Title: Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 - The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. - Paper No. 1150
Author: Raymond, Charles W.
Language: English
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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

INSTITUTED 1852


TRANSACTIONS

Paper No. 1150


THE NEW YORK TUNNEL EXTENSION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD.

BY CHARLES W. RAYMOND, M. AM. SOC. C. E.[A]



Some time before the appointment of the Board of Engineers which
supervised the designing and construction of the New York Tunnel
Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the late A. J. Cassatt, then
President of the Company, said to the writer that for many years he had
been unable to reconcile himself to the idea that a railroad system like
the Pennsylvania should be prevented from entering the most important
and populous city in the country by a river less than one mile wide. The
result of this thought was the tunnel extension project now nearly
completed; but it is only in recent years that new conditions have
rendered such a solution of the problem practicable as well as
desirable.

Previously a tunnel designed for steam railroad traffic, to enter New
York City near Christopher Street, was partly constructed, but the work
was abandoned for financial reasons. Then plans for a great suspension
bridge, to enable all the railroads reaching the west shore of the North
River to enter the city at the foot of 23d Street, were carefully
worked out by the North River Bridge Company. The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company gave this project its support by agreeing to pay its _pro rata_
share for the use of the bridge; but the other railroads declined to
participate, and the execution of this plan was not undertaken.

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.

The acquisition of the control of the Long Island Railroad by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, which occurred in 1900, introduced new
and important elements into the transportation problem, from a freight
as well as a passenger standpoint. Previously, the plans considered had
for their only object the establishment of a convenient terminus in New
York, to avoid the delays and difficulties involved in the necessity of
transporting passengers and freight across the North River. When the
Long Island Railroad became practically a part of the Pennsylvania
System, it was possible and desirable to extend the project so as to
provide, not only for a great prospective local traffic from all parts
of Long Island, but also for through passenger and freight traffic to
the New England States, and to and from all points on the Pennsylvania
System, thus avoiding the long ferriage from Jersey City around the
harbor to the Harlem River.

This paper has for its subject the New York Tunnel Extension project,
and is intended merely as an introduction to the detailed accounts of
the construction of the various divisions of the line to be given in
work. The project, however, forms the most important part of the
comprehensive scheme adopted by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for
conducting its traffic into and through New York City, and a brief
description of this general plan is therefore necessary in order that
the relations of the tunnel line to the other parts of the
transportation project may be clearly understood.


GENERAL PLAN FOR TRAFFIC FACILITIES AT NEW YORK.

The component elements of the general plan outlined by the late A. J.
Cassatt, President, in his open letter to the Board of Rapid Transit
Railroad Commissioners of the City of New York, dated January 18th,
1906, are indicated on Fig. 1, and may be briefly summarized as follows:

_1._--The Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, generally referred
to as the New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. This
line begins near Newark, N. J., crosses the Hackensack Meadows, and
passes through Bergen Hill and under the North River, the Borough of
Manhattan, and the East River to the large terminal yard, known as
Sunnyside Yard, in Long Island City, Borough of Queens, New York. The
line will be more fully described elsewhere.

_2._--The electrification of the Long Island Railroad within the city
limits.

_3._--The Pennsylvania freight terminal yard and piers at Greenville,
N. J., connecting by ferry with the Bay Ridge terminal of the Long
Island Railroad.

_4._--The Bay Ridge Improvement of the Long Island Railroad from East
New York to Bay Ridge.

_5._--Yards for increasing the freight facilities in the Boroughs of
Brooklyn and Queens.

_6._--The Atlantic Avenue Improvement in Brooklyn, involving the removal
of the steam railroad surface tracks and the extensive improvement of
the passenger and freight station at Flatbush Avenue.

_7._--The New York Connecting Railroad, extending through a part of the
Borough of Queens and crossing the East River by a bridge at Ward's and
Randall's Islands to Port Morris, N. Y.

_8._--The Glendale Cut-Off of the Long Island Railroad.

_9._--New piers and docks in Newtown Creek at its confluence with the
East River.

_10._--Electrification of the United Railroads of New Jersey Division
from Newark to Jersey City.

The parts sustained by these elements in the work of transportation and
distribution are briefly as follows:

The New York Tunnel Extension is essentially a passenger line, although
the Company has not only the legal powers but also the facilities for
making it a through route for freight if desired. It will transport
passengers to and from the centrally located station at 33d Street and
Seventh Avenue in New York City, joining the Long Island System at
Sunnyside Yard, and, by means of the New York Connecting Railroad, it
will form a link in the through traffic line, connecting the whole
Pennsylvania System with the New England States. This line has been
designed for the safe and expeditious handling of a large volume of
traffic. The requirements include handling the heaviest through express
trains south and west from the main line as well as the frequent and
lighter local-service trains. For through service the locomotive
principle of operation has been adhered to, that is, electric
locomotives will take up the work of the steam locomotives at the
interchange yard at Harrison, N. J., and, for excursion and suburban
service to nearby towns, provision will be made for electric
locomotives, or by operation of special self-propelled motor cars in
trains, the project being planned to give the greatest flexibility in
method of operation to meet the growing demand in the best way.

The New York Connecting Railroad has important functions both for
freight and passenger service. When constructed it will be about 12
miles long, and will form a part of the line to the New England States
for through passenger and freight service, and also carry local freight
to and from Sunnyside Yard and Brooklyn, and all points on Long Island.
By means of this line it will be possible to make the Brooklyn station
at Flatbush Avenue a station on the through System for New England as
well as the Western States.

[Illustration: FIG. 1. (Full page image)

MAP OF THE PENNSYLVANIA R. R. CO'S NEW YORK TUNNEL EXTENSION AND
CONNECTIONS.]

The initial equipment of the Western Division of the Long Island
Railroad for electric traction has been made in advance of the opening
of the tunnel line in order to take care of the requirements of the
Atlantic Avenue improvement. This improvement involved the elimination
of grade crossings within the City of Brooklyn and the conversion of the
railroad line which was previously on the surface of the streets to part
subway and part elevated line from the Flatbush Avenue Terminal to East
New York Station, a distance of 5-1/4 miles. One of the requirements of
this improvement was that the motive power should be changed to some
form of power not involving combustion. This led to the adoption of
electricity, and, in order to meet operating necessities, involved the
electrification of connecting lines beyond the improvement proper, so
that local service could be handled to the end of the runs without
changing the motive power. The extent of the electrification thus
required was found to be about 100 single-track miles. This extensive
electrification work was undertaken and completed in the summer of 1905,
upon the completion of the Atlantic Avenue improvement proper, and since
that time has been in successful operation. On the near approach of the
construction of the New York Terminal improvement, plans for additional
electrification on the Long Island Railroad were made, and the work is
now in progress on the extensive additions required to couple up the
tunnel extension with the various lines centering at the Long Island
City terminus.

The Bay Ridge Improvement of the Long Island Railroad comprises the
readjustment of the right of way and the establishment of new grades in
order to do away with grade crossings from the freight terminal at Bay
Ridge to a junction with the New York Connecting Railroad at East New
York, a distance of 10.4 miles. It also provides for the re-location of
the line and the elimination of grade crossings on the branch running to
Manhattan Beach, a distance of 3.7 miles. The work is being executed
without interrupting traffic, and in all about 75 grade crossings will
be abolished. This improvement became necessary in order to provide for
the rapid extension of population into the suburban districts and for
the present and future requirements of the section, to establish
municipal conveniences and facilities, and to open additional streets
across the right of way. To accomplish these ends, the line has been
built in cuts and on embankments, there being about 6.4 miles of the
former, 3.3 miles of the latter, and a tunnel, 3,500 ft. long, where the
line crosses the Atlantic Avenue improvement.

The Atlantic Avenue improvement, as mentioned above, involved the
removal of the railroad tracks from the street surface for a distance of
about 5-1/4 miles. This was done by constructing a series of elevated
and subway structures, there being about 2.1 miles of the former, 2.4
miles of the latter, and 0.8 mile of approaches, eliminating more than
90 grade crossings. In the light of recent developments, it may be of
interest to note that one of the reasons for establishing a combination
elevated and subway line was that, at the time the improvement was
projected, no underground railroad in the country, of similar length and
carrying a heavy volume of local traffic, was operated by electricity,
and public sentiment was against the operation of the entire length of
the line underground by steam power. This improvement also provided for
depressing the entire Flatbush Avenue station and a freight yard. As the
work progressed, the original plans for the station were greatly
enlarged, the remodeled station covering about 61 city lots.

The main point of passenger distribution is the New York station. Other
important stations will be Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn; Jamaica, Long
Island, where the changes to and from electric motive power will be
made; and Newark, N. J. Many other places, including the seaside resorts
on Long Island and in New Jersey, will feel the benefits of the direct
tunnel railroad into and through New York City. The Glendale Cut-Off
will materially shorten the route and running time from New York through
the tunnels to Rockaway Beach.

The plans contemplate that passengers to and from the lower part of
Manhattan will be carried by the steam line between Newark and Jersey
City and cross the North River by ferry or the Cortlandt Street tunnels
of the Hudson Company. Eventually, the old main line will be electrified
and supersede the steam service between Newark and Jersey City.

The Greenville Yard is the most important point for the receipt,
transmission, and distribution of freight. From this point freight can
be transported, without breaking bulk, by a comparatively short
car-ferry to the Long Island Railroad terminus at Bay Ridge, and thus a
very large part of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's floatage in New
York Harbor and the East River will be abolished, the floatage distance
being reduced in the case of the New England freight from about 12 to 3
miles. This traffic will be routed from Bay Ridge _via_ the Long Island
Railroad to a connection with and thence over the New York Connecting
Railroad to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad at Port
Morris, N. Y.

As the facilities for the handling of freight in the Boroughs of
Brooklyn and Queens had become insufficient for taking care of the
prospective traffic, eleven new local delivery yards, having a combined
area of about 2,153 city lots, have been established, and three existing
yards are to be improved and enlarged so as to give a combined area of
about 687 city lots. Of these new yards, the Bay Ridge freight terminal,
containing about 790 city lots, is the largest; its functions have been
described above. There is a freight terminal at East New York 200 ft.
wide and a mile long, containing about 566 city lots, which will be the
distributing point of freight for the entire East New York section. This
yard is depressed, and will be crossed by six viaducts carrying city
streets. The North Shore freight yard, containing 109 city lots, is
connected with the Montauk Division by an overhead construction, known
as the Montauk Freight Cut-Off, whereby all freight traffic to Jamaica
may be kept out of the way of the Jamaica passenger traffic from the
tunnels.

It may be of interest to indicate briefly how much has already been
accomplished in the execution of this general plan, and what still
remains to be done for its completion.

The larger part of the electrification of the Long Island Railroad and
the elimination of grade crossings within the built-up city limits, the
Atlantic Avenue improvement, and the yard and piers at Greenville, have
been completed. The Sunnyside Yard and the Glendale Cut-Off will be
completed during the next twelve months. On the Tunnel and Terminal
Railroad the embankment and bridge work across the Hackensack Meadows
and all the tunnels and excavation from the west side of Bergen Hill to
Long Island City, except a short section near the eastern end of the
line, have been completed. The New York station and other buildings and
facilities connected therewith are well advanced. The laying of the
track, the electrification of the line, and the installation of the
signaling and lighting systems are under way. It is anticipated that the
line will be ready for operation in the spring of 1910.

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.


ESTIMATED COST OF THE IMPROVEMENTS.

As appears from the foregoing statement, only parts of the improvements
contemplated in the general scheme have been completed, others are in
progress, and others have not yet been commenced. It is therefore
impossible at the present time to make a close estimate of the total
expenditure involved in the execution of the entire scheme. The
following estimate of the cost of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's
improvements in the New York District when fully completed is based on
the best information now available:

New York Tunnel Extension and Station, including
Interchange Yards at Harrison,
N. J., and Sunnyside, L. I., P. T. & T.
R. R. Co.                                             $100,000,000

Long Island Railroad electrification, Bay
Ridge and Atlantic Avenue improvements,
Glendale Cut-Off, freight yards,
and new equipment                                       35,000,000

New York Connecting Railroad, to be built
jointly by the Pennsylvania R. R. Co.
and the New York, New Haven and
Hartford R. R. Co., about                               14,000,000

Pennsylvania Railroad improvements in the
State of New Jersey, electrification of
line from Jersey City to Park Place,
Newark, Greenville freight line and terminal
on New York Bay                                         10,000,000
                                                      ------------
    Total                                             $159,000,000


CORPORATE ORGANIZATION AND FRANCHISE CONDITIONS.

As the tunnel extension lies partly in the State of New Jersey and
partly in the State of New York, it was necessary to charter two
companies, each covering the territory within the State to which it
belonged. The New Jersey corporation was entitled the Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and New York Railroad Company, and the New York corporation, the
Pennsylvania, New York and Long Island Railroad Company. These
organizations were completed early in 1902. Subsequently, after the
tunnels had been joined under the North River, the companies were
consolidated, on June 26th, 1907, and thereby formed the present company
under the name of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad Company,
a corporation of both States.

Mr. Cassatt, President of the Pennsylvania, New York and Long Island
Railroad Company, made application in its behalf for a franchise to
extend the lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad by tunnels under the North
River to a passenger station to be erected in New York City and thence
under the East River to a connection with the Long Island Railroad, on
May 5th, 1902.

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.

The essential features of the franchise have been summarized
substantially as follows in the report of the Committee of the Board of
Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners of the City of New York, dated June
14th, 1902:

_First._--A grant by the city in perpetuity of rights, subject, however,
to a periodic readjustment of payments at intervals of twenty-five
years, as follows:

     (_a_) To construct and operate a railroad of two tracks from the
     boundary between New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River
     opposite the westerly foot of Thirty-first Street, Borough of
     Manhattan, thence running under the Hudson River and Thirty-first
     Street to the East River and under the East River to a terminus in
     Queens Borough. The Company is permitted on notice within ten years
     to give up the right to these two tracks.

     (_b_) A like right for a railroad of two tracks beginning near the
     same point under the Hudson River, thence running under
     Thirty-second Street to the East River, and under that river to the
     terminus in Queens Borough, with a right for two additional tracks
     in Thirty-second Street, west of Ninth Avenue, and one additional
     track between Seventh and Fifth Avenues in Manhattan.

     (_c_) A like right for a railroad of two tracks beginning at the
     station terminal site at Thirty-third Street and Seventh Avenue and
     thence running under Thirty-third Street and the East River to the
     terminal in Queens Borough, with a right for one additional track
     on Thirty-third Street, between Seventh and Fifth Avenues.

     (_d_) A right to maintain a terminal station occupying the four
     blocks bounded by Thirty-first Street, Seventh Avenue, Thirty-third
     Street and Ninth Avenue, the lots on the east side of Seventh
     Avenue between Thirty-first and Thirty-third Streets, and the
     underground portions of Thirty-first and Thirty-third Streets,
     between Seventh and Eighth Avenues and between Eighth and Ninth
     Avenues, the Company having itself acquired the land included in
     such four blocks and lots on the east side of Seventh Avenue.

     (_e_) To occupy for such terminal facilities all of Thirty-second
     Street lying between the westerly side of Seventh Avenue and the
     easterly side of Eighth Avenue, and between the westerly side of
     Eighth Avenue and the easterly side of Ninth Avenue. As soon as the
     statutory right of the city authorities to make the conveyance
     shall be put beyond doubt the Railroad Company is obliged to buy
     such two portions of Thirty-second Street, which will then become
     completely dedicated to the purposes of their station. (These
     portions of Thirty-second Street were subsequently purchased by the
     Railroad Company.)

     (_f_) To have along such routes the necessary facilities for the
     operation of passenger and freight trains, including telegraph
     wires and the various wires and cables for the distribution of
     power, heat, and light.

_Second._--The requirement of the consent of the Mayor, the Board of
Aldermen, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, and the other
authorities of the city having control of the streets.

_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. 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. A rental for ground within
pier lines and for underground portions of streets in Queens Borough at
one-half the rates payable for Manhattan Borough. A rental for
underground portions of Thirty-first and Thirty-third Streets, between
Seventh and Eighth Avenues, and between Eighth and Ninth Avenues (such
portions extending almost up to the surface, except under the south
sidewalk of Thirty-first Street and north sidewalk of Thirty-third
Street) at $14,000 per annum for the first ten years, and at $28,000 per
annum for the next fifteen years.

For the portions of Thirty-second Street, between Seventh and Eighth
Avenues, and between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, when the statutory power
of the city to make a sale shall be put beyond doubt, the city is to
sell and the Railroad Company is required to buy such portions for the
sum of $788,600. The rentals for river and track rights begin at the
date of operation. For the underground spaces under Thirty-first and
Thirty-third Streets, used for station extension, the rentals begin at
the commencement of construction, or when the company entered thereon.

Such annual payments may be summarized as follows:

+===============================================+=========================+
|                                               |  First 10  |  Next 15   |
|                                               |   years.   |   years.   |
|-----------------------------------------------+------------+------------+
|For river rights                               |    $200.00 |    $200.00 |
|For tunnel rights in Manhattan Borough, being  |            |            |
| 44,341 ft. (partly estimated) of single track |  22,170.00 |  44,341.00 |
|For tunnel rights in Queens Borough, being     |            |            |
| 8,100 ft. (partly estimated) of single track  |   2,025.00 |   4,050.00 |
|For street rights on Thirty-first and          |            |            |
| Thirty-third Streets, north and south of      |            |            |
| terminal                                      |  14,000.00 |  28,000.00 |
+-----------------------------------------------+------------+------------+
|     In all, per annum                         | $38,395.00 | $76,591.00 |
+===============================================+============+============+

If the route under Thirty-first Street be availed of, these amounts will
be increased by $16,652.50 for the first ten years, and by $33,305 for
the next fifteen years.

The amounts to be paid are to be readjusted at the end of twenty-five
years; and thereafter at intervals of twenty-five years. If the city and
the Railroad Company shall not agree upon the readjusted rates, they are
to be determined by the Supreme Court of this State.

_Fifth._--The railroad to be entirely in tunnel except where it
approaches the surface at its eastern terminal near Thomson Avenue, in
Queens Borough. The uppermost part of the tunnel is to be at least
nineteen feet below the surface of the street; but this limitation does
not apply to the portions of Thirty-first and Thirty-third Streets
opposite the terminal station between Seventh and Ninth Avenues, where
the Company may occupy the underground portions of the street under the
roadway to within thirty inches of the surface, and under the sidewalks
on Thirty-first and Thirty-third Streets opposite to the station to
within five feet of the surface, the company to properly care for
sewers, water, gas and other pipes and underground structures lawfully
in the street.

_Sixth._--The company to make good all damage done to property of the
city by its construction work or operations, and to abutting owners all
damage done through any fault or negligence of the company, or of any
contractor or sub-contractor engaged upon its work of construction or
operation. The Tunnel Company to keep Thirty-first and Thirty-third
Streets opposite the station well paved with smooth pavement and in
thoroughly good condition.

_Seventh._--Tunnel excavations to be done without disturbing the surface
of the street, except in the portions of Thirty-first and Thirty-third
Streets, and Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Avenues in front of the terminal
station, and except in Queens Borough, with the power to the Rapid
Transit Board, wherever conditions elsewhere make surface excavation
necessary for efficient construction, to grant the right for such
excavation, subject to conditions to be then prescribed by the Board.
The tracks are to be constructed of the most approved plan so as to
avoid noise or tremor. All plans for, and the method of doing, the work
are made subject to the approval of the Rapid Transit Board.

_Eighth._--The motive power to be electricity, or such other power not
involving combustion as may be approved by the Board.

_Ninth._--The company to have no power to carry on merely local traffic,
except with the approval of the Board and for additional consideration
to be paid the city. Traffic is defined as local which begins and ends
in the city within five miles of the terminal station on Seventh and
Ninth Avenues.

_Tenth._--The railroad to be diligently and skillfully operated, with
due regard to the convenience of the traveling public.

_Eleventh._--The city to have a lien upon the franchise and real
property of the company to secure the payment of rental.

_Twelfth._--The rights of the city to be enforceable by action, for
specific performance, or mandamus, or otherwise.

_Thirteenth._--The company not to oppose the construction of any rapid
transit railroad along or across the same routes which do not actually
interfere with the authorized structures of the company.

_Fourteenth._--The city to have an ample right of inspection of the
railroad, and to enter upon it for examination, supervision, or care of
city property, or for other purposes.

_Fifteenth._--The company to be bound to maintain and strengthen all
parts of its railways under streets or avenues so that the same shall
support safely any structures superimposed or which may hereafter be
superimposed thereon by the city or under public authority.

_Sixteenth._--The company to have the right to convey or mortgage the
franchise, but every grantee, whether directly or under a mortgage, to
assume the obligations already assumed by the Railroad Company and the
Railroad Company not to be relieved of such obligations by the grant.

This franchise was passed by the Board of Aldermen on December 16th and
approved by the Mayor on December 23d, 1902.

Subsequently, an agreement, dated June 21st, 1907, was entered into by
the City of New York, the Tunnel Company, and the Long Island Railroad
Company covering the construction of the Sunnyside Yard, which forms the
eastern terminus of the line.

In pursuance of this agreement, the map or plan of the City of New York
was changed by discontinuing or closing portions of fifty streets or
avenues, and by changing the grades of sixteen streets or avenues, in
the Borough of Queens, and the portions of streets and avenues thus
discontinued and closed, most of which were not opened for public use,
were sold to the Railroad Companies. The agreement, however, reserved to
the City permanent and perpetual underground rights and easements to
maintain in a reasonable manner, not inconsistent with the construction
and operation of the railroad facilities of the Companies, its existing
sewers, drains, and other sub-surface structures in, under, and through
the lands within the lines of the discontinued portions of each of such
streets and avenues, including the right to repair, rebuild, and enlarge
the same, and to construct in a reasonable manner, not inconsistent with
the construction and operation of the railroad facilities of the
Companies, such additional sewers or drains in, under, or through the
lands as may be hereafter required by the City, together with the right
to enter upon the premises from time to time as may be necessary for the
purpose of inspecting, repairing, constructing, or rebuilding the
sub-surface structures.

The agreement required the Companies to construct at their expense, four
viaducts or bridges over their tracks and terminal development, three
with roadways 42 ft. wide, one with a roadway 60 ft. wide, and each to
have two sidewalks 10 ft. wide, the work to include the paving of the
roadways and sidewalks.

The Companies are further required to pay one-half the cost of the
construction of the foundations, abutments, piers, superstructures, and
approach of an additional viaduct or bridge over the Sunnyside Yard, to
have a roadway not more than 60 ft. wide and two sidewalks each 10 ft.
wide, and to grant the City of New York a perpetual easement for the
continuance of the same in the location upon which it shall be
constructed.

The agreement further provides that the Companies shall not injure the
sewers or other substructures now existing or hereafter constructed
under the streets and avenues, and, in case of injury, that they shall
repair them or pay the cost thereof; that the viaducts shall be
completed within the shortest time consistent with their safe and proper
construction, and that during their construction temporary streets shall
be provided for the accommodation of traffic.

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; to indemnify the City against all liability for any and all
damages which may accrue on account of any street which may be closed or
the grades of which may be changed in pursuance of the agreement; to
assume all liabilities by reason of the construction or operation of the
railroads, or the construction of the viaducts, and to save the city
harmless from any liability whatever, to either persons or property, by
reason of the construction or operation of the railroads or the
construction of the viaducts.

The Companies are also required to indemnify the City against and pay
the cost of all alterations which may be required to the sewerage or
drainage system or to any sub-surface structures and pipes laid in the
streets or avenues on account of the construction and operation of the
terminal, passenger yard, or freight yard of the Companies, or on
account of the changes in grades or street system.

The Companies are authorized, if they deem it necessary to the
construction or to the efficient operation of the terminal passenger
yard or freight yard, to depress, at their expense, any pipes or other
sub-surface structures now under the surface of any of the portions of
the streets or avenues discontinued or closed, or to elevate and carry
the same upon any of the viaducts or bridges, the plans of such
depression or elevation to be approved by the Board of Estimate and
Apportionment.

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.

The Companies are required to cede to the City of New York perpetual
easements for the right to continue and maintain the viaducts or bridges
over the streets and avenues, sufficient for their control by the City
for the purpose of police regulation and other control contemplated by
the City ordinances for the case of streets or highways; reserving,
however, the right to construct and maintain, at their own expense, such
connections between the viaducts or bridges and their property as shall
not interfere with the use of the viaducts or bridges for street
purposes.

The Companies are also required to cede to the City, grade and curb,
portions of five existing or proposed streets or avenues, and to pave
portions of two other avenues.

Mr. A. J. Cassatt, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was
President of the Companies constituting the New York Tunnel Extension
until his death on December 28th, 1906, and Mr. James McCrea, President
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, was elected his successor, and is
now President of the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad Company.

Mr. Samuel Rea, Second Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, has served as Vice-President since the incorporation of the
enterprise.

Mr. A. J. County has been Assistant to the President since June 26th,
1907, and prior thereto and from the incorporation of the tunnel
enterprise served as Secretary of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New
York Railroad Company and as Assistant Secretary of the Pennsylvania,
New York and Long Island Railroad Company, which, as heretofore stated,
constitute the Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad Company.


ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION.

Mr. Rea, Vice-President, has general charge of all matters involved in
the designing and execution of the project.

_The Board of Engineers._--Before the beginning of the work, the
Management appointed a Board of Engineers which was instructed to
examine into the New York Tunnel Extension project; to pass upon the
practicability of the undertaking; to determine upon the best plans for
carrying it out; to make a careful estimate of its cost; and, if the
work was undertaken, to exercise general supervision over its
construction.

President Cassatt's letter appointing the Board contains the following
further instructions:

"You are requested to procure all additional information that may be
needed, sparing neither time nor any necessary expense in doing so, for
I am sure it is not necessary for me to say that, in view of the
magnitude and great cost of the proposed construction, and of the novel
engineering questions involved, your studies should be thorough and
exhaustive, and should be based upon absolute knowledge of the
conditions."

The Board was organized on January 11th, 1902, when it held its first
session, and continued in the performance of its duties until April
30th, 1909, when it was dissolved, its work having been completed.

The Board held regular and special sessions to receive progress reports
from the Chief Engineers in direct charge of construction, and to
consider questions relating to the plans and details of the work
submitted by its members or referred to it by the Management. It then
reported its conclusions to the Vice-President for approval before the
work was undertaken.

The Management earnestly impressed upon the Board throughout the whole
period of its labors, that the Tunnel Extension and facilities were to
be designed and constructed without regarding cost as a governing
factor, the main considerations being safety, durability, and proper
accommodation of the traffic. No expenditure tending to insure these
conditions was to be avoided.

The Board, when organized, was composed as follows: Col. Charles W.
Raymond, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, Chairman; Messrs. Gustav
Lindenthal, Charles M. Jacobs, Alfred Noble, and William H. Brown.

Mr. George Gibbs was appointed a member of the Board on April 9th, 1902.
Mr. Lindenthal resigned on December 15th, 1903, and Mr. Brown resigned
on March 1st, 1906. Mr. Rea and all the members of the Board are members
of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and Mr. Noble is a
Past-President of the Society.

Mr. William R. Mead, of the firm of McKim, Mead, and White, Architects
for the Terminal Station, was associated with the Board for the
consideration of architectural subjects.

Mr. Robert H. Groff, Secretary of the Company, was also Secretary of the
Board until his resignation on January 31st, 1907. Mr. William Couper
was Acting-Secretary from April 15th, 1907, to April 30th, 1909.

S. Johannesson, Assoc. M. Am. Soc. C. E., was Engineer Assistant to the
Chairman from December 1st, 1905, to April 30th, 1909.

_Division of the Work._--For the purposes of actual construction, the
line was divided into four parts: the Meadows Division, the North 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.

Architects were employed to design the Terminal Station building and
superintend its erection; and structural engineers to design and erect
steel structures and facilities, and carry on the work under the
direction of a Chief Engineer of the Company.

Committees, consisting principally of officers of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, co-operating with the regular engineering
organization, were appointed to consider the operating features of the
project, so that the experience of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's
organization might be utilized in the work.

[Illustration: PLATE I.--Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad. Map
and Profile. Bergen Hill Tunnel, New Jersey to Long Island Shaft,
Borough of Queens]


DESCRIPTION OF THE LINE.

The following summary description of the various divisions of the line
is intended to give a comprehensive idea of the general features of the
project. Full details will be given in succeeding papers. The line and
its respective divisions are shown on Plate I.

_Meadows Division._--Chief Engineer until March 1st, 1906, Mr. William
H. Brown, Chief Engineer, Pennsylvania Railroad Company, when he retired
from active service with the latter Company; since March 1st, 1906, Mr.
Alexander C. Shand, Chief Engineer, Pennsylvania Railroad Company.

This Division consists of an "interchange yard" at Harrison, near
Newark, N. J., adjoining the tracks of the present New York Division of
the Pennsylvania Railroad, and a double-track railroad across the
Hackensack Meadows to the west side of Bergen Hill, a distance of 6.04
miles. The construction is embankment and bridge work, including bridges
across the Pennsylvania, Erie, and Lackawanna Railroads, and the
Hackensack River.

_North River Division._--Chief Engineer, Mr. Charles M. Jacobs.

This Division commences at the west side of Bergen Hill and passes
through the hill in two single-track rock tunnels to a large permanent
shaft at Weehawken, near the west shore of the North River, and thence
eastward a distance of 224 ft. to the Weehawken shield-chamber. It then
passes under the river through two cast-iron, concrete-lined,
single-track tunnels, with outside diameters of 23 ft., to a point under
32d Street, near Eleventh Avenue, in New York City, and thence through
two single-track tunnels of varying cross-section, partly constructed in
cut-and-cover, to the east side of Tenth Avenue. It then passes into the
Station Yard and terminates at the east building line of Ninth Avenue.
The work included the Station Yard excavation and walls from Tenth
Avenue to Ninth Avenue, and the retaining walls and temporary
underpinning of Ninth Avenue. The aggregate length of the line in this
Division is 2.76 miles.

_New York Station and Approaches._--Mr. George Gibbs, Chief Engineer of
Electric Traction and Station Construction.

The Station and its approaches extend from the east line of Tenth Avenue
eastward to points in 32d Street and 33d Street, respectively, 292 ft.
and 502 ft. east of the west line of Seventh Avenue. 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. Messrs. McKim, Mead, and
White were the architects for the Station and Messrs. Westinghouse,
Church, Kerr and Company executed the structural engineering work, both
in the station and for the support of the streets, as well as the
construction of the subways.

The station is of steel skeleton construction with masonry curtain
walls, all supported by a system of columns extending to a rock
foundation. This building covers two city blocks and one intersecting
street, and has an area of about 8 acres. It is 774 ft. long, 433 ft.
wide, with an average height above the street of 69 ft., and a maximum
of 153 ft. The main waiting-room is 277 ft. long, 103 ft. wide and 150
ft. high. The Concourse is 340 ft. long and 210 ft. wide.

The level of the track system below the street surface varies from 39 to
58 ft., and is from 7 to 10 ft. below mean high water in the harbor,
thereby necessitating the establishment of an elaborate system of
drainage over the entire station yard area. Access to the street is
gained by elevators and stairways.

To accelerate the loading and unloading of the trains, high platforms
will be constructed in the station on a level with the floors of the
cars, in order to avoid the use of car steps and increase the traffic
capacity of the station.

There will be 21 standing-tracks at the station, and 11 passenger
platforms, providing 21,500 ft. of platform adjacent to passenger
trains. Within the station area, which from Tenth Avenue to the normal
tunnel sections east of Seventh Avenue comprises 28 acres, there will be
a total of about 16 miles of track.

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.

The Power-House to supply the electrical energy for the operation of the
tunnel line and the Long Island Railroad is situated on property in
Queens Borough adjoining the present Long Island Railroad Station near
the East River, and was constructed under the Chief Engineer of Electric
Traction and Station Construction. As at present designed, the
dimensions of the structure are 200 ft. by 262 ft., outside measurement.
It can accommodate six generating units of 5,500 kw., the standard
adopted for future work, and two of 2,500 kw. for lighting the tunnels.
The ultimate capacity of this station when extended will be about
105,000 kw.

_East River Division._--Chief Engineer, Mr. Alfred Noble.

This Division begins at the eastern limits of the New York Station at a
point in 32d Street, 292 ft. east of the west line of Seventh Avenue,
and at a point in 33d Street, 502 ft. east of the west line of Seventh
Avenue, and also includes the excavation work and retaining walls for
the station site and yard, to the track level, westward to Ninth Avenue.
It extends eastward from the station under 32d and 33d Streets through
tunnels partly three-track and partly so-called twin tunnels to Second
Avenue; thence the line curves to the left under private property to
permanent shafts a few feet east of First Avenue. Four single-track,
cast-iron, concrete-lined tunnels, with outside diameters of 23 ft.,
pass under the East River, and, after passing through permanent shafts
near the bulkhead line, reach the surface in Long Island City from 3,000
to 4,200 ft. east of the East River. The tunnel portals are in
Sunnyside Yard, which extends to Woodside, the easterly end of the
Division, and the Yard grading with its buildings and a number of City
viaducts crossing it were executed under this Division. The total length
of the Division is 4.48 miles.

The total length of the entire line is 13.66 miles. There are 6.78 miles
of single-track tube tunnels, and the average length of the tunnels
between portals is 5.56 miles.

[Illustration: PLATE II.--Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad. Map
and Profile. Harrison Yard to Bergen Hill Tunnel. Meadow Division July
30 1909]


GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.

Details have been omitted from the foregoing description, as they can be
treated better and more fully by the constructing engineers in
succeeding papers. There are, however, some general considerations
involved in the designing of the work, which may, perhaps, be referred
to more conveniently in this introductory paper, and these will now
receive attention.

In all parts of the work problems were encountered requiring for their
solution large expenditures and much engineering skill; but many of
these difficulties had been frequently met in previous engineering
experience, and the methods of overcoming them were well understood.
Thus, in the Meadows Division, a long and heavy embankment, part of
which was on submerged meadow land, and many bridge foundations had to
be constructed; in the Bergen Hill tunnels, very tough trap rock was
encountered; in the tunnels under the city, the work was much
complicated and its cost increased greatly by the necessity of caring
for sewers, water and gas pipes, and the foundations of adjacent
buildings; and many troublesome problems were met in the construction of
the tunnels connecting the East River tunnels with the Sunnyside Yard.

The novel features of the project, however, were the great tunnels
extending the line under the North and East Rivers. Tunnels of the kind
contemplated, to be used for heavy and rapid railroad traffic, had never
been constructed through materials similar to those forming the beds of
the North and East Rivers. Questions arising in connection with the
design and method of construction of the tunnels will be considered
later. Here they are referred to only in their relation to the location
and grades of the line, in which connection the conditions controlling
their establishment were the most important elements.

_Location and Grades._--It was desirable to make the tunnels between
the bulkhead lines of the rivers as straight as possible, and it was
necessary to place them at sufficient depth below the dredging plane of
the War Department (which in the North and East Rivers is 40 and 26 ft.
below mean low water, respectively) to insure them against possible
injury from heavy anchors or sunken vessels. Furthermore, they had to
pass under the piers and bulkheads of Manhattan at a depth sufficient to
make it certain that they would not affect the stability of those
structures. Another consideration influencing the establishment of the
depth of the tunnels below the bottoms of the rivers became important as
soon as the method of construction by shields with compressed air was
adopted, namely, the necessity of providing sufficient cover to guard,
as far as possible, against blow-outs during construction.

The tunnels under the city, connecting the sub-river tunnels with the
Terminal Station, were located so as to give as favorable grades as
possible. The provision of the franchise requiring the tops of the
tunnels to be at least 19 ft. below the Street surface, which had been
suggested by the Company to permit of future subways, had no effect on
their location, as other conditions required them to be at a greater
depth.

The line extending westward from Bergen Hill had to be established so as
to give ample head-room at the numerous bridges over the railroads and
highways which it crosses.

Eastward from the East River tunnels, the grades were established so as
to rise as uniformly as possible to the level of the Sunnyside Yard.

The general features of the line, as finally adopted and constructed,
are as follows:

The maximum grade west of the Terminal Station occurs on the New York
side of the North River, and is 2% in the west-bound and 1.93% in the
east-bound tunnels. The ruling grades (for the ascending traffic) being
1.32% in the west-bound and 1.93% in the east-bound tunnels. In the
tunnels east of the Terminal Station the ruling grade is 1.5% for both
east-bound and west-bound traffic. There is, however, descending with
the traffic, a short section on a grade of 1.9 per cent. These grades
would be objectionable with steam locomotives under a heavy traffic, but
the development of the electric locomotive has rendered possible the
operation of grades which would have formerly been considered
prohibitive.

From the junction with the Pennsylvania Railroad, near Harrison, N. J.,
to Woodside, Long Island, a distance of 13.66 miles, there is an average
of 1.5 curves per mile; the line having a total curvature of 230
degrees. The maximum curvature is 2 degrees.

[Illustration: PLATE III.--P. T. & T. R. R. East River Division.
Sunnyside Yard]

_Method of Construction of Sub-River Tunnels._--The character of the
material through which the tunnels were to be constructed differed
greatly in the two rivers. The bed of the North River, at the level of
the tunnels, consists of silt composed principally of clay, sand, and
water, while that of the East River is formed of a great variety of
materials, such as quicksand, sand, boulders, gravel, clay, and
bed-rock. When the method of construction had to be decided there were
no thoroughly satisfactory precedents to follow in the case of either
river, although the Gas Tunnel under the East River, the partly
constructed Hudson Tunnels under the North River, the St. Clair Tunnel
under the St. Clair River, the Blackwall and several other tunnels under
the Thames River at London, supplied much useful information. The
smaller tunnels for a lighter traffic, since so successfully constructed
under the North and East Rivers, had not then been completed. Under
these circumstances, it was the desire of the Management that the Board
should receive and consider proposed methods of construction from all
available sources; and during the first year of its labors much of its
time was devoted to the examination and discussion of projects submitted
for its consideration by engineers and practical builders, some of these
projects having decided merit. Most of the methods proposed involved
temporary structures, or the use of floating plant, in the navigable
channels of the river. This was objectionable in view of the resulting
obstruction to the enormous river traffic. After full consideration of
the subject, it was decided to adopt the shield method with compressed
air for the construction of the tunnels under both rivers, this being
the only method recommended by the Chief Engineers, and having the great
advantage of conducting all operations below the bottom of the river,
thus avoiding obstruction of the channel.

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. During
the progress of construction under the East River, there were frequent
blow-outs through fissures opened in the river-bed, and the bottom of
the river over the tunnel had to be blanketed continuously with clay, to
check the flow of the escaping air.

In view of the serious difficulties which it was thought might be
encountered in the application of the shield method to the East River
work, other methods for the execution of this part of the project
received special consideration, one of the methods considered being the
freezing process. It was proposed to drive a small pilot tunnel and
freeze the ground for a sufficient distance around it by circulating
brine through a system of pipes established in the tunnel. The pilot
tunnel was then to be removed and the full-sized tunnel was to be
excavated in the frozen material and its lining placed in position. By
this means, it was intended to avoid the danger incident to the use of
compressed air in material of greatly varying character. This method
contained too many elements of uncertainty to justify its adoption; but
as the Management considered it desirable to have, if possible, an
alternative method, an extended experiment was made with the freezing
process. A pilot tunnel, 7 ft. 6 in. in diameter, was driven in the bed
of the East River for a distance of 160 ft., circulating pipes were
established in it, and brine at a very low temperature was passed
through the pipes until the ground was frozen for a distance of about
11.5 ft. around the tunnel. Observations to determine the rate of
cooling and other important points connected with the process were
carefully made. When it was found that the construction of the tunnels
was progressing satisfactorily by the shield method, and that so much
time was required to freeze the material that the freezing process could
not be used to advantage in this particular case, the experiment was
discontinued.

_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. 8 in. These benches contain ducts
for carrying electric cables. The main reason for adopting single-track
tunnels instead of a larger tunnel containing two tracks was to avoid
the danger of accidents due to the obstruction of both tracks by
derailment or otherwise. The tunnels are made just large enough to allow
the passage of a train with perfect safety, as it was believed that with
such an arrangement thorough ventilation would be secured by the motion
of the trains. Experience seems to justify this assumption, but, in
order to assure thorough ventilation under unusual conditions, such as
the stoppage of trains in the tunnels, a complete ventilating plant will
be provided for each tunnel. The rapidity and safety of construction
were increased by making the tunnel as small as possible, one of the
difficulties in the shield method of construction being the difference
in hydrostatic pressure between the top and bottom of the shield, which
increases with the diameter of the tunnel.

The concrete lining was introduced to insure the permanency of the
structure, strengthen it from outward pressure and guard it against
injury from accidents which might occur in the tunnel. The side concrete
benches were suggested by Mr. Cassatt, President, to confine the trains
to the center of the tunnels in case of derailment, and to furnish
sidewalks on each side of the trains so as to obviate the necessity of
walking on the track.

Refuge niches are constructed in the side benches of the tunnels.
Manholes, splicing chambers, pump chambers, and other features for the
handling of the electric cables and drainage, are established at
intervals.

At points where unusual stresses were anticipated, as for instance where
the tunnels pass from rock to soft ground, the shell was composed of
steel instead of cast-iron plates. In the North River tunnels the
concrete lining in the invert and in the arch was reinforced by
longitudinal steel bars, but these were not introduced in the East River
tunnels.

Other details connected with the structures, including the drainage,
lighting, ventilation, signaling, and electrification systems, will be
given in succeeding papers.

_Stability of the Sub-River Tunnels._--One of the most important
questions connected with the design of these tunnels was their probable
stability under the long-continued action of a heavy and rapid railroad
traffic. 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
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. To meet this contingency, which
was then believed to be a very serious one, it was proposed to sink
cast-iron screw-piles through the bottom of each tunnel into and through
the underlying silt until satisfactory bearing material was reached. The
pile supports were worked out in sufficient detail to be embraced in the
contract for the construction of these tunnels, with provision, however,
for omitting them should it be determined subsequently that their use
was undesirable. The contract plans contained provisions for sliding
joints where the piles pass through the tunnel floor, so that the live
load might be carried directly to the pile heads by a system of girders,
and also for attaching the piles directly to the tunnel, the two plans
being alternatives.

Investigations, made during the progress of the work to determine the
physical character of the silt and its action on the tunnels, suggested
the possibility that the use of pile supports might be inadvisable. This
view was confirmed by actual experience in the operation of the tunnels
of the Hudson Companies between Hoboken, N. J., and Morton Street,
Manhattan, which were opened to traffic in February, 1908. The stability
of these tunnels under traffic gave further assurance that supports were
unnecessary under the North River tunnels of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, and they were therefore dispensed with.

_Cross-Passages Between the Tunnels._--The Bergen Hill tunnels, the land
portions of the North River tunnels and the tunnels under Manhattan are
connected by cross-passages at intervals varying from 50 to 300 ft. As
it was the desire of the Management to provide every arrangement
possible to insure the safety of its passengers and employees and also
to provide for the convenience of inspection, the question of
establishing cross-passages between the tunnels under the rivers was
given most careful consideration. The conclusion was finally reached
that such passages as it was possible to construct between these tunnels
might increase instead of diminish the danger in case of accident. No
more cross-passages have therefore been constructed in the sub-river
sections, except in the East River, where there is a cross-passage and
pump chamber combined between each pair of tunnels about 750 ft. from
the Manhattan bulkhead line.


PROBABLE RESULTS OF THE IMPROVEMENTS.

In preceding pages reference has been made to the general objects of the
improvements included in the project of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company for the New York District. While it is impossible, in this
introductory paper, to analyze fully the transportation problem at New
York, it seems desirable to indicate briefly some of the more obvious
effects which the improvements may be expected to produce upon the
distribution and handling of traffic.

New York City owes its position as the business metropolis of the
country mainly to its magnificent harbor and the extensive waterfronts
on its deep, wide rivers, which furnish unrivaled facilities, at a short
distance from the sea, for foreign and domestic water-borne commerce,
its foreign commerce being about half the total for the whole country.
The water-transportation facilities of the port and its tributaries,
therefore, have always been guarded with jealous care, not only by the
local commercial interests but also by the General Government.

During recent years, however, the population of the metropolitan
district has increased so enormously that New York is now the greatest
terminal passenger and freight traffic center in the country; and in
manufactures it ranks first among American cities. The new commercial
interests thus created are of at least equal importance with those of
the water-borne commerce, although their existence and development are
largely the result of the water facilities of the port.

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. These boats obstruct
and endanger the free navigation of the channels and occupy space along
the waterfront greatly needed for the accommodation of the long-distance
water-borne commerce, especially on the North River.

In the East River the importance of ferry-boats as a means of traffic
distribution has already been greatly reduced by the construction of
bridges and tunnels which provide for the greater part of the passenger
and vehicular traffic. The North River, however, by reason of its
greater width and the comparative slowness of its currents, is by far
the more important waterway for the use of ocean-going vessels of the
larger classes. In this river the conditions for the construction of
bridges, within the limits of commercial convenience, seem to be
practically prohibitory. Tunnels, for the transportation of passengers
and the diversion of the freight traffic from the inner waters of the
harbor, are apparently the only available means of relief.

When the new line is in operation, a very large part of the New York
passenger traffic of the Pennsylvania Railroad will be carried to the
New York Station at Seventh Avenue and 33d Street and the rest will go
to Cortlandt Street through the Hudson Company's tunnels. Thus a large
portion of the Pennsylvania passenger ferry traffic, which amounts to
more than 91,000 passengers daily, will be practically eliminated from
the water-transportation problem. 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.

It is to be remarked that while these new arrangements greatly reduce
the passenger and freight water transportation, they have no effect on
the large vehicular traffic across the North River which must continue
to be conducted by ferries until it can be otherwise provided for. As
long as these conditions exist, ferry-boats must be used in large
numbers and continue to obstruct the North River. This difficulty
probably cannot be overcome by the construction of bridges, as in the
case of the East River, but it does not seem too much to expect that,
eventually, tunnels to provide for the vehicular traffic, like the
Blackwall tunnel under the Thames, will be established under the North
River.

It would be interesting to estimate the increase in railroad traffic
capacity resulting from these improvements, but the data required for
this purpose are not available. Some idea of the increase in passenger
traffic capacity resulting from the establishment of the tunnel line may
be obtained by comparing the proposed daily train-movements for the new
station with the train-movements at other important railroad stations.
The daily train-movements of six such stations are given in the
following table:

                                       Total trains     Movement
                                        in and out         at
                                       for 24 hours.   maximum hour.

Jersey City                               281              29
Broad Street Station, Philadelphia        538              48
Union Station, St. Louis                  462              89
South Terminal Station, Boston            861              87
Grand Central Station, New York           357              44
Pennsylvania Station, New York[B]         500              50

    FOOTNOTES:

    [Footnote B: Proposed train service when Station is opened, the
    ultimate capacity of the Station being in excess of 1,000 trains per
    day.]

The freight capacity of the Pennsylvania System at New York has been
greatly enlarged by the construction of the Greenville Yard and the
facilities connected therewith, but it is impossible to estimate the
amount of this increase. However, it is worthy of remark that, during
the period from 1900 to 1906, the freight traffic density on the
directly-operated lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company increased
from 3,268,330 to 4,742,081 ton-miles per mile of road, a growth of
nearly 50 per cent. Doubtless the improved freight facilities of the New
York District had a large influence in the development of this increase.

One of the most interesting points connected with this development of
traffic facilities is its influence on the relative distribution of
population in the different parts of the metropolitan district. In 1907
the population per acre of the different divisions of Greater New York
was reported as follows: Manhattan, 157; Brooklyn, 29; Bronx, 14;
Queens, 3; Richmond, 2. The effect of new lines connecting some of these
districts, and sections of New Jersey not far from the North River, with
the business center of the city will undoubtedly be to increase greatly
their population-density. 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. This is a necessary condition of its
existence. All that can be done to meet this condition is to provide
all possible facilities for moving the people into and out of the
business districts and within its limits.

During recent years the business population of the lower part of the
Borough of Manhattan has become greatly congested. Very high buildings,
providing business accommodations for large numbers of people, have been
constructed, and these people must move to and from their working places
at about the same times, that is, at the "rush hours" in the morning and
afternoon, at the beginning and ending of the working day. Every effort
has been made to provide for this immense and rapidly increasing local
passenger traffic, by the construction of surface, elevated, and
subterranean railways; but the demand for transportation has increased
much faster than the facilities can be provided, and it is evident that
the limit of down-town passenger traffic facilities has been very nearly
reached.

Apparently, the only remedy for these conditions is the movement of
business and the people transacting it up-town or to the Boroughs of
Brooklyn and Queens, which are now readily accessible by tunnels and
subways. This movement, of course, is resisted by the great real estate
and money interests centered in the lower part of the city, but,
notwithstanding this resistance, the improvement has commenced and has
rapidly advanced. 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
schedule fast time from Newark to the New York Cortlandt Street Station
is now 25 min. This may be reduced to about 18 min. by the use of the
Hudson Company's tunnels, and while this involves inconvenience in
changing transportation at Jersey City, yet it brings the traveler three
blocks nearer Broadway. The time from Newark to the Pennsylvania Station
will be about 17 min., and the trip will be made without change of
transportation, so that, undoubtedly, by far the greater part of the
Pennsylvania's passenger traffic desiring to reach the shopping and
hotel center of the city will go to the new up-town station.

The effect of the Tunnel Extension in increasing the volume and rapidity
of the up-town movement and the real estate values will be very great;
indeed, its influence is already apparent, although the line is not yet
opened for traffic. With the extension of the present subway down town
on the west side with direct connections to Brooklyn, and up town from
42d Street to the Bronx, with connections to permit convenient transfers
between these two straightaway subways--one on the east side and the
other on the west side of Manhattan--the Pennsylvania Station will
become a great center for receiving and distributing passenger traffic
between all the Boroughs of the City and outlying points. The new post
office to be established adjacent to the Terminal Station will also
greatly assist in accelerating the up-town movement.

In concluding this account of the New York Tunnel Extension project, the
writer desires to pay a tribute of admiration and respect to the memory
of the late A. J. Cassatt, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company, to whom the conception, design, and execution of the project
are mainly due. His education and experience as a civil engineer, his
thorough knowledge of all the details of railroad construction,
operation, and management, gained by long and varied service, the
directness, clearness, and strength of his mind, and his great executive
ability, placed him at the head of the railroad men of the country. In
the consideration of great problems, whether of transportation, finance,
commerce, or political economy, he was almost unequaled, owing to the
breadth, originality, and decisiveness of his character; yet his manner
to his subordinates was so direct and simple that he seemed unconscious
of his own superiority. Great as it is, the New York plan of improvement
is only one item in a far-reaching scheme of development which became
the policy of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company through Mr. Cassatt's
advice and influence, yet his strongest interest was doubtless centered
in the New York works. It is the sincere regret of all connected with
the design and execution of the project that he did not live to see its
completion.

    FOOTNOTES:

    [Footnote A: Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, _Retired_; Chairman,
    Board of Engineers, Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal R. R. Co.]





*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 - The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. - Paper No. 1150" ***

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