TRANSPORTATION: Tube to Canada

Deep under the dirty, swirling waters of the Detroit River, molelike workmen last week put finishing touches on a vehicular tunnel connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ont. To the ceremonious opening of the tunnel went Canada’s Minister of the Interior Thomas Gerow Murphy, Ontario’s Acting Premier George S. Henry, U. S. Minister to Canada Hanford MacNider, Michigan’s Senator Arthur Hendrick Vandenburg and its Governor, Fred Warren Green. In Washington President Hoover clicked his gold telegraph key to start the first speech.

More than 20,000,000 passengers travel yearly between Detroit and Windsor. Many of them are Canadian-living, Detroit-working commuters; many of them are thirsty Detroit weekenders. By the old means—ferries and the Ambassador Bridge—more than 2,000,000 motorcars last year crossed the river. The two cities, in reality one river-divided metropolis like Minneapolis & St. Paul, are chief ports-of-entry for large quantities of Canadian products into the U. S., for large U. S. shipments into Canada. The dividing river carries annually a cargo tonnage of approximately 100,000,000,* exclusive of liquor importation. Therefore the tunnel opening last week was a signal addition to U. S.-Canadian pleasure and commerce.

Engineers examined with interest the world’s fifth great vehicular tunnel built since automobile exhaust gases presented ventilation problems. The other four: Holland Tunnel, joining Manhattan and Jersey City; Oakland Tube, connecting Oakland and Alameda, Calif.; Mersey River Tunnel, between Liverpool and Birkenhead, England; the Liberty Tubes, 5,800 ft. long, mountain tunnels, sole route from the South to Pittsburgh. Ancient sub-river vehicular tunnels without protection from motorgas exist at Glasgow and under the Elbe at Hamburg. Two old tunnels under the Thames at London have been equipped with suction-&-exhaust fans. First tunnel to require a new type of ventilation was the 8,463-ft. commuter-used Holland.† For years Engineer Ole Singstad, assisted by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and Illinois and Yale universities, studied to perfect a suitable system. Now air is pumped into a channel under the roadbed, let into the tunnel proper through slots at the curbs, pumped out through a channel above the ceiling. Thus no longitudinal draft (a fire and health danger) is created. Engineer George A. Posey adapted Mr. Singstad’s method to his 3,545-ft. Oakland Tube. The Detroit & Canada Tunnel (thus incorporated) is ventilated by a system derived from Singstad and Posey. At each end it has six intake, six exhaust fans, capable of supplying 1,000,000 cu. ft. of air per minute and of changing the entire tunnel atmosphere every 90 sec.

All other vehicular tunnels are municipal or State projects. Unique, the Detroit &; Canada Tunnel Co. is a private concern. Boosting stock sales last week, its directors announced an investment of $25,000,000, anticipated earnings of some two million dollars a year.

(¶ Last week the Board of Transportation of New York City had taken preliminary steps toward construction of the sixth and seventh vehicular tunnels in the world. One of these will join Brooklyn and Staten Island, the other will join Long Island with 10th Avenue at 38th Street, Manhattan. Next January, the New York Port Authority intends to present the legislatures of New York and New Jersey with plans for a second Hudson River vehicular tunnel to extend from “at or near 38th Street,” Manhattan, to North Bergen,

*Mostly through Great Lakes hauling.

†Named for the late Engineer Clifford Milburn Holland, who designed the tunnel, died in 1924, before its completion.