New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-16
CITY ENGINEERS TAKE
AN UNDERGROUND hike"
Inspect Nearly a Mile of New
Deep Pressure Tunnel Under
Sixth Avenue.
PARTY OF FORTY MAKE TRIP
Descend to Shaft at 50th Street
and Tramp Along 225 Feet
Below Surface to Bryant
Park Exit.

Twoscore Of the city's engineers. ac-
companied by a reporter for The Tribune.
made an official inspection yesterday af-
teruoon Of the first length of the citys
deep pressure tunnel to be completed. In
Two wears from now nearly sD,000cO gal
Ions Of water from the Catskils will flow
through this same stretch Of tunnel.
The forty or so were all well groomed
looking men when they descended into
tho funnel al 50th street ard Sixth ave
nue.. When they again saw daylight, at
I'D street and Sixth avenue. the boot
HACKS who hold forth in Bryant Park
hooked AT them scornfully. and when
asked 10 shine their shoes one OF them
replied
You don't want a bootblack. YOU want
the Street Cleaning Department"
Whereat the engineers bought. some
evening newspapers and with them wiped
As much Of the grout and cement and
fresh concrete off as they could and by
iudicious use Of their penknives scraped
Jumps OF mortar and concrete from their
clothes Then all made a resolution that
when next they took a stroll % feet
under Sixth avenue they would copy the
STYLE set by J. f. Beswick, one Of the
engineers in charge of the work. who
wore a sou'wester, oiskins and hip boots
Of rubber.
when the party Of engineers assem-
bled at Shaft II. as the aqueduct builders
describe the entrance 10 the tunnel az
10Th street and Sixth avenue. they were
met by Mr.. Beswick and Harry Winsor
another engineer. in charge Of the work
and In groups Of eight were sent down
into the tunnel on a freight elevator used
for hosting rock
The descent into the tunnel tried the
nerves Of many. There were no guard
rails on the lift and the passengers
gripped a greasy chain overhead to steady
themselves as they were dropped dis
lance equal to the height of n tall sky
scraper i'm less than a minute.
Stepping off the lift they found them
selves in a cavern hewn cut of the solid
rock its floor Uttered with a network OF
narrow gauge tracks and sletpers. and
here and there innocent looking patches
that appeared 20 he good. firm concrete,
hut which proved To he treacherous grout
an oozy mixture Of mortar. cement, sand
and water. Here the noise Of the drills.
working under compressed air power Of
from ~ 10 50 pounds pressure. is so great
that Mr. Beswick who led the party, had
10 shout 10 make himself heard.
When the entire psrJv had reassembled
underground Mr. Beswick signalled to
them with his acetylene lamp 10 follow
him He then led them 10 A chamber 3"
by lG feet and 20 feet I'm height. TWO
lahorers stood AZ the door. This cham
Der ne explained. was where the dyna-
nit, was stored.
Returning to the tDnnel again. Guide
Beswick pointed his acetylene lamp SOUTH
ward and the hike toward Bryant Park
began And II was some hike. believe
the tired men who made 1t. 1t took over
an hour and half to walk through me
tunnel In one stretch Of IL, where II was
completely finished. the effect was strik-
ing Illusions were easy. one engineer
Of romantic turn Of mind said:
This seems like the inside Of A big
chimney which is standing upright You
might think We were all flies and were
walking up the sides. eh?'
The romantic one then called attention
10 the effect Of the electrics overhead,
which hung at intervals OF about forty
feet. painting tine interior OF the finished
tunnel with broad bands Of yellow. when
this was passed through the visitors saw
& tunnel in which the lower part, or in
vert as IT is called was finished, and
where the form for the upper half was
being built Here laborers in gray over
ais looking Ike ghosts. silently shovelled
cement into the form, which was brought
to them In steel cars. drawn oy dimin-
uuve electric locomotive. an invention
that has only recently been made use OF
In tunnelling
Soon Shaft ls was reached. and the
party. again In groups OF eight, were
vhisked back into daylight. where, after
their encounter with the bootblacks they
learned that In this shaft alone en- bags
Of cement are used daily in making the
needed amount of concrete.
The next time shaft is visited the
engineers Will bring their own shoe
brushes with them.