Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 The New York Tunnel Extension of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The East River Tunnels. Paper No. 1159

The paper offers a concise yet thorough look at the early stages of building the Pennsylvania Railroad’s New York tunnel extension beneath the East River. It begins by outlining the project’s scope—four cast‑iron tubes, each roughly six thousand feet long, and the two permanent shafts that served as launch points on either side of the river. Readers are guided through the initial logistical hurdles, from the straightforward sinking of a temporary shaft on East Avenue to the first forays into the river’s soft, water‑laden ground, where the engineers first turned to compressed‑air techniques to keep the excavation stable.

Beyond the physical challenges, the authors also detail the innovative profit‑sharing contract and meticulous cost‑keeping system that allowed the railroad to track labor, equipment, and overhead independently of material expenses. Briefly described are the various shields employed—including a repurposed London tunnel shield—and the trial‑and‑error adjustments made when those tools proved inadequate. The narrative captures the spirit of early 20th‑century civil engineering, balancing technical ingenuity with the practical realities of large‑scale construction.