New-York tribune., 1910-11-13
DOU'N IN THE BIG HOIE'
Huge Sub7cay Station UW TndcrIis
Nee MuniGpaL BmIdiRg.

The present state Of the big hole" as soma
Of the men employed about the new municipal
office building style the site Of the future giant
structure at Centre and Chambers streets, Eivas
the average passerby little idea Of the manner
in which that cavernous depression VIII Ul-i-
mately serve him 1t is nothing to his eyes be
yond abyss partly filled with heaps Of steel
girders and bases Of piers coated with red lead,
surrounding squad Of busy hosting engines
and boilers. with here and there a man in work
ing clothes picking his way over the mass like
an explorer trying TO make a find. Some day
that hole" win be a huge subterranean gate
way to the major portion Of greater New York
It will be ready for use probably within
year
Il is expected that this subway station IN the
basement of the lofty office building viii have
capacity Of seventy ten-car trains an hour
each way. each train having seating capacity
Of FIVE hundred persons. besides standing room
for more than that number in addition, or more
than one hundred and forty thousand persons
in an hour. At the present time in the rush
period on the bridge tEo number Of trains
irving and departing in the course Of hour
is less than sixty-five The stairways Of the
Brooklyn Bridge have a capacity Of 2,2SO PER
sons a minute. These distributed to the
Manhattan elevated as well a. % the Brooklyn
, trains. The entrance stairway capacity Of the
Brooklyn Bridge station of the sEbWay Is only
nine hundred persons d minute.
1t is safe TO say that there viii n- no other
subway station in New York OF equal Inagnf-
tude 1t will occupy three levels the first floor
a nnezzanine floor and the train level thirty five
feet below the surface With the exception 0:
two entrance halls 40 by 112 feet, one on either
side Of the Chambers street arcade. the entire
first floor viii be given up to 4 concourse and
gateway to the subway The flying subway
traveller Will have little trouble in getting tp
his train, for the expansive tiled floor Of Tho
concourse, 5000 square feet in area, viii be
open u the four winds Of heaven. No matter
from which direction he approaches, an archei
entrance will rise before him. In fact. with tn
exception Of the two entrance halls. the entire
first floor viii be open To the air at the sii-%,
the total width Of entrance being 3oI feet.
Two great stairlyays opening north and s9utI
at the Tryon Row and Duane street angles viii
give access 10 the trains below That facing
Tryon Row and City Hall Park viii be sixty
four feet wide and capable OF swallowing up :
regiment Of $50 persons a minute, while thu
other one viii be fOTty-three feet wide and Tasl
$50 more in the same length Of time Besides
these entrances there will Ice seven narrower
exits leading up from different points on the
rnczzanine floor 10 the surface Of the concocsse,
The ticket Offices Will he on the mezzaci1e
floor There viii also be q reSsaga Conreatjrs
with the suczzanjne level Of tho present Brook
Iyn Bridge subway station.
Space has been provided in the track level
for six tracks, but only Tour viii be laid NJ
first These viii be the tracks or the subway
loop joining the Williamsburg and Manhattan
bridges with the Brooklyn Bridge With the
exception Of the section beneath the A-1--iia,
Building this subway Is completed.
The station IS TO be provided with separate