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In 1919, Clifford Holland, took office
as Chief Engineer of the tunnel that would eventually bear his name. Construction
of the tunnel began in 1920 and progressed over seven long, arduous years.
However, Holland would not see his dream come to fruition: he died one day
before construction crews from the New York and New Jersey sides met. Tunnels
under the Hudson River were not new. What was new was not only the much
larger diameter of vehicular tunnels, but also the effect of car and truck
exhaust on vehicle occupants, especially for those stuck in traffic inside
the tunnel. To remedy this, experts from the United States Bureau of Mines
and Yale University developed a system of ventilator fans and air shafts
to circulate clear air throughout the length of the tunnel. This air, which
is supplied to the tunnel every 90 seconds, is moved by 42 blowing fans
and 42 exhaust fans - totaling 6,000 horsepower - arranged in four ventilation
buildings. The designer of this air circulation, Ole Singstad, would ultimately
take over as Chief Engineer for the Holland Tunnel and New York's other
tunnels.
THINK TWICE, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE: This was an expression used by the "sandhogs,"
as the tunnel construction workers were called, that summed up the danger
of working in the tunnel. Teams of "sandhogs" followed an enormous,
240-ton hydraulically-powered shield under the riverbed. As they moved
on, the "sandhogs" removed mud, blasted through rock, and bolted
together a series of iron rings that would form the lining of the tunnel.
On a good day, they would move about 40 feet. On bad days, they would
not move at all, and would often suffer from "the bends," an
affliction caused by the compressed air of the tunnel. A total of 13 workers
died during construction.
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