Part 16

All materials of construction were loaded on cars on the surface at the point where they were stored, and hauled on these to the elevators, sent down the shaft, and taken along the tunnels to the desired point without unloading.

The narrow-gauge railway on the surface and in the tunnel was of 2-ft. gauge with 20-lb. rails. About 70 flat cars and 50 mining cars were used at each shaft. On the surface at Manhattan these were moved by hand, but at Weehawken, where distances were greater, two electric locomotives on the overhead trolley system were used.

_Tunnel Transportation._--The mining cars shown in Fig. 19 were of 1¼ cu. yd. capacity. The short wheel base and unbalanced loading caused a good many upsets, but they were compact, easily handled, and could be dumped from either side or end.

The flat cars shown in Fig. 20 were of 3 tons capacity, and could hold two tunnel segments. As the working face was down grade from the shafts, the in-bound cars were run by gravity. For out-bound cars a cable haulage system was used, consisting of double-cylinder, Lidgerwood, single friction-drum, hoisting engines (No. 32) of 6 h.p., with cylinders 5 in. in diameter and 6 in. stroke and drums 10 in. in diameter. These were handily moved from point to point, but, as there was no tail rope, several men had to be used to pull the cable back to the face. After the second air-lock bulkhead walls had been built, a continuous-cable system, worked electrically, was put in each tunnel between the first and second air-locks.

The engine consisted of an electric motor driving a 3-ft. 6-in. drum hoist around which a ¾-in. steel wire cable passed three times. The cable was led around a sheave, down the tunnel on the right side of the in-bound track, and returned on the left side of the out-bound track. It was then carried around a set of sheaves, where a tension of 1,000 lb. was supplied by a suspended weight which acted on a sheave with a sliding axle on the tension carriage. The cable was supported throughout its length on 8-in. pulleys set in the floor at 50-ft. intervals. All the guide sheaves were 36 in. in diameter.

Each car was attached to the cable by a grip at its side. This was fastened and unfastened by hand, but was automatically released just before reaching the turn in the cable near each lock. This system could haul without difficulty an unbalanced load of 10 muck cars, spaced 100 ft. apart, up a 2% grade. The cable operated over about 1,000 ft. of tunnel, the motor being placed at the top of the grade. The driving motor was of the semi-armored, 8-pole, series-wound type, rated at 25 h.p., 635 rev. per min., and using direct current at 220 volts. The speed of handling the cars was limited by their having to pass through the air-locks on a single track. As many as 106 cars have been hauled each way in one 8-hour shift.

_Disposal._--At Manhattan the tunnel muck was carried from the elevator over the upper level of the yard trestle and dumped into bins on the 33d Street side, whence it was teamed to the public dump at 30th Street and North River. At Weehawken the rock excavation was removed by the Erie Railroad on flat cars on which it was dumped by the tunnel contractor, but all the silt muck was teamed away to some marshy ground where dumping privileges were obtained.

The typical forces employed on transportation were as follows:

_Receipt and Unloading of Material: Surface Transportation and Disposal._

At Manhattan Shaft, on 10-hour shifts:

2 Engineers on derricks. @ $3.00 per day. 2 Foremen. " 3.25 " " 15 Laborers loading and unloading iron. " 1.75 " " 7 Laborers on disposal. " 1.75 " " 6 Teams. " 7.50 " "

At Weehawken Shaft, on 10-hour shifts:

3 Engineers on derricks and locomotives. @ $3.00 per day. 16 Laborers loading and unloading iron. " 1.75 " " 3 Foremen. " 3.50 " " 11 Laborers on disposal. " 1.75 " " 6 Teams on disposal. " 6.50 " "

Tunnel Transportation (Including Shaft Elevator):

Shaft elevators and to and from the first air-lock on 10-hour shift:

2 Engineers. @ $3.00 per day. 2 Signalmen. " 2.00 " " 1 Foreman. " 3.00 " " 12 Laborers. " 1.75 " "

Between first lock and working face, on 8-hour shifts, the force varied:

From 1 to 3 (average 2) Hoist engineers @ $3.00 per day. From 0 to 2 (average 1) Lockman " 2.75 " " From 1 to 2 (average 2) Trackmen " 3.00 " " From 2 to 7 (average 4) Cablemen (pulling back cable) " 3.00 " "

_Pumping._--The water was taken out of the invert by a 4-in. blow-pipe which was always kept up to a point near the shield and discharged into the sump near the shaft.

When the air pressure was removed and the blow-pipe device, consequently, was unavailable, small Cameron pumps, driven by compressed air, and having a capacity of about 140 gal. per hour, were used, one being set up wherever it was necessary to keep the invert dry; for example, at points where caulking was in progress.

_Lighting._--The tunnels were lighted by electricity, the current being supplied, at a pressure of 250 volts, from the dynamos in the contractor's power-house.

Two 0000 wire cables were used as far as the second air-locks, about 1,650 ft. from the power-house, on each side; and beyond that point, to the junction of the shields (about 1,750 ft.), 00 and 0 wires were used. These cables also carried the current for the cable haulage system. Two rows of 16-c.p. lamps, provided with reflectors, were used in each tunnel; one row was along the side just above the axis, with the lights at about 30-ft. intervals; the other along the crown, with the lamps halfway between the side lamps, also at 30-ft. intervals. At points where work was in progress three groups of 5 lights each were used. The tunnels as a whole were well lighted, and in consequence work of all kinds was much helped.

_Period No. 2._--_Caulking and Grummeting._--_November, 1906, to June, 1907._--After the metal lining had been built completely across the river in both tunnels, the work of making it water-tight was taken up. This consisted in caulking into the joints between the plates a mixture of sal-ammoniac and iron borings which set up into a hard rusty mass, and in taking out each bolt and placing around the shank under the washer at each end a grummet made of yarn soaked in red lead. These grummets were made by the contractor on the works, and consisted of three or four strands of twisted hemp yarn, known as "lath yarn," making up a rope-like cross-section about ¼ in. in diameter. Usually, one of these under each washer was enough, but in wet gravel, or where bolts were obliquely in the bolt-holes, two were used at each end. After pulling the grummets in, all the nuts were pulled up tight by wrenches about 3 ft. long, with two men on one wrench. Bolts were not passed as tight unless the nut resisted the weight of an average man on a 2½-ft. wrench.

Before putting in the caulking mixture, the joints were carefully scraped out with a special tool, cleaned with cotton waste, and washed with a stream of water. The usual mixture for sides and invert was about 2 lb. of sal-ammoniac and 1 lb. of sulphur to 250 lb. of iron filings or borings. In the arch, 4 lb. of sal-ammoniac and 3 lb. of sulphur to 125 lb. of filings was the mixture. A small hand-hammer was used to drive the caulking tool, but, in the sides and invert, air hammers were used with some advantage. The success of work of this kind depends entirely on the thoroughness with which the mixture is hammered in; and the inspection, which was of an exceedingly monotonous nature, called for the greatest care and watchfulness on the part of the Company's forces, especially in the pocket iron, where each bolt had to be removed, the caulking done at the bottom of the pockets put in, the bolts replaced; and the rest of the pockets filled. The results have been satisfactory, as the leakage under normal air and prior to placing the concrete averaged about 0.14 gal. per lin. ft. of tunnel per 24 hours, which is about 0.0035 gal. per lin. ft. of joint per 24 hours. With each linear foot of joint is included the leakage from 1.27 bolts. Afterward, when the concrete lining was in, the leakage was found to be about 0.05 to 0.06 gal. per lin. ft. of tunnel per 24 hours, which compares favorably with the records of other lined tunnels. The typical gang employed on this work was as follows:

_In Pocket Iron:_

1 General foreman @ $5.00 per day. 1 Mixer " 3.00 " " 1 Nipper " 3.00 " " 5 Caulkers " 3.00 " " 10 Grummeters " 3.00 " "

_In Pocketless Iron:_

1 General foreman @ $5.00 per day. 1 Mixer " 3.00 " " 1 Nipper " 3.00 " " 3 Caulkers " 3.00 " " 12 Grummeters " 3.00 " "

The average amount of caulking and grummeting done per shift with such a gang was (with pocketless grooves), 348 lin. ft. of joint and 445 bolts grummeted; and in pocket iron: 126 lin. ft. of joint and 160 bolts grummeted.

The caulking and grummeting work was finished in June, 1907, this completing the second period.

_Period No. 3._--_Experiments, Tests, and Observations._--_April, 1907, to April, 1908._--The third period, that of tests and observations in connection with the question of foundations, is dealt with in another paper. It occupied from April, 1907, to November, 1908. The results of the information then gathered was that it was not thought advisable to go on with the foundations.

_Period No. 4._--_Capping Pile Bores, Sinking Sumps, and Building Cross-Passages._--_April, 1908, to November, 1908._--In order to reduce the leakage from the bore segments to the least possible amount before placing the concrete lining, it was decided to remove the plugs and replace them with flat cover-plates; these have been described before, together with the filling of Bore Segments No. 2 with mortar to reduce the leakage around the distance piece.

During this period the turnbuckles to reinforce the broken plates were put in, and the sump sunk at the lowest point of the tunnel. These sumps have been described in a previous part of this paper; they were put down without trouble. As much as possible of the concrete lining was put in before the lining castings were taken into the tunnel, as the space inside was very restricted. The first lining casting was bolted to the flat flanges of the sump segment, the bolts holding the latter to the adjacent segments were removed, and the whole was forced down with two of the old shield jacks, taking a bearing on the tunnel. The two together exerted a pressure of about 150 tons. The plugs in the bottom of the sump segment were taken out, and pipes were put in, through which the silt squeezed up into the tunnel and relieved the pressure on the sump segment.

If the silt did not flow freely, a water-jet was used. The sump was kept plumb by regulating the jacks. In this way the sump was sunk, adding lining sections one by one, and finally putting on the top segment, which was composed of three pieces.

The time taken to sink one sump was about 4 days, working one 8-hour shift per day, and not counting the time taken to set up the jacks and bracing. The sinking of each section took from 4 to 6 hours. The air pressure was 25 lb. and the hydrostatic head 41 lb. per sq. in. The force was 1 assistant superintendent at $6.00 per day, 1 foreman at $4.50, and 6 laborers at $3.00 per day.

_Cross-Passages._--It was during this period that the five cross-passages previously mentioned were built. In the case of those in the rock, careful excavation was needed so as to avoid breaking the iron lining. Drilling was done from both ends, the holes were closely spaced, and about 2 ft. 6 in. deep, and light charges of powder were used. The heading, 5 by 7 ft. in cross-section, was thus excavated in five lengths, with 24 holes to a length, and about 23 lin. ft. of hole per yard. About 5.3 lb. of powder per cu. yd. was used. The sides, top, and bottom were then drilled at a very sharp angle to the face and the excavation was trimmed to the right size. This widening out took about 7½ ft. of hole per cu. yd., and 0.9 lb. of powder.

In the passages in silt the excavation had to be 12 ft. wide and 13 ft. 8 in. high to give enough room inside the timbers. The plates at one end of the passage were first removed. An air pressure of 17 lb. was carried, which was enough to keep the silt from squeezing in and yet left it soft enough to be chopped with a spade.

A top heading, of full width and 6 ft. 8 in. high, was first taken out, and the roof was sheathed with 2-in. boards held by 10 by 10-in. head trees at 3-ft. centers, with 10 by 10-in. side trees. The lower 7 ft. of bench was then taken out, a tight floor of 6 by 6-in. cross-timber was put in, and also longer side trees, the head trees being temporarily held by two longitudinal 10 by 10-in. stringers blocked in place. The bulk of the space between the side trees was filled with 10 by 10-in. posts and blocking. The plates at the other end of the passage were then taken out from the other tunnel.

After the excavation was out, the outer reinforced concrete lining was built. Rough forms were used, as the interior surfaces of the passages were to be rendered with a water-proofing cement. A few grout pipes were built in, and all voids outside the concrete were grouted. Grouting was also done through the regular grout holes of the metal lining around the openings.

In the case of the most westerly of the cross-passages at Weehawken, which was in badly seamed rock carrying much water, a steel inter-lining, rather smaller than the concrete, was put in. The space between the concrete and the steel was left open, so that water coming through the concrete lining was stopped by the steel plate. This water was led back to the shield chamber in a special drain laid in the bench of the river tunnel and behind the ducts. From the shield chamber the water ran with the rest of the drainage from the Weehawken Land Tunnels to the Weehawken Shaft sump.

_Period No. 5._--_Placing the Concrete Lining._--_November, 1908, to June, 1909._--During the fifth period the concrete lining was put in. This lining was placed in stages, as follows: First, the invert; second, the duct bench; third, the arch; fourth, the ducts; and fifth, the face of the bench. This division can be seen by reference to Fig. 21.

All the work was started on the landward ends and carried toward the middle of the river from both sides. Except where the Weehawken force passed the lowest point of the tunnel, which is at Station 241 or nearly 900 ft. to the west of the middle of the river, all the work was down grade.

Before any concrete was placed, the surface of the iron was cleaned with scrapers and wire brushes, and washed with water. Any leaks in the caulking and grummeting (finished by June, 1907, and therefore all more than 12 months old) were repaired. All the grout hole plugs were examined, and the plugs in any leaking ones were taken out, smeared with red lead, and replaced. The leakage in the caulking was due to the fact that the tunnel had been settling slightly during the whole 12 months of pile tests, and, therefore, had opened some of the joints. After the caulking had been repaired and the surface thoroughly cleaned, the flanges were covered with neat cement (put on dry or poured on in the form of thick grout) just before the concrete was placed.

_Invert Concrete._--The form used for the landward type of concrete, that is, the one with a middle drain, consisted of a frame made of a pair of trussed steel rails on each side of the tunnel and connected at intervals with 6 by 6-in. cross-timbers; two "wing forms" were hung from this frame by adjustable arms. These wings formed the curved sides of the invert, the lip, and the form for the middle drain. The whole form was supported on three wheels, two on the rear end running on a rail laid on the finished concrete, and the third in front attached to the frame by a carriage and running on a rail temporarily laid on the iron lining. The form was braced from the iron lining by 6 by 6-in. blocks.

For the soft-ground type of invert, namely, the one without the middle drain, a form of the same general type was used, except that the form for the middle drain was removed. After the form had been in use for some time, "key pieces" (made of strips of wood about 1 ft. 3 in. in length and 3 by 3 in. in cross-section) were nailed circumferentially on the under side of the wings at 2-ft. intervals. This was done because, at the time, it was not known whether ballasted tracks or some form of rigid concrete track construction would be adopted, and, if the latter, it was desirable not to have the surface smooth.

The concrete was received in cars at the rear end of the form and dumped on a temporary platform. It was then loaded into wheel-barrows on the runways, as shown in Fig. 22. The concrete was thrown from the barrows into the invert, where it was spaded and tamped.

In cases where there was steel-rod reinforcement, the concrete was first brought up to the level of the underside of these rods, which came between the wings; the rods were laid in place, and then more concrete was placed over the rods and brought up to the level of the bottom of the wings. Where there was no reinforcement, the concrete was brought up in one lift.

After this was finished, the concrete behind the wings was placed, thoroughly spaded and tamped, and, where there were longitudinal reinforcing rods, these were put in at their proper level. Where there were circumferential rods, the 16-ft. rods had already been put in when the lower part of the concrete was placed. As the invert was being finished off, the 8-ft. rods were embedded and tied in position.

The longitudinal rods were held in place at the leading end of each length of arch by the wooden bulkhead, through which holes were drilled in the proper position. At the rear end they were tied to the rods projecting from the previous length. The quantity of water used in mixing the invert concrete needed very nice adjustment; if too wet, the middle would bulge and rise when the weight of the sides came on it; and, if too dry, it would not pack properly between the flanges of the iron lining. The difficulties as to this were often increased by the flow of accumulated leakage water from the tunnel behind on the concrete while it was being put in. To prevent this, a temporary dam of sand bags was always built across the last length of finished invert concrete before beginning a new length. A sump hole, about 4 by 1 ft. and 1 ft. deep, was left every 800 ft. along the tunnel, and a small Cameron pump was put there to pump out the water.

The invert forms were left in place about 12 hours after the pour was finished. The average time taken to fill a length of 30 feet was 7 hours, the form was then left 12 hours, and it took 2 hours to set it up anew. The total time for one length, therefore, was 21 hours, equal to 34 ft. per 24 hours. At one place, a 45-ft. form was used, and this gave an average speed of 45 ft. per 24 hours.

An attempt was made to build the invert concrete without forms (seeing that a rough finish was desired, as previously explained, to form a key for possible sub-track concrete), but it proved a failure.

The typical working force (excluding transport) was as follows:

1 Foreman @ $3.25 per shift. 2 Spaders " 2.00 " " 9 Laborers " 1.75 " "

The average time taken to lay a 30-ft. length of invert was 7 hours; the two spaders remained one hour extra, smoothing off the surface.

For setting the form, the force was:

1 Foreman @ $4.50 per shift. 5 Carpenters " 3.25 " " 6 Carpenters' helpers " 2.25 " "

The average time taken to erect a form was 2 hours, 1 carpenter and 1 helper remaining until the concrete was finished.

_Duct Bench Concrete._--The duct bench (as described previously) is the portion of the concrete on which the ducts are laid. The exact height of the steps was found by trial, so as to bring the top of the ducts into the proper position with regard to the top and the face of the bench.

Both kinds of duct bench forms were of the same general type. A drawing of one of them is shown on Plate XLII. The form consisted of a skeleton framework running on wheels on a track at the level of the temporary transportation tracks. The vertical faces of the steps were formed by boards supported from the uprights by adjustable arms. The horizontal surfaces were formed by leveling off the concrete with a shovel at the top of the vertical boards. Where the sheets of expanded metal used for bonding came at a step, the lower edge of the boards forming the back of the step was placed 1 in. above the one forming the front of it; but, when the expanded metal came in the middle of a step, a slot 1 in. wide was left at that point to accommodate it.

A platform was formed on the top of the framework for the form, and on this a car forming a sort of traveling stage was run. There was ample room to maintain traffic on a single track through the form. A photograph of the form is shown in Fig. 1, Plate XLIII.

The concrete, for the most part, was received at the form in ¾-cu. yd. dumping buckets. The buckets were lifted by the rope from a small hoisting engine. This rope passed over a pulley attached to the crown of the tunnel and dumped into the traveling stage on the top of the form. In this the concrete was moved along to the point where it was to be deposited, and there it was thrown out by shovels into the form below. For a portion of the period, while the duct bench concrete was being laid, it was not necessary to maintain a track for traffic through the form and, during that period, the concrete for the lower step was placed from below the form, the concrete being first dumped on a temporary stage at the lower track level.

Owing to the horizontal faces of the steps being uncovered, there was a tendency for the concrete there to rise when concrete was placed in the steps above. For this part of the work, also, it was necessary to see that the concrete was not mixed too wet, for, when that was the case, the concrete in the upper steps was very apt to flow out at the top of the lower one. At the same time, there was the standing objection to the mixture being too dry, namely, the responsibility of getting a sufficient amount of spading and tamping done. Particulars of the exact quantity of water used are given later in describing "Mixing." Fig. 2, Plate XLIII, illustrates the process of laying.