Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-03-21

The HoosAc Tunnel AND THE LEGIs-
LATIvE COMMERCIAL correspondent ofths
Springfield Republican gives the following ac-
count of the operations Of the borer, on the
sion Of the recent visit Of the Railroad Committee
The company was at last all assembled, and
The machine put in motion. The borer was SIM
ply revoved, at first, to see that the mechanism
was IN working trim. Ii was then stopped, and
again started for run Of fifteen minutes, the time
being marked by a watch in the hands of one Of
the Committee.
AS the machine progressed, some three or four
hands were constantly employed in clearing AVA
the stone chips and the pulverized rock evolved
by the operation. The pieces clipped GU; varied
in size from that OF very large hens egg down
TO that Of the minuiest pebble, while a large por-
tion of the mass was mere rOck-dust The ma
chine operated unintenupledly through the fifteen
minutes, upon the whole face of the opposing
rock, and was Their stopped. 1t had progressed
just four inches. After short pause ii was start
ed again, and had operated but few minutes,
when II stopped for some cause some saying
that stone had got into it, and others, that in
consequence of the frost, from which tine cast iron
was entirely unprotected, a part was broken
The latter statement believe to have been cor
rect, and it was certainly not to be wondered at
Whatever may have been the fact, the machine
tire depth of about seven inches"
With regard to the feasibility of boring the
mountain, the same writer says:
81 do not propose 10 utter any definite opinion
upon the feasibility, II every aspect of the pro-
lect, of boring the mountain with this machine.
| may safely say, however, that believe the tun-
mel can be bored, and bored with the great borer.
The grand question OF dollars and cents and years,
ii is beyond my power to achieve opinion up
on. No one can be insensible to the fact, that
immense practical difficulties interpose. There
is the probable difficulty of large access of wa
ter from the crevces in the rock, the difficulty of
ventilation, with steam engine producing car
bonlc acid gas at rapid rate, The difficulty of re-
moving the stone composing the core--and very
great difficulty we imagine this latter will be
and-but we win not enumeraie. They are DIFF
hculties that obvious tc, and are calculated
upon by, the peculiar friends of the tunnel project,
as well as by lis enemies, if it have any. Those
interested, claim that six neal feet of the rock
can be excavated in day, on each wrought face.
This claim Is made as safe one to swear by,
and live up to, while they profess to believe that
they shall be able to cxcavate more, ranging AS o
high as ten neal Feet per day on each face. The
distance through which the rock must be perfor-
ated, is four aud BALI miles, or 23,760 feet
AT the rate of II feet per day-the amount claim
ed-and allowing three hundred and twelve work.
ing days in the year, it would take six years and
nine twenty-sixths, or about six years and third,
to complete the work-a sufficiently short space
of hme provided it were sure of taking no longer,
and would pay the expense when completed,
matter upon which can form no opinion. The
mountain, in some places, rises above the bed of
the proposed tunnel, to the height thirteen hun
dred feet, while in no place, except at the ends,
is it less than about seven hundred feet
Another account states that the rock operated
upon was not the rock of the mountain ITSELF but
soft slate found in the mes hborhood, only about
one-ihird as hard as granite. 1t is 10 be feared,
too, that sufficient allowance is not made for the
hardness Of the mountain rock, whenit shall have
been penetrated. 1t is well known that rocks
rapidly increase in density and hardness as you
descend from the surface. When, therefore, you
penetrate TO where it is from 700 10 1900 feet be-
low the surface, it will probably be found very
hard and difficult 10 work. A machine which
will work well n common slate, may not be
able 20 work at all in rock so much harder as that
in the mountain must almost necessarily be. 1t
seems to US that those concerned in the machine,
ought, in justice, to subject it to fairer test ofts
powers than has yet been given.