The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-03
BROADWAY CANYON
|C0NQUERs MOUNTAIN
RnsrDHNTs or THAT SECTION GET
TUNNEL sTIizErr 10 SUBWAY
STATION.
IDEA A UNIQUE ONE
NOW NEW WORKERS ARE PRE-
PAIRING TO CONQUER m
OTHER BLUFF M BORING
THROUGH TT.
A UNIQUE ONE

NEW YoRK. august a.-There
stands at 1e1st street and Broadway
in the Washington Heights section,
an unattractive. mysterious lookfns
structure Of concrete. It has beer
remarked on more than one occasion
that the homely little structure re-
sembles an entrance to q dungeon,
This impression probably 10 created
by the fact that nix steps lead down
from the street level. There Is MOTH
Ing to the rear to furnish . clue to ita
purpose. but In the distance about O
the summit OF which rests 81. Nicholas
avenue.
The mountain ~ It - termed
locally. is directly responsible for the
concrete structure on Broadway. II
1t was not for that high ground the
subway station 1t 1e1st street and st
Nicholas avenue could be reached
with facility by the residents Of the
broadway Canyon" as the section
lying between the bluf on the east
and west 10 sometimes referred to.
When the subway was built the
contractors paid no attention to the
needs OF the residents Of the Broad
way Canyon" for they placed the en-
trance on the summit OF the bluff. To
reach Il ~necessitated Z long, weary
journey owe Fort George Hill. Even
in pleasant weather this Journey wac
one to be dreaded. but In stormy
weather the difficulties were multi
piled.
So much time and shoe leather
were wasted in making the long
journey twice daily that the residents
determined to seek relief. There was
only n method open to them and
that was &c bore through the bluff to
the subway platform, which incident
ally was SO many feet below the level
OF st. Nicholas avenue that 1t was
necessary to employ elevators to car
ry h people between the two levels.
Engineers discovered that the SUBJ
way platform was practically on the
same level a. Broadway and the plan
to build the street from Broadway east
to the subway was a very feasible and
sensible indeed.
With their w consent the prop
erty owners OF the section were levied
upon and the tunnel built at a cost OF
$4,000. 1t took some months to
build II. but when completed 1t proved
satisfactory.
1t would not have been good policy
to allow such a novel and successful
engineering feat to go unannounced
to the entire city. so 1t was decided
to have the opening OF the new street
an suspicious one. Members of the
public service commission. the State
senator representing the district, city
officials and real estate men Of the
neighborhood were invited to De
present Mt the opening.
It was a memorable day for Wash
ington Heights when the new street
was formally opened The Pullman
car OF Frank Hedley. containing state
rooms. a buffet, curtained windows
and a rorter-Caesar Borgia by name
left the Brooklyn Bridge station on
a Saturday afternoon at the time
when hundreds Of ordinary per-
sons were being jammed into regular
subway cars. The ordinary mortals
looked on in open mouthed astonish-
ment.
The private car transported the
celebrities to the 1slst street station.
The party consisted of President Nc
Aneny. Commissioners Mccall. VIII
Iiams and Eustis, of the public service
commission; Park Commissioner Stow
err. State Senator Salant and others.
The tunnel street had been decorated
with American flags.
Headed by a brass band the party
marched through the tunnel street to
Broadway. where at the entrance
President McAneny said:
"On behalf Of the city OF New York
I declare this Tunnel street. the first
OF it's kind, open for public use"
Tunnel street Is no only available