Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1912-02-29
Proposed Tube Would Extend From
IFhird and Dock Streets Through j
Fl Mickle st. to Broadway. III
Tube Would be Sunk in River Bed to
Depth of About 21 Feet

II
Tube Would be Sunk in River Bed to
Depth of About p Feet
| We publish above, by courtesy of
the Camden Courier, the first plans
for a tunnel under the Delaware riv-
er that have been made public. The
.drafter is Isaac A. Braddock, so yrs.
of age, a retired resident of Haddon-
held. His plan, he states, will enable
the tunnel to be built for between
four and five million ollars 1t will
be called the Sub Aqueous Multitude.
The plan is nearly duplicate of
one that is under the Detroit river
and an improvement over tubes in the
River Seine and three-mile tube un-
der San Francisco Bay, connecting
San Francisco and Oakland
Owing to the franchise obtained by
Stern & Silverman from the city of
Philadelphia several years ago. the
tube cannot enter that city between
Chestnut and Arch streets. MIR. Brad
Edock plans connecting Mickle street,
Camden, with Dock street, Philadel-
phia. The openings will be at BROAD
way, Camden, and Third street, Phil
adelphia
When Stern & Silverman offered
their plans they estimated it would
/ cost $12.000,000 to build their tube.
Braddock claims that five million will
construct the tunnel and pay all dam
age claims and buy in property need
ed foE@it for the entire length of the
sliHe.~ The tube under the water will
cost 81 100000, according to the new
plans.
+ EIGHT PASSAGEWAYS.
The Sub Aqueous is to have eight
/ fpassageways, four "ins" and four
outs. There will be an in and out
passage for express trains; an in and
out for trolley cars and high speed
autos; and in and out for wagons and
other vehicles; and an in and out for
walk for pedestrians.
VI Pedestrians would likely be charged
one cent for the permission to walk
under the river. Vehicles would not
be charged over ten cents for permis-
sion to drive through the tube, The
money paid by pedestrians, Mr.. Brad
dock says will pay the interest on the
money invested and, of course, the
other receipts will be gross profits.
UNDER THE RIVER BED.
u Instead of going under the river bed
to a depth of 100 feet like the plan of
Stern & Silverman, the Aqueous will
lay solid ON bed 21 feet under the
river bottom. The Philadelphia pro-
moters had planned to bore their tube
from 120 to $50 feet under the river
bed.
The new tube would be constructed
in sections in shallow water and then
laid into position. 1t would be con-
structed in what might be called an
elliptical shape, although the both
ends of the width will be vertical to
the extent of nine feet. This will
bring the centre of it 16 feet high
The tube will be S8 feet in width.
The top of the tube will be forty
/ feet below the surface of the river at
low tide thus giving the government
the thirty-fve feet required by the
deepening of the channel From the
! tube bed then to the surface of the
water will be 56 feet at low tide.
IssFhe tube, as has been said before,
will be constructed in shallow. water
and then will be laid in sections
There are to be four sections of 500
feet in length to be laid under the
river. It will come to the surface at
! Third and Dock streets and at Mickle
street and Broadway. It will decline
into mother earth from Broadway at
grade of one per cent and will as
cend to the surface at Third street,
Philadelphia, at a grade of two per
cent. This will give a grade of IS
feet to the half mile in Camden.
ITS CONSTRUCTION.
The tube is to be interlined with
heavy pine or spruce piling. Over this
lining will be placed steel plates with
a strength of 10000 pounds to the
square inch. The next layer will be
net wire, from number IA to with an
average of 100000 pounds to the
square inch.
/ On this will be the layer that is ex-
| pected to last for ever 1t will be
concrete. When the tube is laid it
will be connected together with the
same material with which it is con-
structed, the river being Golfer dam
med for this purpose.
! BUILT IN Al YEAR.
| Mr.. Braddock. in speaking to a
Courier reporter, said that the mults
| tube could be completed within a year
He has made a life long study in the
building of tubes or tunnels but says
there is nothing that can eclipse his
present plans for structure under
! the Delaware between Camden and
/ Philadelphia. The fact that his multi
| tube provides for pedestrians and ve-
4 hicles as well as trolley and express
at less than half the cost for a Dor