The Detroit times., 1913-06-14
\, Y. SUBWAY
JOB TO RIVAL
PANAMA DITCH
Many Condolences in Planning,
and Same Men Engaged
on Both
AMONG THESE ARE SHONTS.
ROGERS, ROSS, STEVENS
Comparison Develops Several In
teresting Parallels in the Two
Great Works

4 NEW 1Onhp WV
ditch ~ miles long for ships to sail
through and building q network OF
tunnels q hundred or so miles IN ex-
tent do not appear at first sight to be
| undertakings of kind. Yet the build
ing OF the New York subway system
. and the construction OF the Panama
canal not only involve about the same
sort of wovk, but much OF the work on
the new subway will be done by men
who began the work OF building the
big ditch"
Both OF the problems involved are
pr0bloms Of transportation. One con-
templates the shortening OF sea voy'
aces. the other the saving OF time TOT
strap-hsngers. One undertaking Will
cook spproximatsly $%00. 100000 ana
vfI1 BE- paiA Tor By the people or the
naflm: the other contsmplates tho
apendirs OF nearly as much money
and wiN be paid for By the taxpayers
81 : single city and by private capital
iete. In POINT OF financial magnitude
The subway building II second only to
tie Oaildiny Of the canal.
Hnf0ro the actual work OF building
tha oanai there was q dght on the
erection whether the canal should be
/ az he ssa-lsvel type or have looks and
|vaFy1ng levels. Before the subway
cbnrraots were signed there WAS
much moro bitter light, lasting much
Eloneer and involving the question
Whether the city should undertake tho
WORT independently or with the aid OF
nrivate capital. The canal night was
Pdecided by the national congress; the
subway Tight by the New York odty
board of estimate.
OF the two big Jobs, engineers gen.
eraily regard the building Of the new
(eubways as the more dfmcult The
xreat canal is being dug through open
country and is simply q matter OF cut
ting deep into the earth and erecting
walls and dams and locks. The sub
WAYS have to do literally bored
through the busiest parts Of busy
city. under 20-story buildings and
streets teeming with trafnc which
must not be Interrupted. Construc-
lively It necessitates great deal
more work than the canal. for
every inch of the subway proper must
be walled and ceiled. roadbeds must
ge laid and stations built. and signals.
newer plant and terminal faci- Ties In
stalled.
While the Pacific terminus OF che
canal is % miles from the Atlantic
entrance, the actual total length from
deep water in the Caribbean to deep
water in the Pacific is practically so
miles. The dual system of subways,
embracing the lines Of the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit company and those Of
the marlborough will add 33l miles of
angle track to the 500 miles already
In operation. making the total mile
age OF the system 6S7 miles.
Roth undertakings we're divided.
naturally. into two stages-the pre-
liminary work and actual construc-
ton. In the case OF the canal the first
stage consumed approximately Is
months. In the case OF the subway
the preliminary stage has consumed
more than four years and IL hardly
finished. while the second stage Of the
work of canal building Is nearing an
md
Earlier stage.
The earlier stage OF the canal work |
was. perhaps, the more dimcuit: the
the Canal Zone was acquired Dec. 4, |
IL
1905 From It's inception TO It's com. |
J, pletion the canal construction will |
have taken nearly nine years.
The subway problem" presented It |
self very shortly after the present SUBJ !
nna! negotiations did not begin until |
1910. II OIL goes well the dual system
will be completed some time In 1917. |
80 ~ a oH11v oh
have elapsed between the first attack !
on the problem and It's final solution. !
The preliminary stage OF the canal
work involved the conversion OF the
Isthmus OF Panama into a place At for
men to work and to live In: the es.
tablishment OF proper sanitation; the
gathering together Of workmen OF all
kinds, skilled and unskilled: the build.
ing Of habitations for them: the form
alton Of q commissary system: the
creation Of form OF government the
rehabilitation Of the Panama railroad:
ton Of machinery and power plants,
and q score of similar tasks Of great
maRnitude.
The preliminary stage Of the sub
way building involved very different
work. Plans, Of course. had to be
( drawn, routes determined legal OBJ.
Stncles overcome negotiations carried
on. terms arranged. laws passed. mon.
~ provided and problems OF engineer
Ing, finance and law decided. But no
question Of government. OF sanitation,
Of establishing a labor camp" enter
I'd into consideration. In the prelim-
mary stages the two undertakings.
while generally similar, were vastly
different az to details.
A. the second stage OF the canal
work nears It's close the second stage
Of the subway work opens. This Will
involve excavation work OF q magni-