Year: 1879

ACTUALLY BEGUN-LEEGTH, TWO MILES AND HALF, FROM BRoADwAY TO JER- SEY AVENUE.

 The work of tunneling the Hudson River has been actually begun. At the foot of Fifteenth street, Jersey City, there is nearly completed circular working shaft, walled with brick, 39 1 feet in diameter and 60 feet in depth, which is about ten feet below mean wa- ter level. It is said to be the largest shaft in the world. The bottom will be laid on concrete four feet deep in the center, sloping to three feet at the sides

 On the river side of the shaft there is temnprary brick wall in the form of an arch, which marks the entrance to the tunnel. When the floor has har- dened sufficiently the wall is to be re- moved and the process of tunneling will begin. In it's plan of construction no expensive coffer dams, caissons or heavy drills will be required, the bor- ing showing that the soil is for the most part a tenacious silt, of the color and consistency of blue clay, underlaid by hard sand. This will be removed ex- peditiously and at slight expense by the use Of air-compressers and air.locks, under patent granted to Dewitt c. Haskins, President of the Hudson Tun- nel Company. "The use of compressed air, said MT. l.. o. Fowler, Secretary of the Company, to Star reporter yes terday, introduced into the face of the tunnel. with sufficient pressure to hold back the irruption of silt, clay or wa ter, will overcome the difficulties usu- ally experienced in constructing tunnels, The air pressure will also carry back to the shaft through pipes all sand, mud or water that may accumulate in the heading"

 After passing through this bed of slit, small ledge of rock, surface of 100 feet, will be encountered about 400 feet from the New York shore. This will be removed by blasting. Between this rock and the shore there is a deposit of gravel which can bo readily worked through.

 The tunnel walls will be constructed of the best hard brick and cement, four feet in thickness circular in form, thirty feet wide and thirty feet high, painted light color or the inside, to be lighted with gas. The track will be a | heavy steel rail, ballasted with broken stone to within five feet from the bottom of the tunnel, wherein can be laid gas pipes and pneumatic tubes. Upon either side will be placed telegraph wires. The company have also planned to lay large water mains to supply the lower part of New York City. In ex- planation of Ethis project MT. Fowler said:

 "You must know that in many of your down town stores it is impossible to get water by natural pressure above the second or third stories. Back here in the Hackensack Hills there are numer- ous lakes and ponds of pure water. These can be damned, making fall of 300 feet, which would give sufficient pressure through four foot pipe to force the water to the highest point in New York City,"

 The top of the brickwork of the tun- nel will be from 25 to 50 feet below the bed of the river. Its extreme grade will be two ill 100 feet, descending from Jersey City then ascending to the New York side, three in 100 for 1,50O feet, then two in 100 to the terminus. The entrance to the tunnel on the Jersey side is to be from Jersey avenue in Fifteenth street. The work is to ex- tend thence to the river, about 3, 400 feet: thence under the river, curving slightly northward to tho New York bulkhead line which will be near the foot of Mor- ton street, about 5,4O0 feet thence curving southward in New York about 5000 feet to a point in the vicinity of the Metropolitan Hotel. The entire length of the tunnel and approaches will be nearly 1000 feet, with the depot track to be added thereto, being abont one mile under the river and nearly three-fourths of mile on each side.

 It is the intention Of the company te purchase an entire block for their New York terminus contiguous to Broadway, Upon it they propose to erect a system of freight and storage warehouses an6 large market, which will be supplied daily with the choicest productions oi the neighboring farming counties Dwellings will also be built upon tho property. The main entrance will be ol ample dimensions, and of the mos ornate description.

 The company claim that at least 400 trains can be passed through the tunne each day-the freight trains at night the market trains in the early morning and the passenger trains in the interim They will be run entirely by perfected system of signals which will preclude any possibility of an accident. All con necting roads are to have an equal righ to have their passengers and freight transported through the tunnel upol equitable terms.

 A force of sixty men is engaged upol the work, and this will be largely aug mented when the shaft is completed It is expected that the tunnel will b' open for travel in about three years.

 A DENVER GIRL for diversion, no only engaged herself to marry two men but appointed tho same day, hour, ant