Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-02-01

ges and thrifty villages. and will richly re-
pay visit from this city.
Now turn for moment to a darker
contemplation. Winding your way over
mountains and by the side of the Deeriicld
River, from the beautiful villages of Green
field, Deerfield and lIadley, we come
equally up to the great IIoosac mountain,
which we must either through or oref.
We will go as far Mrough as we can, and
falling of this, will go ocer. If you have
ever seen bigger bore than this Hoosac
Tunnel, your experience has been greater
than mine. Before you is Il black hole
about fifteen feet in diameter. Around up
on the banks of the river are sundry Ma
chimes shops. and measurless heaps OF gray
rocks and clippings. A car track runs
into the mouth of the cavern. A large
number of dirt-cars stand upon the track.
\ very badly earth-soiled lIibernean tells
you, he Twill poosh yo in. gintlemin. if
yces wish" We mount the dirt car. The
muddy ccit lights a tallow candle and pla-
ces it behind the car, where the wind will
not eXtin@aish it. All ready now, an dour
human stcam-engine applies the power.
We enter the mouth. 1t is twilight at first
but we can see Il hundred yards ahead.
The temperature is evidently falling. Dark
! er grows the scene. Ifishman's boots
pound the cchoing rocks and ties. Black
er grows the places. You cannot see the
/ side walls-nOr your hand before you.
You feel of your eyes to see if they are
open. 1t is Erebus itself. Avernus, Hades,
| Shcol-al the black places combined.
| Halt. You have gone into the bowels of
the mountain $50 feet. Brawny Celt re-
marks. And yecs must go atm the rst
of the wayi'' Why? This is the end of the
full size cut.
From this point onward, as much fur
ther only the heavin@ of the tunnel is car
ried. not half the diameter of the first IS
90 feet. So dismountinc, we each place
a tallow candle in our h tband and begin
the Journey on foot. The way is rough.
You must step on the ties OF follow the
narrow boards, or walk i'll the water
IIark, what sounds are those, like the re-
yerberatous of distant thunder: Is the
mountain preparing for an eructation:
and now we see little cleaning lights ahead
like stars Of the sixth magnitude or fire
flies. We are coming to the end of the
shaft. we begin to see dark forms moving
| in the dim lght-now voices artlculatc
are heard. Here are men-wc have come
to the end and are 2600 feet from daylight.
4 HUGE machine is before the solid rock,
but it is still The mcn are adjusting the
drills and oilin@. This machine Is 4 new
invention. lis motive power is compre S.
ed air driven in the whole length of the
tunnel in India Rubber tubes. Twenty
drills, capable of application in any direc-
ton may be driven by it. However they
seldom work more tiaa ten or fifteen.
But so great is the power, and so perfect
the construction of the machine, that ii
can drill from ono to five inches per min
ute. according to the hardness of the rock.
While standing there studying the mech
anism of this engine, suddenly the power
was applied and then as iftea thousanc
Chinese gongs had been beaten by stal
wart Ethiopians rs if all the Cyclops hat
begun forging thunderOolts for Jove, tht
drills commenced their rapid and thunder
derous thuds upon the solid rock, the c>
Gaping ar Kissed, the men piled their ham
mers and of all the internal noises Whicl
were conccntered and pent-up within tina
six feet channel. or were ever let loose up
on the earth that. fairly took the banner
And as the dripping talloW candles flicker
ed and the bcgrimcd sooty workmcn mov
ed about in the deceptive light, they looked
verify like @houls at the tor9cs of Tartarus
and it seemed as if we. like Tcnny sons Isl!
hundred" had ridden Into the mouth Q
death, iato the jaws of hell
That machine is destined to go through
that mountain vet. However there is
little item of three miles of solid rock ye
in the way, which will require from t
II years.
Returning. we had sight of wonder
when about 1000 feet from the mouth o
the tunnel. An .Aureola, like that whic
surrounds the body of the moon when
storm is brewing, only 50 brilliant Will
the hucs of the rainbow rs to be almoS
dazzling, surrounded the opening an
maintained its splendor, while we wcr
-, passing over 800 feet
1t was a relief to look ut the sun-liThte
fields and mountains once more and
breath the pure air though it must be sta
ed that the air at the extremity of the tui
mel was perfectly pure, being conyeye,
from without in pipes to the workmeE.
Now we addressed ourselves for the pas
sage orer the mountain. In an hour and
half we were at its summit and once NOR
taking a view of most magnificent pro'
pect of nearly the whole State of Mas
and thence we descended by Il zl"-zag roa
on the western side, until, just rs the su
was going down behind the great moul
tain ranges. we drove into the sequestcre
, and matchless village of Williamstcw
Mass,
-
q r3T"To he still searching what we kno
c not by what we know. still closing II
c truth to truth as we find it for all her be