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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1902)
THE SUNDAY OHEG.ONIAN. PORTLAND, APRIL 27, 1902. 27 NEW YORK'S WONDERFUL NEW - . MOST EXTENSIVE PUBLIC WORK IN THE WORLD NOW IN PROGRESS. IMAGINE a tunnel six feet high and three feet -wide, from New Tork to Chicago, and you have some concep tion of the cubical contents of the New Tork subway when completed. Now Imagine that from New Tork to Cleve land there was solid rock, that for a considerable distance a street-car service had to be maintained unimpaired above the digging tollers, and that water mains, gas pipes and sewage had to be moved whenever the path of the tunnel Inter cepted them, and you may realize what a tremendous engineering task is belnj. pushed forward now In New Tork City months ahead of contract time. The comparison Is not quite accurate, hut it serves its purpose of calling at tention to the most gigantic piece of en gineering in modern times. Three mil lion cubic yards of space, underneath a teeming city, are to make room for a $35,000,000 railway. SIxty-flve thousand tons of steel will be used in the arches, pillars and rails. Ten thousand men will have been engaged for nearly four years 'in bringing this marvel about. All this is to the end that the New Torker and (the visiting stranger may be whisked ,from one extremity of Manhattan Island to the other in a hurry. At the present time millions of feet of lumber are being used to maintain i undisturbed the street surface with its ceaseless traffic going on above the ex cavations. If this timber had been used in building homes for the army of 10.000 ( workmen emnloved fhPr ;,m workmen employed there would have been sufficient for a two-story frame house for every man. The 2,500,000 tons of rock which are to be taken out would make a solid wall three feet thick, six feet high and nearly 500 miles long, and if the dirt were spread over Central Park the entire area would be covered 10 Inches deep. As a matter of fact, acres and acres of New Jersey swamp land are being made habitable since the Rapid Transit Commission began to dis pose of the surplus dirt and rock upon them. It Is a veritable city under a city which the engineers and contractors are huilding. a city of one street to he sure, now with two roadways, now with four, hut it is an electrically lighted, clean, well-ventilated avenue of travel, and millions of passengers will be carried over it every year. Those who wish to see strange sights " i i I i ! I I I I LOOKING SOUTHEAST FR03I GOTH-STREET STATION EVERYTHING IS COMPLETED HERE EXCEPT LAYING OP TRACKS. In the metronnllfi nnn flnfl mnro varlav 1 in a. trip along the line of the subway In its present state than in any other excursion In Manhattan. New Torkers have not yet accustomed themselves to the upheaval of streets, the Jacked-up street-car lines, the swinging cranes and the cable ways on which tonloads are carried at a time. Now and then the pedestrian is confronted by a working man who waves a red flag and cries out: "Fire!" and the pedestrian knows that an explosion is imminent. Crowds watch dally the operation of the com-' pressed-alr drills which bore into the solid rock; at times the monotony of living in the neighborhood is disturbed fcy the thunder of a blast, passengers In nearby street-cars feel their hats lifted slightly from their heads. They remark, "Only the subway," and won der when all the confusion and muss will be over. Down below, on the damp, sunless bot tom of the many openings, the real state of the subway may best be seen, provided one is fortunate enough to secure per mission to explore the cuts and headings. At City Hall Square, the lower terminus, fully two-thirds of the work has been done. One section of the loop is already covered over, and the floors, arches and entrances of the station are now being completed. The City Hall Station is to he a local train station only. Originally a great loop was planned here, which was to circle a part of the Postofflce and ' furnish room for the main station, and I it was understood that all the trains, J both express and local, should pass this way. The task, however, was too diffi cult. It was not possible to pass under the Postofflce Building without weaken ing that structure, and the plan to tun- I nel to Brooklyn also made it advisable to locate the main station at the bridge, j Accordingly Mr. William Barclay Par-1 eons, the chief engineer, planned a small- ' er loop and a local train station, which j has aroused the admiration of all tho ' engineers. There is not a straight line at this terminus. The station Is a curved -platform, the roof Is a series of domes nnd arches within arches. The change in me loop made necessary a switchyard for trains, and this was tunneled out under Park Row. Only a short distance up from the loop is the main station. That is to say, the main station will be located here, close by the New Tork end of the Brooklyn bridge. It is one of the last pieces of work to be taken up. On both sides of the locality work has been going on for near ly two years, but, owing to the continual crowds in this neighborhood, it has seem ed best to complete one part before begin ning another. A. Mine in the Big City. From the bridge station the four tracks will extend in practically a straight line to Forty-second street, thence over to Broadway, and up Broadway to One Hun dred and Fourth street. From this point there are two branches, one extending up or near Broadway to Two Hundred and Fifteenth street, the other cutting through a corner of Central Park, under the Harlem River, and up into the sub urbs as far as Bronx Park. Over this line all kinds of operations are being carried on from the sinking of shafts 150 feet down in solid rock to erecting high bridges and elevated structures. The most Interesting experience the ex plorer of the subway can have is to go down the One Hundred and Eighty-flrst-treet shaft and walk up one of the head- lngs, now each several hundred feet long, t It 1b like going Into a mine. The heavy elevators sink slowly out of the daylight, first into a dim haze and then Into the thick smoke made by the blastings and by the miners' lamps which the work men carry. At the bottom, 125 feet below the surface, one may go either north or south. It is impossible to see more than a few feet ahead in either direction. The writer made the trip cne afternoon re cently Just after the workmen had gone. The guide picked a path through the mud and water and related details on the way. "Twenty-six feet high here all along two tricks. Look out for this mule stable. "Come here, Jenny," he called out to a moving shape in the darkness ahead. "There are six of these animals down here, and most of them haven't seen daylight for a year. Bight above us," pointing upwards through the gloom, "there used to be a big boulder. "When it fell it caught two men under It. That's the only accident we've had up here." The mules, the little dump-car tracks, the drills at the ends df the headings, tho blasts and the cavernous gloom through out remind one of nothing so much as a huge mine. For two miles the work in this section Is carried on by boring. On the surface no sign of an excavation is to be seen, save at the shafts, but next to the hooslc tunnel, this piece of the New Tork subway will be the largest piece of single-tube boring in this country. These scenes are not familiar to many New Torkers, because they are so far up Manhattan. There has just been corn- iil , "" v,' ,'""t """ Z "j same kind of work was carried on. when the contractor for the section which runs under a. corner of Central Park un- dertooK this piece of work his taik was J that of boring a tunnel through the solid ( rock without disturbing the surface of the park. There were many near-by build ings, cind every unusually large blast was a menace to the neighborhood. Still the contractor accomplished his difficult task without a mishap. As an Instance of the J beautifully exact calculation which has been made In connection, with every part of this work, the experience of this con tractor in connecting his two headings I may be cited. When the blast had blown J out the separating rock It was found that the two headings had joined In one straight tunnel. There was not a frac tion of an inch difference In the calcula tions of each as to the location of the other. In marked contrast to the scenes of mln- I int? Hfo. TvltVi Itc "lccninnaiilmont rT onm bllng from the blasts and its procession 1 rheiridndV' fM TOS' S ! the bridge builders, the tollers in the air, far above ground. The face of the 1 fcolld rock at One Hundred and Ninety fifth street will soon have a huge mouth, for here the subway transforms Itself from a tunnel to an elevated structure. Inence one mile of bridge is to be built up to the end of this branch at Two Hundred and Fifteenth street ffe -JSllfillL . - Jllw . JtjAifffr S sisSste iHkvhW life -Ww SSS tgrnHHffOWWWegBagaNBMB mgKlm Wg&zotiBBrr 1mWx?3WEtox' PDHKdHSHBHlBiKte JiBWigM -mj(- !Sm t VIEW NORTH AT BROADWAY AND ANSONIA Over on the other side of Harlem an other extraordinary operation Is going on. I The Bronx division has to dip under the ' , river, and this section has not been done ; . en structure, half the width of the river alone ? ,a most ser,ous undertaking, be long. Into whose cross-section an archway faU3e. lt necessary to pass under bulld of the subway would fit. Is built and pJ" OTafcrJ eet space fr the tua I fioated from one bank. Then this struc- l 0th, ot co,rn"s' r thf makes' ilVfight. "&? rSS boUom ! nave Injured, and it is understood that a then dug out under the framework, and i I dirt and rock Is placed on too of the structure to hold It down. When tho i trench is of sufficient depth the regular i tunnel masonry Is put in, and one-half be- l ing mus compieiea, me wooaen structure Is released and lloated to the other side, when practically the same operation. Is gone through with again. The Most Expensive Mile. It Is the ordinary surface cutting which may be seen by everybody, and this, be cause lt is the simplest kind of work connected with the subway, is the least Interesting. The crowds, however, never seem to lose their curiosity. A network of timbers, supports, gas, water and sewer pipes Is practically all that Is vis ible. Through convenient openings huge buckets are lowered to be loaded with rock or dirt, raised again and run along the cable way until they are dumped Into the waiting carts. Great chains lock to gether the timber supports of the street car tracks. Pillars of wood and steel hold up the street surface. And thousands of people pass over these yawning holes dally without a thought of danger, de spite the accidents that have happened The work Is carried on with the greatest o Mm clean No sooner Is the smoke " ven mtTpiact " Wherev r r. tnv, i a.. ,- i. -xr eafommrd n much noihi in deed, the wonder Is that the work of ex cavation can go on at all In the tangle of steel and timbers which are used to maintain the surface. The most expensive mile of the sub way extends from Thirty-second street un der the street railway tunnel to Forty- UIRUSKYE VIEW LOOKING SUBWAY . "H GOTH STREET SHOWING NEW. HOTEL. ,-.-.-. 4 second street, thence around a curve to Broadway, and around another curve to Long Acre Square. The construction of these two curves t-- MSCSfeflBSsBlw JftySwEn?vffj-jc.''"' PI?&1aSvyKSd it Vw?3tVt msSmBB msklSMm SEBIIbBHb80K$ItHw Ohm! 150TH STREET AND BROADWAY-LOOKING NORTH IN THE ROCK HEADING. NORTH AT UNION SQUARE. wboi m big hotel will be located over the sta tions at each of these turns. Within the limits of this mile have oc curred the most disastrous accidents of the subway. The dynamite explosion came first, wrecking two hotels and sev eral houses; then, two blocks below, fol lowed the cave-In 6f three houses. The Rapid Transit Commission has recently purchased this property in order to save Itself from costly damage suits. It Is said that up to date J5.000.000 have been spent by the Commission in making sim ilar purchases of damaged property. Subway's Official Photoprnpher. "Do you see the long crack down the side of that building?" he inquired. We were standing in an excavation 60 feet be low the surface of the street, and the bare wall of a building towered 150 feet above. Suppose the owners claimed that the ex cavations here had caused that crack. I would go over my photoEraphs taken here before the work was begun at all, and I would show a picture of that building with the same crack In It. I have taken hundreds of pictures Just as a matter of record to show how buildings, streets, sidewalks, etc., looked before we began work, and how these have actually been affected by the excavating. You would be surprised at the number of damage claims which we can stop In just this way." A year from next Fall, when trains be gin to run in at least a part of the sub way. New Yorkers: will begin to appreciate the genius and energy which has been de voted to this great enterprise. Not only NewYorkers, but all Americans as well, may be proud of the men who have car ried the project from Its first. Inception to within sight of its final completion. To William Barclay PaTsons, the chief en gineer of the Rapid Transit Commission, more credit is due than to any other sin gle man. It was Mr. Parsons' pet plan for years before the Legislature of the state passed an act by which the work could be taken up. It has been the inde fatigable labor of Mr. Parsons and his corps of engineers which has made pos sible the formation of plans for every de tail now being carried out successfully. During the months preceding the letting of the contracts Mr. Parsons' office were the busiest rooms In New Tork. Every street-car line, every support for elevated structure, building, sub-cellar, every wa ter, sewer or gas pipe, together with house connections, every conduit was located; indeed, the character of the rock or soil In the path of the proposed subway was determined. Before the first pick was stuck Into the ground Mr. Parsons knew that six and a half miles of sewer pipes alone had to be moved; he knew where lines of water and gas service would have to be changed entirely; he knew one place where it would be necessary to shift several blocks of street-care line in order to carry on blasting successfully un der it. When one stops to think of the engineering problems which were encoun tered It is all the more surprising that the work has gone on so successfully thus far. At the present time nearly a million dollars a month are being ex pended. It Is not at all unlikely that another line of subway will be tunneled under the East Side of Manhattan. The Brook lyn subdivision Is already assured, as Is the Pennsylvania tunnel from Jersey City to Long Island. Before long New Tork may be known justly as the city of tun nels. HERBERT WALLACE. (Copyrighted. 1902.) T c i Fables by George Ade THE PROMOTED SUBORDINATE, THE UNFORTUNATE HAS-BEEN, AND THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY. ONCEthere was an employe who was getting the Nub End of the Deal. He kicked on the long Hours and small Salary, and helped organize a Clerks Protective Association. He was for the Toiler as against the Main Squeeze; In order to keep him simmered down, the Owners gave him an Interest. After that he began to perspire when he looked at the Pay-Roll, and It did seem to him that a lot of big lazy Lummixes were standing around the Shop doing the Sol dier Act. He learned to snap his Fingers every time the Office Boy giggled. As for the faithful old Bookkeeper, who wanted an increase to 53 and a week's Vacation in the Summer, the best he got was a little Talk about Contentment being a Jewel. The Associate Partner played Simon Legree, all except the make-up. The saddest moment of the Day for him was when the -whole Bunch knocked off at 6 o'clock in the Evening. It seemed a Shame to call 10 Hours a Full Day. As for the Saturday Half-Holiday Movement, that was little better than Highway Rob bery. Those who formerly slaved along side of him in the Galleys had to address him as Mister, and he had them, num bered the same as Convicts. One Day an Underling ventured to re mind the Slave-Driver that once he had been the Friend of the Salaried Minion. "Right your are," said the Boss. "But when I plugged for the lowly Wage-Earners I never had been In the Directors' Office to see that beautiful Tableau en titled 'Virtue Copping -Out the Annual Dividend.' I don't know that I can make the Situation clear to you, so I will merely remark that all those who get on our side of the Fence are enabled to catch a new Angle on this Salary Question." Moral: For Educational Purposes, every Employe should be, taken Into the Firm. The Unfortunate Han-Been nnd the Sympathetic Condnctor. In an open-faced Car sat a glib Person and a decrepit Old Gentleman with a haggard and sorrowful Frontispiece. The two dropped Into a Conversation and soon began opening up their Private Af fairs, according to the Western Fashion. The glib Party told how much he was drawing and how he Invested lt and all about several gigantic Schemes that he had under his Cuff. The Antique with the pall-bearlng Face did not enthuse. "Young Man, you will learn that Life is a series of wasted Opportunities and vain Regrets," he said. "When you are all in and a new Generation comes along and gives you a good swift Bump and you light on your Back ' over by the Fence, then you can He there and, look up at the Sky and count the Good Things that got past you." With that the broken-hearted .Patriarch sprang a lonely Bundle of Hard Luck Talcs. He pointed out a Corner Lot now valued at Half a Million that had been offered to him for $350. Once he had bden given a Chance to trade a second-hand Buggy for a half-Interest in a Patent that netted a couple of Thousand each Day. The Stock In the Street Railway Company he closed out at 7. Afterward lt went to 293. "I used to own the Ground where the First National stands," he said, with Tears in His Eyes. "Like a blithering Plnhead, I traded lt for a Team of Mules. If I hadn't been all kinds of a Ninny, I could have got In on the Ground Floor FCTR THE Se-RAP BOOK The Sllnuet. Grandma told me about it. Told me so I couldn't doubt It, How she danced my grandma danced Long ago. How she held her pretty head. How her dainty skirt she spread. How she turned her little toes Smiling little human rose! Long ago. Grandma's hair was bright and sunny. Dimpled cheeks, too ah. how funny Really quite a pretty girl. Long ago. Bless her! why, she wears a cap. Grandma does, and takes a nap Every single day; and yet Grandma dancel the minuet, Long ago. Now she sits there, rocking, rocking, , Always knitting grandpa's stocking (Every girl was taught to knit. Long ago.) Yet her figure Is so neat. And her way so staid and sweet, I can almost see her now Bending to her partner's bow, Long ago. Grandma says our modern Jumping, Hopping, rushing, whirling, bumping, "Would have shocked the gentlefolk Long ago. -. N"o they moved with stately grace, Everything In proper place, , Gliding slowly forward, then Slowly courtesy lng, back again. Long ago. v Modern ways are quite alarming. Grandma says; but boys were charming Girls and boys. I mean, of course Long ago. Bravely modest, grandly shy "What If all of us should try Just to feet like those who met In the graceful minuet, , Long agol With the minuet In fashion. Who could fly Into a passion? All would wear the calm they wor Long ago. In time to come. If I perchance, Should tell my grandchild of our dance, I should really like to say, "Wo did lt, dear. In some such way. Long ago." Mary Mapes Dodgo. Bedouin Song. From the desert I come to thee. On a stallion shod with fire; And the winds are left behind In the speed of my desire. Under thy window I stand. And the midnight hears my cry; I love thee. I love but thee. With a love that shall not dla Till tho sun grows cold. And the stars are old. And the leaves of tha judgment book unfold! Look from thy window and see My passion and my pain; I He on the sands below, - - And I faint In. thy disdain. Let the night winds touch thy brow With the heat of my burning s!gh, And melt thee to hear the vow Of a love that shall not die Till the sun grows cold. And the stars are old. And the leaves of the judgment book unfold I i My steps are nightly driven By the fever la my breast. To hear from thy lattice breathed The word that shall give me rest. Open the door of thy heart. And open thy chamber door. And my kisses shall teach thy lips The love that shall fade no rnoro Till the sun grows cold, And the stars are old. And the leaves of the Judgment book unfoldf Bayard Taylor. of the Standard Oil. And now I'm getting too old and weak to kick myself." At the next Corner the ancient Wreck alighted and tottered on his Way. "Is it not a Sad Case?" said the Young Man to the Conductor. "How bitter must be his Reflections when he counts up what he might have nailed, if he had been Foxy." "Yes, I feel sorry for him," said the Humane Conductor, who was drawing $i per week. "All he can show Is a measly Two Millions. What breaks his Heart Is that he doesn't own both sides of the street and the Green Cars that run in be tween." Moral: The Kicker is the Man who gets Part of lt. The Single-Handed Fight for Per sonal Liberty. A Traveler landed in a Blue-Law Town one Sunday Morning and found it as dead as a Mackerel. There were only two' Horses hitched at the Square, and in every Window the Curtains ,were d&wn. "Why and wherefore this funeral Hush?" he Inquired of.' the Hotel Clerk. "The Sunday-Closers have been at work," replied the Clerk. "You can't get a Nip today for Love or Money." "I can't, can't I?" demanded the Trav eler indignantly. "Do the Enemies of Personal Liberty think that they can deprive me of my just rights? Not on your Dreamy Eyes' Watch me." He cut for an Alley and began trying every Back Door. He would rap three times on a bluff and say "It's me," but there ''was nothing doing. However, he was not to be thwarted. In the absence of the Blind Pig and the, Speak-Easy, he fell back on the Prescrlr tion Gag. Inquiring his way, he waikod S Blocks to a Physician's Residence and caught the Doc just as he was starting to Church. He gave the Doc the K. P. Grip and begged him to save a Life. He said he had Cramps and nothing bvt a large Slug of the Scandinavian Joy-Producer would relieve his Agony. Doc wrote: "Spirits Frumentl take as directed, and said It would come to One Dollar. Then the Sufferer went out to find a Drug Clerk. After a long Search he found Mr. HIgglnson, of the People's Pharmacy, down at Main Strert Bridge, pushing a Baby Carriage. At first the Druggist balked on opening up, but tho Traveler said he was a Dyinfy Man and handed over a good 10-cent Cigar. At 2 P. M. he went back to the Hotel, wearing In his Pistol Pocket a Flask of Squirrel Whiskey, the color of Kerosene. He was flushed and happy, for he had made a Monkey of the Law. He Invited two other Drummers up to 62. They pulled down the Curtains and tapped the Poison and nobody could talk for 5 Min utes. Two months later the same Traveler struck the Town one Sunday, and found a Baseball Team, giving a Parade. "Everything is wide open since the April Election," said the Clerk. "I can get you whatever .you want." "All right," was the reply. "Send up a pitcher of Ice-Water." Moral: Thirst follows the Prohibition Clause. (Copyrighted. 1002.) Didn't Reprimand Her. A little Cambridge girl was discovered whispering in school, and the teacher asked: "What wero you saying to the girl next to you when I caught you whispering?" The little culprit hung her head for a moment, and then replied: "I was only telling her how nice you looked In your new dress." "Well, that yes I know but we must the class in spelling will please stand up." Christian Register. Spring-time. You cannot hear the waters for the wind; The brook that foams, and falls, and bubbles by Hath lost Its voice but ancient steeples sigh. And belfries moan and crazy ghosts conflncd In dark courts weep, and shako tho shuddering gates, And cry from points of windy pinnacles. Howl thro' the bars, and plain among tho bells And shriek and wall Ilka voices of the latest And who is he that down the mountain te Swift as a shadow flying from the sun. Between the wings of stormy winds dotJi rvj). With fierce bluo eyes and eyebrows knit Trtti pride; Tho' now and then I see sweet laughters play Upon his lips, like moments of bright heaven Thrown 'twlxt the cruel blasts of morn and oven. And golden locks beneath his hood of gray. Sometimes ho turns him back to wave farewell To (his pale sire with ley beard and hair; Sometimes he sends before him thro the air A cry of welcome down a sunny dell; And while the echoes are around him ringing. Sudden tho angry wind breathes low and sweet; Young violets show their blue eye3 at hl3 feet. And tho wild lark Is heard above him singing! Frederick Tennyson. a To the Cackoo, O blythe newcomer! I have heard, I hear thee and rejoice! O cuckoo! shall I call thee bird, ,. Or but a wandering voice? -" While I am lying on the grass rf Thy twofold shout I hear; ' From hill to hill it seems to pass. At once far off and near. Though babbling only to the vols Of sunshine and of flowers. Thou brlngest unto me a tale Of visionary hours. Thrloe welcome, darling of the Spring) Even yet thou art to me No bird, but an invisible thing, A voice, a mystery; The same whom in my schoolboy days I listened to; that cry Which made me look a thousand way . In bush, and tree, and sky. To seek thee did I often rove Through woods and on the green; And thou wert still a hope, a love; Still longed for, never seen. And I can listen to thee yet; Can lie upon the plain . t And listen, till I do beget That golden time again. O blessed bird! the earth we pace "- Again appears to be An unsubstantial, fairy place. That is fit home for thee! William Wordsworth. To Thomas MoV)re. My boat la on the shore. And my bark is on tho sea; But before I go. Tom Moore, Here's a double health to thee! Here's a sigh to those who love me. And a smile to thoso who hate; And, whatever sky's above me. Here's a heart for every fate! Though the ocean roar around me. Yet It still shall bear me on; Though a desert shall surround me. It hath springs that may be won. Were't the last drop In the well, As I gasped upon the brink, Ere my fainting spirit fell. 'TIs. to thee that I would drink. With that water, as this wine. The libation I would pour Should be peace with thine and mine. And a health to thee, Tom Mcoret -Lord Byron.