“This is the mouth of the shaft that leads down to the level of the tunnel,” said the president, pointing to a small structure. Almost as if in a dream Larry followed Mr. Newton. Entering the building he found himself in the midst of a lot of machinery. “Get on the elevator,” said a voice. Larry stepped on a wooden platform, which soon began to sink. The others were crowded about him. In a few minutes they found themselves at the bottom of a shaft fifty feet in diameter and sixty feet deep. As they landed, right in front of them yawned a black hole. “The tunnel,” said the president, with a wave of his hand. There was a murmur of astonishment from most of the reporters, for they had never seen the big tube before. “Now that I have you all here,” the president went on, “I want to tell you that we propose, for the first time in the history of the world, to walk under the Hudson River!” There was a chorus of remonstrances, for the reporters for the afternoon papers did not like missing a chance for a story, and they realized they could send no word now. “If the trial succeeds,” went on the president, “we will cut through the brick wall that separates the east from the west end of the tunnel. I think it will succeed as all but a very thin portion of the wall is gone. All that remains is to turn on a hydraulic jack that will cut down the rest, and the tunnel will be an assured fact.” “Can’t we send word to our papers?” asked several reporters. “I’m afraid not,” was the answer of the president. “Those on the morning papers, of course, can tell what happens, but the evening ones will have to wait until to-morrow.” “We’ll see about that,” whispered Mr. Newton to Larry. “Keep close to me, and when I give you the word you skip back the way we came, tell the man at the elevator you want to get out, and reach the surface as soon as possible. When you do, ring up the office, and tell Mr. Emberg all you have seen.” “All right,” whispered Larry. “Forward!” cried the president. CHAPTER XIII UNDER THE RIVER The tunnel under the Hudson River was begun several decades ago. It was started from the New York side, a little south of Christopher Street, and continued out under the bed of the river for some distance. Then the company failed and they built a brick wall, twenty-four feet thick, at the end of the tube they had dug. It remained in that condition for many years, until a new company was formed. This concern took up the work where the others left off. There were two tubes, each circular, and about twenty-four feet in diameter, dug under the river. They were separated by a wall of earth, and each tube was lined with heavy cast iron. In cutting the tube a big thing like an exaggerated apple corer was pushed through the earth sixty feet below the surface of the river bed by hydraulic force. To prevent the water from rushing in, the shield was kept filled with compressed air at a heavy pressure.