A Look Back at Samuel Rosoff Making It Big in New York City

Samuel Rosoff aka “Subway Sam” a Russian immigrant came to New York City by himself in 1894 at the age of 12.

Wed July 27, 2016 - Northeast Edition
Construction Equipment Guide

Samuel Rosoff aka "Subway Sam" a Russian immigrant came to New York City by himself in 1894 at the age of 12. He sold newspapers beneath the Brooklyn Bridge upon his arrival. Rosoff was a millionaire construction contractor by age 24. He specialized in tunnel construction and was the president of Woodcrest-Rosoff Bros. Rosoff in 1937 had an incredible $110 million backlog in work.

Edgar Browning Collection photo. A Woodcrest-Rosoff Lorain shovel loads blasted rock into a Mack AC “Bulldog” heavy single axle chain drive dump truck. The truck is owned by the Andrew Gull Corporation of Brooklyn, N.Y. The work depicted is at the East River Tunnel approaches at 1st Avenue and 37th Street in New York City, circa 1937. Wagon drills hammer blast holes on the ledge above.

Edgar Browning Collection photo. Rosoff Subway Construction Company Inc. is using a Bucyrus steam shovel to load a fleet of dumps trucks between Charlton and King Streets in New York City on May 11, 1927. Young boys serve as sidewalk superintendents, gazing at the heavy excavations in this cut and cover tunnel segment.

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