Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-12-02
THE Blue RIDGE RAILROAD, AND THE
NEW METHOD or TUNNKLLINGH HIGH

the Blue Ridge Railroa Company md his Bosttf of
Directors are about to apply to the Legislatue of
the State for further aid in The consummation of /
their great enterprise by an additional subscription
OF one million Of dollars to the Capital Stock Of the
Company. With this aid they give us the strong
est assurance that within the period of four years
the great mountain barrier between the Atlantic
slope and the far West will be successfully pierced
by magnificent highway, of commerce and travel,
and Charleston be made the great depot of Western
produce and leading emporium of European trade
The feasibility of this great project demonstrated
by the achievements in the way of tunnelline al
ready accomplished in the line of the road and its
early completion, at greatly reduced cost are made
"doubiy sure, by a recent improvement in the
mode OF tunneng, for which the world is indebted
to the ingenuity of three Sandman engineers
Messrs. Sommeiller, Grattone and Grandis, under
whose auspices the Piedmount Railroad is expedt-
ing its way with skiold speed through the bowels
of the Piedmontese Alps 1t consists in the appli-
cation OF machinery (worked there by an hydraulic
motor, in the condensation of atmospheric air as
both motive and ventilating power, in mountain
tunnelng and the result will be the completion of
that great sub-Alpinc tunnel at much reduced
cost in the brief period Of six years. instead of the
long term of thirty-six years, by the ordinary mode
of boring. This new method may doubtless be
successfully applied, by of water or steam
power, to own sub-Alpine Railroad the con-
summation of which will crown the Palmetto State
with fame equal, if not superior to that which
attended the construction of the Appian Way or
the road across the Smplon or attaches to the no
blest works of internal improvement in ancient or
modern times The tidings of this novel invention
seem to come the Atlantic, just at this time
it were providentially to remove scepticism, as
to the success Of our own great work, and to
ciliate for it that Legislative favor and liberal pecun-
larry aid, which the present generation should not
hesitate to yield, well for their good as for
that of posterity and which posterity would cheer
fully pay as the reapers # its chief and enduring
benefits. We copy from ;oston Rail1ay Tines
of the 18th inst, the following interesting account
of the and valuable invention, from which we
augur such suspicious and glorious results:
TUNNELLING THROUGH MOUNTAINS
The method generally employed in boring long
tunnels consists in first sinking several shafts along
the line then tunnelling from both ends and in each
of the shafts at the same time, by many gangs of
workmen This method, by providing for great
number of operators to execute the work, shortcns
its completion, and the short of each gang in
the tunnel admits of easy ventilation. Under a
high mountain, this system Of tunncng is impos-
sible, because shafts cannot be sunk, therefore
tunnel in such situation only be bored from
two points at Once-the teTmini at each side. On
the Piedmont Rail Road now being constructed
through the Alps long tunnel of several miles is
required between Modane and Bardonechc It will
pass six thousand feet below the summit and of
course, the sinking of shafts impracticabe in
such case. BY the common methods of tunneling
it has been calculated that it would require thirty
six years to complete the operations and it was also
held to be impossible, by known means to ventilate
the tunnel when it had attained to great depth,
owing principally to the great amount of blasting
required, which would vitatc the atmosphere. I'm
less some means were devised to overcome such
difficulties the execution of this great tunnel could
and would not have been undertaken. BY the in
genuity of three Sandman engineers, Messrs. Som
meiler Grattone, and Grandis, provision was made
for surmounting all these obstacles On the noun
tain, adjacent to the line, there was large stream
of water fall of siXty-fve feet This they
have applied to operate hydraulic motor which
condenses air in a reservoir to the pressure of nine
ty pounds on the square inch this is conducted in
extension tube into the tunnel where it operates
machinery which drives the drills, then it escapes
and supplies the miners with fresh air, thus per-
forming two duties namely, drilling and ventilating
By this machinery eighteen holes are bored in the
same place required for six miners in drilling, and
each hole is bored in one-twelfth of the time taken
up by hand labor. When it is taken into consider
alton that three fourths of the time in tunnelng is
occupied in boring, the immense saving of time by
these arrangements is obvious. With such original
sp olication of condensed air to tnneng, it is cal
culated that this sub-Alpine tunnel will now be
completed at greatly reduced cost in six yearS-a
very great difference from thirtysix, by the ordinary
means of boring.
In this tunnel some peculiar phenomena of tenn
perature are witnessed The common heat of the
air. ut such depth. is one hundred degrees
Fahrenheit, too hot for the miners to work COM
fortably; but this is modified to pleasant temper
ature-scventy degrees Fahrenheit-by the conden-
sed air which is fed into the machines. BY the re-
fgerating effects of expansion, when this compress
sed air at ninetyeight pounds pressure escapes, it
absOrbs heat from the surrounding air, and thus
cools it down. This power of absorbing heat by ex-
pansion is great that water placed close to the
escape airvalves is CONCEALED into ice sufficient
supply of fresh air is secured for the ventilation of
this tunnel at its greatest depth. No less than IA
800 cubic yards of atmospheric pressure can be
furnished every twenty -four hours. The progress
now making in excavating this tunnel from both
sides is nineteen feet per day. When completed it
| will be one of the wonders of the world.
| The use of condensed air motive and venta-
ting power for tunnelling power should arrest the
attention of engineers in every part of the world
| On all mountains where deep and long tunnels arc
to cut there usually high waterfalls, which can
be applied to drive simple turbine wheel capable
| of condensng air in reservoir by working pumps,
and this air can be made to operate drilling ma
| chimes, and also to ventate the tunnel as in the
| one described. The of water power and
condensed air is applicable for mines in hiliy regions
| 10 our miners in the mountains of California, ano
those engineers who must at some future day tun
mel through the Rocky Mountains, in constructing
Pacific railroad the foregoing information shoulc
be treasured up and carried into practice when thu
favorable opportunities presented. We live il
an age of wonders, and the boy may now be living
who will be called upon to undertake the work o
letting daylight through the mountains between III
and the Pacific coast-Charleston Courier.
MASTER AND SLAVE
The following editorial views on the relation o
master and slave were presented by us to our read
ers two years ago. We have been requested b.
several ii f lentia gentlemen residing in this Dis
trict, and who large shareholders, to reproduce
Them in the hope of bringing about at least SOM
| of the necessary reforms
While defending our peculiar institution from tn
assaults of fanatics at the North, we are in DANCE
of allowing evils to grow up among ourselves from
mere neglect, which may, in the end, be more de
structive than any efforts of our professed enemies