The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-23
ENGINEERS MAKE
YEAR REMARKABLE
MANY GREAT PROJECTS INSTITUTE
led or COMPLETED DURING
TWELVE MONTHS CLOSING.
MADE THE DIRT FLY
PANAMA CANAL NEARING COMPILE
TION, ERIE ENLARGED, IRRIGA-
TIoN EXTENDED AND
OTHER WORK DONE.

NEW YORK, Dec. 22.--The wear just
drawing to q close has been remark
able in the number of notable engi-
neering projects instituted or now
well on their way TO completion. And
OF this category OF engineering feats
both private and public, New York
city and state have taken promi-
nent place.
Among these are the irrigation pro-
jects of the United States government,
| the Panama canal, the immense new
fresh water reservoir OF New York
| city, the enlargement of the Erie canal,
/, the erection Of the Grand Central sta
| ton and the building of the WOOL
worth Building--to say nothing of the
new subways which are to be built in
New York. The total expense that
will have been incurred when these
great projects have been pushed to
completion will run close 10 billion
dollars.
Panama Canal the Big Job.
| By reason of its influence on the
worlds traffic as well as the engineer
| ing difficulties involved, the Panama
canal easily takes precedence over the
| other construction jobs named In the
water highway between the Atlantic
and the Pacific oceans was practically
commenced on May 4, 1904, when the
United States took control of the canal
region. 1t is now nine -tenths COM
| pleted and win have cost approx
mately $500, 100000 when the great
locks are opened To ocean traffic dur
! ing the latter half of 1919
| In point Of unique construction, the
1 yIyrnttunr4h h,tftHtrU nAaYir
completed IN New York city perhaps
rsanks next. This structure. rising
sheer 75o feet from the street level,
has the distinction OF being the taliest
habitable building In the world. 1t Ia
alone surpassed In height by the Eiffel
I tower, Paris, France. which is ss5 feet
| high. but lie nothing more than web
work Of steel.
| The woolwortn building has cost
about 314,000,0o0. Il weighs about
| Isl, 008, 900 tons. and viii have o floor
space suitable for office use of TWEEN
| ty-three acres.
| New Yortrs BIC Reservoir.
| Aside from it's unique features, how
ever, the New York project that most
closely approaches the building Of the
| Panama canal In magnitude is the
construction of the immense reservoir
! and acqusduct through which the city
!, of New York Will IN 1880, be pro-
vided with fresh water. Work on the
RESERVOIR was commenced practically
on June 5. 1906. A year and a half
later the actual building Of the Reser-
voir began in earnest.
The reservoir In located in the heart
of the Catkills. lit miles from New
York Here a monster dam, known
Al the Ahoian Dam. has been con-
structed between two mountains to
form a lake 1879 feet In depth, which
will supply fresh water TO the city.
This oam is over 200 feet in height
at its highest part.
To connect this reservoir with the
city filtration plant an acqueduct lit
miles in length is under construction
This tunnel pierces mountains. dives
under the Hudson river at Storm King
mountain and will conduct the new
water supply to the city by force OF
gravity 1t is estimated that 500. 00o.-
900 gallons of water per day will be
supplied to the city when the plant is
in working order. The cost will APP
proxiIuate $ls2.o00.ooo.
Widening Erie Canal.
| Scarcely Of less interest is the work
OF widening the historic Erie canal so
that IL viii be suitable for the trans
portation OF barges- This work was
. |
and when completed 1t will be IL Ia
feet deep, and rs feet wide at the bot
tom This will allow the transporta-
:. ton of barges % IA times larger than
those used when the canal was first
dug.
The original canal was dredged in
1894, at a cost Of 100000 the inn
, provements now under way will cost
310I, 900, 900. No definite date has been
, | set for their completion.
. The new subways projected by the
:. New York City Public Service COM
, mission, and already under constitute
tion will place this city with the lead
| ers Of the world in the matter OF un-
derground transit. The total cost OF
this new project will be $217,1s6.oe0
Hand In hand with the subways &c
1.-The elevated roads. for In hilly ter
, Iritory like Manhattan and Brooklyn a
road that starts as q subway In one
place may be an elevated road further
away.
The total number OF miles Of elevated
and subway trsckage In the city al
! present IL 1T7.s miles. When the ne.
: Jobs are finished there will be 4se.T4
miles OF subway and elevated TRACKS
Great irrigation Prospects.
:. No complete summary OF the irriga'
ton project Of the United States gov
eminent can be given. 1t is interest
Ing to motto. however. that as Ions
ago al 1907 Uncle Sam was spendins
81 900, 900 per month in the desert. The
precise sum that he Is spending u
waste land now IL not to hand but II
10 very much greater and has beer
estimated At $4,000. 900. Irrigation pro-
d 3ects have been approved by the gov
eminent which aggregate more thar
4 81. 900, 900 900.
Last, but not least, is the construc.
4 fion OF the Grand Central Termina
In the city OF New York. This termi
nal. which 10 rapidly nearing rom
pletion. has a total area Of 70 acres
ana takes care OF the multiplied tramt
Of the New York Central. and Its allief
lines by a system OF .'levels" admitting