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acter of the river bottom; and secondly, because to go down deep enough for safety would necessitate gradients for a mile on either side of the river, which would mean an expenditure of millions of additional dollars not taken into consideration in the original estimates.

It was then decided to build great steel tubes, clamp them together, and sink them to the required depth till either end touched the subway break on the two shores. Experienced engineers first laughed at the proposition, and then denounced it as foolhardy. John B. McDonald, however, made up his mind that the thing could be done; and he went ahead, and did it-without the loss of a single life and without a single deviation from the plan which had originally been decided upon. The metal

tubes were enclosed in a

Passing by the bewildering figures connected with this work-the digging out of 2,000,000 cubic yards of earth, the blasting and carrying away of over 1,000,000 cubic yards of rock, the

constant employment of 20,000 men, the shifting of thousands of miles of water and gas mains-let us turn for a moment to the completed subway, and realize something of the mark that has been set for future work of this kind.

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APPROACH TO A STATION.

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DRAWING SHOWING PLAN OF SUBWAY AS COMPLETED AT 23D STREET AND 4TH AVENUE. The general relation between surface and subway accommodations at station points is here shown, though the difference in level is frequently much greater.

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An immense network of sewer, gas, and water pipes, of which a small portion is here shown, had to be diverted.

The whole interior is brilliantly lighted from one end to the other, but lighted in such a cunning way that, though the illumination makes the tunnel like day, there is no blinding glare of lamps, and no glow or splutter of any kind to distress the eyes and the

nerves.

Beautiful tiling of a quiet shade runs the whole length of the subway, except at the stations, where it bursts out into all sorts of beautiful designs, every one different from every other both in treatment and in coloring. In this way a traveler soon comes to recognize his station by its special color scheme. Conductors do not call the names of the sta

tions. If a patron forgets or does not know the color of his station, he cannot pass his destination, for, before he reaches it, an electric signal in the center of his car shines out with the name of the approaching stop, by an automatic

process controlled from the third rail. The safeguards thrown about the passenger are the most complete ever de

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CITY HALL STATION.

vised in the history of transportation. From the moment he enters the subway stations from the street, walking down steps composed of alternate strips of brass, soft lead, and rubber to prevent his slipping, till he is landed at his destina

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Escalators-otherwise moving stairways are being provided at all the most congested stations; and some of these will not only run straight up and down, but will describe a complete circle, carrying passengers both to and from uptown and downtown trains in the one circular movement.

The cars are of steel throughout, and are the most handsomely and most comfortably furnished vehicles that have ever been built for electrical transportation. By the terms of its contract with the city, the operating company must have a universal five-cent fare, but is permitted to use parlor cars, at a ten-cent rate. No more than one of these, however, may be attached to each train.

From beginning to end the whole subway is enclosed in what is nothing less than a waterproof envelope. One of the

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COURTESY OF "THE WORLD'S WORK."

SINKING SECTIONS OF THE SUBWAY TO MAKE A TUNNEL UNDER THE HARLEM RIVER.

This engineering feat was never before attempted.

tion, every known safety device is thrown. about him. Should the engineer of his train intentionally or unconsciously remove his hand from the lever of his machinery, the air brakes are at once applied and the cars come to a stop. When a train enters on a certain section of line, no other train can invade that territory within a distance of one-fourth of a mile. If by any chance it encroached on this space, it would be automatically stopped until the train ahead reached its proper distance away. An ingenious fuse device prevents any burst of electrical energy at any of the points of contact. The lighting and power cables run in their own individual conduits cut into the sides of the walls, and can never come in contact with or cross one another.

At the stations, where, during the morning and afternoon rush hours, immense crowds have already begun to congregate, heavy brass railings keep safe spaces between the passengers and the oncoming trains. People on platforms get notice by brilliant automatic signals of the destination of every approaching car some time before it comes into sight.

HOW THE SHIELDS WERE PLACED IN POSITION.

original stipulations was that under no circumstances should it become possible for water to percolate to the subway at any spot in its course-an immensely difficult undertaking in any "cut-andcover" system of construction. A contract was let, however, for the laying of 8,000,000 cubic feet of asphalt and felt to

COURTESY OF "THE WORLD'S WORK."

FINISHING WEST HALF OF TRENCH AT UNION SQUARE. SHOWING METHOD OF
WATERPROOFING BOTTOM AND SIDES.

cover entirely the top, bottom, and sides.
of the structure.

After the soil had been excavated to the required depth, a thick bed of concrete was first laid. Upon this was spread a layer of asphalt, molten hot; and on the asphalt were pressed heavy sheets of felt. These layers were continued till twelve in all were in place-six of asphalt and six of felt; and within this solid mass, again, was laid a heavy final coating of concrete. It is utterly impossible for a drop of water to reach the subway through this envelope.

While it is true that the completion of this great engineering task is a triumph for many men, all of whom are entitled to great credit, one name stands out from all the others as the genius of the work, the master mind without whom

nothing could have been accomplished. This man is John B. McDonald, from whom a bond of $6,000,000 was demanded by the city before a pick was put in the ground. Mr. McDonald had command of no financial resources; but so great was the general faith in him that he obtained the sum demanded in forty-eight hours, August Belmont heading the company that secured the amount for

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him.

Mr. McDonald was born in Ireland in 1844, the son of a day laborer, and was brought to this country when a few months old. The boy's education was compassed by two years in night school. He has been connected with some of the largest public contracts ever let in America. He never failed in one of them, and was never a day over his contract time. He finished the New York subway four months within contract time, and would have beaten it by a year and four months had it not been for labor strikes.

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THE SUBWAY POWER HOUSE.

Largest Building in the World Devoted Exclusively to the Production of Electrical Power.

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