Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-07-22
From the Lancashire Literary Museum
I'm account of The present state of/he mag
nifeent Tunnel u"ae'lte too" Of Ii


One Of the creates, curiosities in or near Lii
yerpuol, or rather under il, is the tunnel COM
mencing from that great sea FORTHCOMING
part of, and %katlIug 10, the grand rail road
which is TO rLaIR6 an almost direc. line, thence
: 10 the town of Manchester. A vast number OF
indiv dusls, confined, by business, duii'g near
}, the whole daylight, Of the week, rush out TO
the neishborhhood Of WaRrtree, on spare
afternoon or oil Sunday, 70 witness the works
above ground connected wiih2his line ofroad,
and with wonderoos stories lilies filled up
and hills cut through, by th6~handate oil the
engineer, 10 MAINTAIN the equality Of the level
But they have no id- a, unless they descend one
Of the shafts OF he tunnel, and frariessly explore
the suh,rrrene operations of hundreds OF work
men) Of the ouriositv-we NAV say, OF the dai'
ing grandeur OF he Ks, far below the sur
face of the earth.
The entrance Of the tunnel at Liverpool, is a:
a timber yard al Wrapping, GEAR The Junction OF
the Hing's and Queens docks, and IL Will ter
inmate at the open railway at the back OF the
rising ground, abcut quarter OF male To The
south Of the church at Edgehil The bore has
be en- for some lime going on from the latter
spot and viii soon reach long line OF compiet
ed mnrel viii, h passes close behind the Botanic
garden
Having befure visited the TUNNEL, and given
our readtrs an a, count Of the operations up TO
Sepemb-r Isl, it occurred TO us, the other
eve ning when stroilug In Mosslakc fields, ihat
as the Liverpool Newspaper Editors had none
or them. IL sppearsd, visited this great work,
and Iha, as we were frrretIngs our b aims Tor
story above ground, we might as wei! descend
and conrrive TO extract some sort OF para
graph from the regions bel ". We according
" stepped anon side OF the bucket, a, The
mouth Of the shaft in thu Mosslakr fields, AVID
= l. l.. xallE 10
yosth Of ten y ars of age, who most valiantiv
im2!ored Us 20 take him with US, wc descended
10 the level Of the railway, wi h SO mui h ease,
that Ihe motion would not have disturbed the
temporary dozr of an alderman who was pre-
Dared TO start up on he parlour door being
~ ohned by the waiter win another basin OF
~ Gck turtle.
Il The first thing that will rouse the curiosity
Iof the scientific 'i,iler TO the tunnel Is; why
VIII, n he alights a, the bottom OF the pit, he Is
not :hen in the line of he grand excavation.
In several Of the pits hr will observe, when he
lands, tunnel driven. for several yards, direct
II from he boston, Of the pit-as, indeed, II
ough, to be, for the convenience OF the miners.
But this line o. tunnel was scarcely commenced
before it was given up The engineer al FRS
employed, drove the eyes of pits, by some mis-
. take, about thirty feet TO the south OF the IN
tended line; and as soon this was discovered,
a small tunnel or archway, was Gu, from
eye to the north. opening INTO the main cut.
When the passenger has slighted from the
bucket il he be not accustomed TO such sxcur-
sions, he will feel mazy when lie gets 10 his
feet; and il will be some .imc before he can
see Ms way with any hing like clearness, even
by the help OF two candles 10 explore the tunnel,
the obscunty OF whio is drepened by the gun
powder smoke from the trequ'n bias ing OF
The stone and which but slowly finds an ext: by
the distant shafts.
We proceeded TO the east, aud passed shaft
above the Botanic Garden, now cl' ssd,
CARDS the hosting Of materials, but OF which
she subierranean explorer may ascend by
succession Of ladders. A considerable way
above this, men are at work, cutting and blast.
ing their way to meet others who are mefng
towards them from the eastern entrancesol the
tunnel, al the back of the rise at Ed sehl a
good deal oil wa!tr aud wet ground induced us
10 direct our course to the westward. We
oeerved, as We passed, varied s,raa Of sone;
and considerable proportion of the work over
head (whrrc the bed of red free stone, through
which the tunnel runs, was found iurompact
or roIten) was Bea ly arched with brick, Al
one place, which we recoec, in Sep .ember
last 10 be dipping with water, several men
were al work plAsteriug the arch with Roman
cement; anS although the water was dropping
on every side before them, and rushing IN i:ttle
ris on the base Of the tunnel, the material
which they laid upon the brick work hardened,
in few minutes, to the consistency ct flinty
stone. The wate-, in place Of showering from
the root, where il was Plassered, as before seem
cd rarely TO drop, and ran down ;he sides Of the
arch, like CONDENSED stream. Our capdes be-
meath this polished part Of the tunnel, showed
brighter light, and we could distinguish The
excavation a considerable way, as If il were /
cut through and polished in a mass Of brown
colored marble.
"Master" said one Of the subtsrranean
plas,erers, With The delightful brogue Of an
freshman, as he descended from a scaffold,
troMel in and,-"yoa'll meet with wather d.
rrctly: an with your lave, I'll show your honor
he way. Ifi,s Bakers pit you're after com.
ing a,.you'l e., here asy; only SOP bit hll
bring yeu the float"