Why New York s First River Tunnel is Falling Apart (The Story of The Hudson Tunnel)

The Hudson Tunnel is absolutely massive and was the first large-scale tunneling project under a prominent American river. Originally intended to be the first trans-river rail link between Jersey City and Manhattan, the tunnel took more than 30 years to complete. The history of the tunnel is a fascinating example of early Gilded Age engineering technology and is considered a notable engineering achievement. Today we will discover the story of the Hudson Tunnel and how it came to be! Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzIZ8HrzDgc-pNQDUG6avBA/join IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash. Chapters: 00:00 The Hudson Tunnel is the first trans-river rail link between Jersey City and Manhattan. 00:40 Why The Hudson River divides New Jersey from New York state. 01:14 Colonel De Witt Clinton conceived the idea to construct a tunnel under the Hudson River. 02:11 Clinton insisted that excavating the Hudson tunnel should be in a compressed air environment 04:08 Construction of the Hudson tunnel began on November 17, 1874, with the sinking of a shaft on Fifteenth Street in Jersey City. 05:39 A Hudson Tunnel blowout on July 21, 1880. A leak developed on top of the tunnel. 06:02 General William Smith joined the Hudson Tunnel project as chief engineer and introduced several improvements. 07:00 The Hudson tunnel s Trevor Park died and finances diminished. 07:46 Technical knowledge and expertise were sought out by British consulting engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker. 09:09 Why English engineer Charles Mattathias Jacobs was invited to assess the practicality and cost of completing the hudson tunnels. 10:14 The north tunnel was holed through on March 11, 1904, and the south tunnel was holed through on September 29, 1905. 10:44 What were the first trains to run through the Hudson River Tunnel? 11:25 The idea for the second set of tunnels was derived from a study of ferry traffic. 12:12 Service on the Downtown Tunnels began. 12:37 The popularity of the automobile skyrocketed. Road traffic was significantly increasing. 13:56 the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Company declared bankruptcy 15:00 the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad Tunnel was nominated to be a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. 16:15 The revival of the Hudson. The tunnels were flooded during Hurricane Sandy, which prompted the creation of The Hudson Tunnel Project. 17:59 Closing: With over 30 years of development and several years of operation, the Hudson Tunnel still stands. » CONTACT For brands, agencies and sponsorships, please contact us at itshistory@thoughtleaders.io https://www.facebook.com/kultamerica » CREDIT Scriptwriter - Camrin Dekis, Editor - Nina Wade Host - Ryan Socash » SOURCES https://www.facebook.com/groups/itshistory/ » NOTICE Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.