Der 4 the board fled conclusions deny
ing it's consent, because of al errol
found in the proceedings. This turned
out to be the result Of a mere clerica
mistake in the certificate of increas'
filed in the office Of the secretary o.
state. The error has been corrected.
The board has also approved the or
dinance of the city Of Burlington
granting a franchise to the Burlington
Electric Light and Power Company.
The commissioners dismissed tn,
complaint filed by residents in tn
vicinity of Stone Church, In, which 1
was alleged that inadequate service Il
furnished by the Jersey Central Trac