New-York tribune., 1912-01-31

ceived an opportunity to look through the
opening made by the last blast T. n
Gillespie, president OF the contracting COM
pany which is completing the work. leo
Mayor Gaynor to the little speakers plat
form, where he stood in lurid relief, with
his sou'wester hat almost touching the
ragged dome Of the roof. Standing about
him were Charles Strauss, president OF
the Board OF Water supply: the two COM
missioners, Charles n. Chadwick and John
F. CALVIN; Police Commissioner Waldo; J.
Waldo Smith, chief engineer; Merritt h@
Smith, deputy chief engineer; Robert Ridg-
way, department enZneer, Mr.. Gillespie
and other officers and engineers OF the con-
tracing firm. The damp somewhat az
fected the Mayors throat, but he spoks
distinctly when once he had cleared Il
He said:
This Is the first speech I ever made un-
der ground. Perhaps the first speech ever
made q quarter Of mile under river.
So will say little. After was elected, pui
before l took office, delegation neaaeu
by an engineer of repute waited on me.
They declared II to be a demonstrated fact
that no aqueduct could be built under ths
Hudson, and that therefore the water couIo
not be obtained. / said TO them that IL We
could not get IL under the river we would
get n over. we are here to see the tunnel
under the river completed IL is one OF
the greatest engineering feats In history, or
in fact IN this world The names OF w alay
Smith and the men who achieved ~ VIII
live in the history Of 1t forever:
Fortinus is the historian OF me ho%sn h,s.
waterworks, and ours Will have their MS
torians The cross-section of this aqueuuct
is seventeen feet The largest 'of any ho-
man aqueduct as far as ] remember, vas
five feet by three. ! say this for the pens
At of those persons who always declare tnat
nothing can be great unless IL comes oowh
from the past ages. They never can a.
preciate anything right under their % ,,'",,.
sand years TO find something better leu
may all well remember during your lives'
and have IL handed down to your Children
that you were here.
Strauss Gives Gayror Credit.
Mr. Strauss replied to the Mayors re-
marks. and said that he had been entirely
too modest in his statements. He said.
want to insist that this great wosx
would never have been carried on II II nae
not been (or the Mayor. IL was pecauss
OF his confidence that the plans which mao
been so carefully studied out were wcrs-
Optimism. which laid low all the carptn4
criticism of the plans, the water could nor
bo carried across the Hudson River IN is this
YOU personally (shaking hands with inc
MayoD T on the splendid work which has
been done here.
Refreshments were served in the tunnel
and the Mayor proposed toast TO the
commissioners and engineers. which was
drunk in champagne.
Chief Engineer Smith and other members
OF the party INDUCED in short speeches
after luncheon was served in the train on
the return trip Mr. Smith gave most OF
the credit TO his associates in the work. He
said that they would do all that men could
do to see that water was delivered In the
Croton basin before the chd OF the Mayors
present administration.
The Gillespie company furnished special
train. which left the Grand Central Sta
ton at 80 a. m. and arrived at storm
King at l1:O7. The descent into the tunnel
was made shortly afterward. A platoon OK
mounted adueduct police, under Inspector
r. w. Burke. and score OF patrolmen were
on hand 10 keep order. They formed two
lines 20 the mouth OF the shaft, through
which the Mayor and the party passed. A
sign bearing the legend Labor omnia
vinclt' was nailed 10 the structure above
the shaft.
The tunnel is at one OF the most pictu-
rescue points on the Hudson. The west
| shaft Is at the base Of the towering Storm
King Mountain, while the eastern shaft lies
under the rugged slopes OF Breaknecf
Mountain. Two hundred feet below the
land surface a second tunnel branches from
the shaft into Breakneck, and the water
is taken 10 the summit of the hills beyond
by series OF shafts and tunnels sunk into
the mountain Work on the main shafts
was begun in 1907. and later held up for
time by litigation. The actual boring OF the
tunnel began in January, 1911. The con-
tract time for the completion Of the tunnel.
including a lining with concrete is April
I. 1913 According 10 the engineers. the
rate Of progress which has been maintained
indicates that the work will be completed b.
the end OF the present year.