Charles W. Raymond

“ The great retail houses are being established above 23d Street; the banks and brokers' offices are rapidly appearing around the new business center of the city. The facilities afforded by the telephone and the subway for communication with the money center have doubtless greatly promoted this up-town movement.
When the Pennsylvania Tunnel Extension is in operation, the easiest and quickest way for the passenger to reach the city from Newark will bring him into the Pennsylvania Station at Seventh Avenue and 33d Street. ”

“ The tunnels are lighter than the materials which they displace even when the weight of the heavy live load is included. In the East River the character of the material seemed to justify the conclusion [26] that the tunnels would not be displaced even under the action of the live load. In the North River, however, the tunnels are enveloped by a soft silt and it was at first apprehended that some system of supports would be advisable to carry the heavy traffic and insure the tunnels against displacement under its action. ”

“ The local passenger and freight traffic of the Pennsylvania and of other railroads reaching the west shore of the North River is conducted by car-floats and ferry-boats which deliver their loads at piers on the Manhattan waterfront and elsewhere in the harbor. ”

“ Experience has shown, as was anticipated, that it is much more difficult to construct tunnels in such material as occurs in the East River and on the New Jersey side of the North River, than in more homogeneous material such as is found in the greater part of the North River. ”

“ New operating conditions, resulting from the application of electric traction to the movement of heavy railroad trains, which had been used initially in tunnels by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and was subsequently studied and adopted by railroads in Europe, made it possible to avoid the difficulty of ventilation connected with steam traction in tunnels, and permitted the use of grades practically prohibitive with the steam locomotive. The practicability of the tunnel extension project finally adopted was thus assured. ”

“ In addition, a large part of the Long Island Railroad's passengers will use the station at Seventh Avenue and 33d Street, and its ferry traffic will be reduced accordingly.
The new arrangements for the transfer of freight from Greenville to Bay Ridge will relieve the inner waters of the harbor of a large volume of obstructive car-float traffic. There appears to be no reason why this traffic should not be eventually conducted through tunnels under the outer harbor, should future transportation conditions justify the enormous cost of such structures. ”

“ Design of the Sub-River Tunnels.—The sub-river tunnels consist of a circular cast-iron shell, of the segmental, bolted type, having an outside diameter of 23 ft., lined with concrete having a normal thickness of 2 ft. from the outside of the shell. Through each plate of the shell there is a small hole, closed with a screw plug, through which grout may be forced into the surrounding material. Each tunnel contains a single track. A concrete bench, the upper surface of which is 1 ft. below the axis of the tunnel, is placed on each side of the track, the distance between benches being 11 ft. ”

“ It does not seem probable that the population-density of Manhattan will be sensibly reduced by these improvements, for they stimulate the increase of population, and apparently no increase of transportation facilities can keep up with the growth of the city. The population of a great commercial city must be congested near the business center. ”

“ The Companies are required to bear all the expense of changes of grade in the streets and avenues, except those made necessary by the construction of the viaduct or bridge to be paid for in part by the City ”

“ The franchise for that part of the tunnel line which is within the State of New York, that is, from the boundary line between New York and New Jersey, in the Hudson River, to the eastern terminus at Sunnyside Yard, Long Island, is contained in the certificate issued by the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners of the City of New York on October 9th, 1902. ”

“ All works within, upon, or over the public streets and avenues are subject to the supervision and inspection of the proper municipal officer or officers, under such regulations as he or they may determine and be authorized by law to impose; and the plans for the construction of viaducts or bridges are to be approved by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. ”

“ Report has been made to the Public Service Commission that a large part of the right of way for the New York Connecting Railroad has been obtained, and more than $3,000,000 has been spent by this railroad. The piers and docks at Newtown Creek and the electrification of the line from Newark to Jersey City are not yet actively under way. ”

“ Third.—The obligation of the Pennsylvania Company to begin construction within three months after obtaining the necessary consents and complete the railroad within five years after construction shall begin, except the route under Thirty-first Street, for the completion of which the company is allowed ten years after the completion of the remainder of the railroad.
Fourth.—Payments by the Pennsylvania Company for the first twenty-five years, as follows: A rental of $200 per annum for the right to occupy land under the Hudson and East Rivers outside of pier lines. ”

“ River Division, the Terminal Station, and the East River Division. A chief engineer appointed by the Management had charge of the construction of each Division. The chief engineers exercised full authority in the organization of the working forces, and in the general conduct and management of the work of construction on their respective Divisions, in accordance with the plans for such work approved by the Board of Engineers and the Management. ”

“ This Division included the construction of subways and bridges for the support of 31st and 33d Streets and Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Avenues, the Station building between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, the foundations for the post office to be erected west of Eighth Avenue, the service power-house in 31st Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, the power-house in Long Island City, the traction system, tracks, signals, and miscellaneous facilities required in the physical construction of the entire terminal railroad ready for operation. ”

“ The service plant for the installation of machinery for lighting, heating, and ventilating the station, and for operating the interlocking system, is located in an independent building south of the station. ”

“ A rental for ground within pier lines and for underground portions of streets in Manhattan Borough, at fifty cents per linear foot of single track per annum, for the first ten years, and during the next fifteen years one dollar per annum per linear foot. ”