The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York • Page 27

3 THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, NEW iOKK. SUNDAY. NOVEMbliK 27. 1910. 1NTIEE TO-BAY G0I11T; -BROOKLYN.

WITH -to: "A fro iS i 1 Ljei- villi iS ft 1L vV "A TEBHTCt 5 I i 7T I HIS mnrnlne ftt jl)1! 71 i KNNsnvjMi srrr0M- wet of mm 1 JfOOf, MOWING- GMfVO 074t4WV. quarter past Beveii the first train ran out of the Flatbush Avenue Station, destined for the Pennsylvania Terminal In Manhattan. Brooklyn was thus put In direct railroad communication with the I Ifef: fti S'V Jfclfesf 7. a 11, mm I 111 -r, fry' I HfCKSle? POfTSM Of 7 I j7l 'Hp X7 sefiG-ettfut Yl I Mi mi Railroad- system In Greater New York. This is known as the Connecting Railroad, and when It is completed it will establish an all rail service between New England and the West and South by way of New York City.

There will be a four track arch bridge across the East River at Hell Gate, over Ward's and Randall's Islands, and connecting with the New York and New Haven Railroad at Port Morris station. Brooklyn will share In thlB most important and convenient addition to the Pennsylvania Railroad system and when this missing link is supplied Brooklyn travelers will be able to reach Bridgeport, New Haven, Hart-tord, Springfield, Worcester and Boston and many other Eastern points from the rJ I Flatbush avenue station, as they will will be a great advance for Brooklyn, which has grown tip'll It has over a million Inhabitants but has never had direct railroad conrer'ion with the outside world. It will seem very peculiar, to the natives, at least, to enter a sleeping coach at Flatbush Avenue Station, retire for th3 Bight arid" waka up several hundred miles on their journey, perhaps In the midst of Bomi Western prairie. The connection of Fort Pond Bay at Montauk, L. and Milford Haven by a steamship line was not the only great project the late Austin Corbln studied over while he was the president of the Long Island Railroad.

Charles Jacobs, M. A engineer of the North River Division of the Pennsylvania project, eays In a paper read berore the American Society of Civil Engineers: "My conection with the tunneling of the North River was early In 1890, when I was consulted by the late Austin Corbln, president of the Long Island Railroad C'pjnpady and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, as to tne feasibll-Itir of connecting the Long Island Rail-read with the Philadelphia and Reading or with the Central Railroad, which was the New York connection of tho Reading, by a tunnel from the loot of Atlantic avenue, Brooklyn, under the Battery and New York City and directly across the North River to the terminal of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Surveys, borings and thorough Investigations were made, and the Metropolitan Underground Railroad Was organized to construct this railroad. Mr, Corbln, however, was aware that the Philadelphia and Reading and the Central Railroad of New Jersey were not as important factors In the transportation problem as the Pennsyl-voLla, and, In consequence, he abandoned the project of a tunnel to' the Central's terminal for a line direct to that of the Pennsylvania Company In Jersey City. "The scheme of Mr.

Corbln for a subway connection between Flatbush avenue end the Jersey City Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad, for local transit, took form in 1892, and. jointly with the Pennsylvania Interests, railroads were Incorporated to build a tunnel from under the Jersey City Station, under the Hudson River to Cortlandt street, New York City, thence under Maiden Lane, the East River and Pineapple and Fulton streets, Brooklyn, to a location at or near Flatbush and Allantlo avenues." The panic of 1893 put a wet blanket On these enterprises, but they weio revived later, and finally became permanent Improvements in the form we find them to-day. Mr. Jacobs shows Mr. Oorbln to have been a very early believer in the tunnel as a means of solving transportation problems as presented in New York City.

With the starting of the first train from the Pennsylvania Terminal this morning, the vast, building was thrown open for general use. Only that portion used by Long Island trains on the Thirty-third street side has been open since September 8, when that service through the East River tunnels was Inaugurated, and in which Brooklyn and Long Island people took an enthusiastic Interest. This railroad station Is said to cover more territory than any other building ever constructed at one time In the history of the world. There are larger buildings, but many of them represent the growth of ages and some, additions almost without number. The Pennsylvania station covers eight acres of ground and was erected In less than six years.

Interest In this structure is not confined by any means to Its gigantic character. It has been supplied with every practicable convenience and device Intended to make travel sate and comfortable. It Is also a work of art and while not losing the main object for which It was created, namely, a great railroad terminal, its creators have not neglected to make it architecturally beautiful. The great terminal station is of Roman Doric architecture, and covers the entire area bounded by Seventh and Eighth avenues, Thirty-first and Thirty-third streets. The depth of the land covered Is 799 feet, and the length ot the building is 788 feet, which has permitted broad sidewalks on both side streets and avenues.

During the past few days, while the finishing touches have been put upon the great interior and especially upon the main waiting room, little knots of people have besieged the entrances eager to got a glimpee of the glories within. Today the whole structure was thrown open to the public and In a short time will become an old story. The main waiting room of the terminal la believed to be the largest In the world. Hers are located the ticket offices, baggage checking offices and telegraph and telephone offices. These conveniences are so arranged that a traveler may pass from one to the othor without loss of time and without retracing 'any steps.

Opening from this main waiting room, on the west side of the terminal are waiting rooms each 58 by 100 feet, for mon and women. The grand stairway is of very artistic construction, and Is built of Italian Travertine stone. This stairway leads from the arcade Into the general waiting room, and Is 39 feet wide. At the head of this stairway In the Travertine wall Is the statue of Alexander Johnston Cob-sattggiformer president of the Pcnn- eylvanla Railroad, and who has well been 1 called "the dominating personality" in the Pennsylvania tunnel and station project. The Roman Travertine used In this arcade and general waiting room of this station comes from the Roman Campagna, near Tivoli, Italy.

It is the stone of which imperial, and modern Rome Is principally built, these quarries having supplied the major part of the building stone of Rome for many centuries. It was Imported Into this country for the first time by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for use In constructing this station. Travertine stone was used in the construction for the reason that while it is very durable, it has an oppenness of texture which makes it particularly serviceable in large areas like the Pennsylvania s'tatlon. Its warm, sunny yellow color Is very pleasing and gives a cheerful tone to the waiting room even In cloudy days. The main baggage room has 450 feet of frontage, and is on tho same level as the general waiting room.

This room 1b for inbound and outbound baggage carried by cabs and transfer wagons, and covers the full area covered by the arcade and restaurants on the plane above. Parallel to and connected with the main waiting room by a wide thoroughfare is the concourse, a covered assembling place over 200 feet wide, extending the eutlre width of the station and under Thirty-first and Thirty-third streets. It Is directly over the tracks on which the trains arrive and depart. The concourse Is the vestibule to the tracks; stairs descend from it to each of the train platforms. All this area Is open to the tracks, forming a courtyard 340 feet wide by 200 feet broad, roofed by a lofty dome of iron and glass.

In addition to the entrances to the concourse from the waiting rooms and from Eighth avenue there are direct approaches from the two side streets. Underlying the main concourse and located between It and the tracks Is the exit concourse. 60 feet wide, which will be used for exit purposes only. The exit concourse is1 18 feet above the train platforms, and Is connected with them by two stairways and one elevator' from each stairway. From the exit concourse ample stairways and Inclines lead directly to the two side streets, Thirty-fourth street and to Eighth avenue.

Arrangements have also been made for connec- rest of the United States for the first time In Its existence. This train ran to Woodhaven Junlctlon, where it struck the rails of the Far Rockaway branch, upon which it ran to Woodside and thence Into the East River tunnel and to the Pennsylvania Terminal at Seventh avenue, Thirty-first to Thirty-third streets, Ma-hattan. Ia 1871 when the Pennsylvania Railroad leased the United Railroads of Now Jersey the necessity for a station In New York City became very apparent. The great expense, as well aB the engineering obstacles seemed at that time to be Insurmountable. In 1884 a plan was under consideration for building the "North River Bridge" across Uie Hudson river, with a span almost twice that of the Brooklyn Bridge, but the panto of that year made the project impracticable.

In 1800 the Long Island Railroad was acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and gigantic plans for tunnels under the North and East rivers, as well as under Manhattan. Island, with a magnificent terminal fa. Manhattan were worked out. Meanwhile ah Improvement was being effected In Brooklyn which was destined to form an Important link In the extensive railroad system the Pennsylvania Railroad was developing for New York City. The removal of steam from the surface of Atlantic avenue was a question long debated In Brooklyn, but it was not until May 28, 1896, that Mayor Wurster was authorized to appoint a commission to "direct and superintend the Improvement of Atlantic avenue by the removal of steam from the surface.

The first commission was made up as follows: Eugene G. Blackford, president; Edward F. Linton, secretary; Edw. H. Hubbs, William E.

Phillips and Walter M. Meserole. A preliminary report was made to Mayor TVurster January 8, 1897, and later the old commission was reappointed with the addition of William H. Baldwin, president of the Long Island Railroad, and Charles M. Pratt, a director, added.

At a later date William F. Potter took the place of Mr. Pratt on the commission. Work began on the Atlantic avenue Improvement on Tuesday, December 31, 1901, and on March 16, 1903, the first spike whs driven for the permanent trucks' on Atlantio avenue. The work was done under a special act of the Legislature of 1S97, the expenses being borne Jointly' by the city and the Long Island Railroad until payments by the city aggregated $1,250,000, after which the railroad company paid all charges.

The entire cost of the improvement was In tne neighborhood of $6,600,000. The Atlantic avenue Improvement as regards tunnel and viaduct work was completed Nov. 4, 1905, when Bteam locomotives 1 were entirely succeeded by electric power. The work had covered a period of nearly nine years. The immediately benefits of the removal of steam from Atlantic avenue was to do away with the gates which greatly interfered with pedestrians as well as with vehicular traffic by reason of the long waits for passing trains, especially in the summer, and also the removal of the danger from accldonts which continued to occur notwithstanding the gates and the flagmen.

The. commission, at the time of the completion of this great work, was constituted as follows; C. L. Ros-slter, president; E. F.

Linton, secre-. tary; W. M. Meserole, general superln-' tcudent; C. L.

Addison, W. C. Burton, Ralph Peters and H. C. DuVal.

Still another great advantage gained by this improvement was quick transit to and from Jamaica and Intermediate points by electric trains. Only a few people dreamed of the future and saw the mighty factor this Atlantic avenue improvement would play in the new railroad system Inaugurated to-day. At the start the service between Brooklyn and the Pennsylvania Terminal in Manhattan will be a shuttle service. Trains will consume about thirty-five minutes, the entire distance being eighteen and one-half miles. When the change Is made at Woodhaven to the tracks of the Far Rockaway branch, the train will back to the terminal In Manhattan and passengers will have to ride backward for that distance or reverse their seats.

This, however, will only continue until there Is an adjustment of grades at the point named. The company owns land upon which a curve will be built and then the change from one' line to another will be made with the groatest case and from five to bIx minutes time will probably be saved by this Improvement. Just as soon as Brooklyn business will warrant it is probable the shuttle service will be discontinued and through service will be Inaugurated. This will mean that travelers can go to the Ftatbush Avenue Station and enter a car going through to Chisago, to St. Louis or Denver or in.y of trie great Western centers In the Pennsylvania system.

This reach Western centers by way of the tubes and terminal in Manhattan. The Importance of these railroad connections will be more thoroughly realized and appreciated as thev are tested until finally local travelers will doubtless find difficulty in understanding how it was possible to get on so long without them. One ot the institutions of Brooklyn which will be displaced by the all rail route which has been inaugurated this morning Is the Annex Ferry at the foot of Fulton street. This has been so long In use and so many local travelers have become accustomed to using It In getting to the Pennsylvania terminals In Jersey City and the Albany day boat that It will beglvan up with regret. Au'omobtlists have not only found the Annex convenient, but the sail around the Battery and across the North River to the Jersey shore has long been a feature of auto trips.

Many residents from New Jersey have learned to come to Brooklyn department stores to shop, while truckmen with loads for delivery in Jersey City and vicinity have found the Annex ferry extremely convenient and will see it shut down with regret. The sale of tickets will cease to-day, and the ferry will officially close December 1. The Annex was established by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1877. On August 23 of that year the first boat made its Initial trip from the foot of Fulton street, this borough, to Jersey City, and it was very largely patronized, many persons apparently considering the event one lar passenger trains using the North River tunnels. A new railroad center has been created as a result of tunnel building and the establishment of the great terminal at Seventh avenue and Thirty-first and Thirty-third streets.

This railroad center Is known officially as Manhattan Transfer and is located at Harrison, N. about six miles west of the mouth of the tunnel in Bergen Hill. Starting from the Pennsylvania Terminal, trains will enter the Hudson River tubes at Tenth avenue and will consume from four to five minutes going under the river and through Bergen Hill. Coming out to daylight on the Hackensack Meadows, It is a six-mile run to what has become known as the Manhnttan Transfer. At this point through passenger trains from Southern and Western points will change from steam to power for the purpose of going through the- tunnel, and those whose destination Is in the downtown districts of Manhattan may cross the transfer platform to an electric train which will run into the Church and Cortlandt street station ot tho Hudson and Manhattan Railroad, In Manhattan.

This Charles M. Jacobs, Member American Society Civil Engineers, In charge ol the North River Division, has. told In a very Interesting way, In a paper read before the American Society of Civil Engineers, how the tunnels were made by means of a Ehleld designed by himself. This shield was pushed forward by twenty-four rams, capable of exerting a pressure of 3,400 tons at a hydraulic prcssuro of 5,000 pounds to the square Inch. Compressed air was used In the tunnels for forcing the shields through silt rock and gravel.

The maximum progress at any one face In any one month was 645 feet, working three eight-hour shifts, and the average progress in each heading, while working three shifts was eighteen feet per twenty-four hours. At 12:01 this morning the time table of the Pennsylvania Railroad providing for trains running through the North River tunnels went Into effect. At 12:02 a train left the terminal, making all stops between that point and Perth Am-boy Junction, N. J. At 12:30 a train from Washington came through the tunnels to the terminal.

These were tho first regu- tldna with subways on Seventh and Eighth avenues when they are built. It Is claimed that in the new Pennsylvania Terminal, which will be opened to-morrow mornlnj. a station has been planned, for the first time In this country, In such a way as to provide for the complete separation, above the train level, for the Incoming traffic, thus avoiding much confusion. One of the most interesting features of tho construction of the North River tubes was the maintenance of Ninth avenue while tunnel construction was going on. This thoroughfare carried a three-track elevated railway structure, and a two-track Burface railroad, both of which maintained- traffic at the same time that excavations were going on to a depth of sixty feet.

A viaduct 375 feet long had to be erected to maintain the' traffic of the street while tunnel construction work was proceeding. The contract Included about 617,000 cubic yards of excavation, about -87 per cent, of which was rock. Structural steel to the extent of 1,475,000 pounds was used In underpinning Ninth avenue. THE HENPECKED CLUB AND ITS PECULIAR METHODS the queer clubs that exist OV all tho world, you will find some the queerest In Lancashire, of Importance locally. Boats have been running regularly ever since, except at periods when ice In the river was unusually troublesome.

This morning another Important erect occurred when the partly completed portion of the new post office building west of the Pennsylvania Terminal, Eighth, avenue. Thirty-first to Thirty-third street, was used for the first time. Hereafter the malls heretofore dispatched and received at tho Jersey City depot will bo dispatched and received In this partly completed portion of the new poBt office building. This new post office stands astride of a network of railway tracks, these tracks being more than 40 feet below the street level. A system of mechanical appliances has been adopted for loading the mails, which Is considered very original and complete and will be able to handle expeditiously from 250 to 300 ton3 ot mall daily.

Tho new post, office building, when completed In 1912, will face the Eighth avenue front ot the Pennsylvania Btatlon. The post office Bite extends from Thirty-first to Thirty-third streets (north and south) and about half-way from Eighth to Ninth avenue. It is 415 feot square. A down-town rapid transit electric train will start from a new station in Military Park at Newark, N. and thence by a new bridge over the Passaic River at Center street, to the Manhattan Transfer at Harrison, where passengers may transfer to trains for the Pennsylvania Terminal up town or continue to Jersey City and lower New York.

There are two passenger platforms at the Manhattan Transfer, measuring 28 by 1.100 feet each. They have a capacity of four trains In each direction for each platformt At the ends of the platforms are tracks for the storage of steam and electrlo locomotives. There will be room here to store Bixteen Bteam and twenty electric locomotives. Besides these railroad facilities at the Manhattan Transfer, provision has been made for turning locomotives and for the storage of 112 cars. The Borough ot Brooklyn will be put In very close touch with the thriving City of Newark, N.

which has a population of 300,000 souls, and, like Brooklyn, Is always growing. There are a number of other Interesting polnt3 In the State of New Jersey which will bo brought Into very close connection wilh Brooklyn by reason of the railroad connection which was Inaugurated to-day. One link remains to be supplied In the chain which is to the Pennsylvania received In the district with mixed feelings. The men applaud It; and the local police, recalling similar displays that led to trouble, become a little anxious. On the evening appointed the members of the club meet at a public house, where they arm themselves with all kinds of household utensils; then, led by concertina-players or a tin-whistle band, they Btart out and march along the crowded streets of the One man carries a broom, another a swab, a third a shovel or a coal-scuttle, or a fender, or poker.

Fire-tongs, blaclclead brushes, washtubs, buckets everything used In the home, In fact Is carried Bhoulder high. As they march along to the music in front and the discordant of their baggage, they sing snatches of Bongs, In which the name of the victim occurs often. The' mission of the verses, which hive been specially composed for the occasion by a local poet, is to hold up tho henpecked one to' ridicule, the reason for the demonstrators bearing the household ernment quickly, he will become the slavey. When they reach the cottago where their victim resides they form a circle in front of the door and sing and clang their fendors and coal-scuttles moro loudly than ever. The man Inside Is invoked by the president during a halt In the programme to "be a man" and join his brethren.

Sometimes, If he looks upon the affair as more of a joke than anything else, be docs their bidding, and they reform and march to headquarters with him at the head. Usually, however, his wife appears instead with a bucket of soapy water, which she promptly throws over the demonstrators, or she quickly causes a clearance with a hose pipe. To tho onlooker it is Just an exhibition for laughter and nothing more, but behind the scenes there is generally a lot of trouble and bcartachlng. A good number of those "henpecked" demonstrations have sequels In police courts. Sometimes It Is an enraged victim being charged with assaulting a demonstrator, but more often than not the sequel shows a wife appealing to the magistrates for a separation order.

England, according to London Tit-Bits. One of these is called the Henpecked Club. As the title Indicates, the members are all males, and you can come across a club In almost every Lancashire town of any size, The meetings are held, as a rule, Ir. some bar parlor, and tho discussions, are about members, and often non-members, who have the reputation being henpecked. When evidence has been brought to show that a particular man haB allowed himself to como under his wile's thumb, they tax him with It In the place of meeting.

The president delivers a lecture on the danger of a husband permitting his wife to usurp his position as master; and when tho others have Indorsed his remarks tho person to whom the speeches are addressed is warned that If he continues to stand the hen-pecking he will bo made the subject of a demonstration. The announcement that a "henpecked" Btrip of tho western end, 30 feet wide, was set apart for a private street, and will be used for post office traffic. goods bolng, of course, to remind him. club demonstration lg to take place Is that, having fallen under petticoat got- 4.