Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-08-25
A MILE UNDER A MOUNTAIN
Trip through the rIoosac TunmcI.

Rochester IN W Union writes on inter
esting account of trip through the tunne
in the last week Of july He says.
'Before entering the mountain we ex.
amined the works ut the rivers side by
which the tunnel is making its way toward
North Adams. We found, in building
called the Compressor House, four i'm.
mense Dir condensing machines, each worf.
ing four cylinders, by which air is
driven through pipo more thar
q mile into the tunnel. and there
made to do the work of steam
in drilling the rock at the heading as the
remote end of the tunnel is called, Such q
wheeling, putting and groaning you never
heard air make. And no wonder, II was
Obliged to be crowded into an immense
number of atmospheres, and made to travel
5,7O0 feet through an eieht-inch pipe, and
jerk and twist q steel drill into vein OF
quartz rock almost as hard as adamant. II
labored very severely to do this work, 30
when we get our short trunk line from
Rochester to Boston we cannot be too
grateful to the vigorous air which gives us
the Hoosac tunnel. We must also thank
Deerfeld river, which is all used ND in
working the compressors. More thor.
oughly is it absorbed by tho canal from
the dam above the tunnel than is the Gen.
asee river often absorbed by our Rochester
mills In midsummer.
"Having seen tho instruments which are
boring the mountain and are haateninp the
cessation of the stage ride you enjoyed so
much, we returned TO the opening of the
tunnel over the immense pile of work call
ed the Dump stone hill several hundred
feet long and sixty high, the debris of the
blasting in the mountain. The train was
about 10 start for the heading, The
train consisted of three cars each about
two feet high, trucks and carriages, six
feet by four in horizontal shape, drawn by
weary-looking white mule named 'Janu,
ary' (from his snowy appearance we sup
pOse), who was superintended by most
active and dirty small boy The third
| gang was then ON its way to relieve the
second. They were our fellow-passengers.
OF we started with jerk by january and
o yell by the small boy and like leap
from the tropics to the arctics from day to
night from sunshine into cascade, we
darted into the coldness, blackness and
drippings of the Hoosac tunnel.
"The sudden change from temperature
of 500 to that of SO o, which IS the un-
varying temperature of the tunnel the wear
round was at first very disagreeable. The
The constant percolation of water through
the shallow rock at the entrance was q dis.
enchanting surprise. The darkness was
expected. Our lantern did usg good service,
however, and very soon the temperature
became pleasant; and as the rock got thicker
the water ceased dripping. Then the weird
experience OF an underground journey com
menced. On we went into total darkness
The hollow, rumbling sound Of tho cars in
tensified the activity of the whole nervous
organizations of us novices. Imagination
worked hugely and fearlully. On foreight-
cen hundred feet through hole twenty.
four feet by arChed twenty feet we went
when, like stars through dim mist, some
lights appeared in our front, and our small
boy kept up an unenrthly yelling, which be
afterwards called the whistle of his engine.
In some dim Ind seemingly ugly and un-
natural way, we rolled pasta gallery hold
ing workmen, who. Observation-Disclosures
are the 'inishers' of the tunnel, on into the
darkness again, our mule looking like n
ghost, and we feeling like denizens of an
other and very strange world.
every influence seemed to conspire to
produce terror and excessive unonrthiness
thenceforth, From the first gallery for
one thousand two hundred feet the tunnel
il not quite finished, and the projecting
rocks sixteen or eighteen feet above us
glided, through the gloom and our lantern
light in way no one can imagine who has
not seen them. Dusky and fearful they
seemed to move toward U.S. threatening us
with injnry. But about three thousand
feet from the entrance our journey changed
into something VIC are glad now to have ex-
perienccd, but which we do not Mt all care
to experience again. Tho second gallery
was passed The shape Of the tunnel
changed. The roof eNmo down ten or
twelve feet And we were going on ut full
speed with the jagged rock roofing us only
about four feet above, and sometimes not
so far of as that
"kor nearly 2, 700 feet wo thus Journey.
ed, STOPPING down to the bottom of the
car, and feeling almost n sense OF mfloca-
ton. ] assure You your journey, 1900 feet
overhead, Just then, was thousand-fold
moro pleasant to you than was ours to us
We would have exchanged places with you
no one can tell how gladly. II may be very
we'll for professionals to go into the noun |
tains in our way, but il is terrible for those
who haze never done such thing before.
Our mule, small though he was crouched |
az he ran, and we each moment bent lower
in fear OF the rocks, which seemed to be
ready to sweep us off the cars At last we
stopped about three hundred feet from the |
heading, in the midst of some thirty or
more dingy-looking operatives, each of
whom held candle in his hand or had it |
attached somewhere to his body.
''We got of the cars trembling with the |
excitement Of the journey, and though we
had been prepared for il, there was flash |
OF light, and down we almost fell to the
rocky floor. The tunnel blasts had been
fired. Our ears were stunned as by the |
explosion of battery Of sixty-four pound
ors ten.fold intensified, and the stricken |
air rushed by us as the gust of q tempest, |
while off through the mountain reyerbe- |
rated the sound like oit-repoated thunder.
0ur party bore ii well. few days before
our visit some ladies tainted at the shock. |
The blast was repeated. Forty drillings
were exploded. We then went forward TO |
the heading About two hundred feet
from it were the drilling machines, and in
front OF them two heavy gates, placed |
partly across the tunnel TO prevent rocks
from being thrown too far toward tho |
worlmen. Near thega gateswas the galvanic
battery used for firing the blasts which aro
exploded six times q day. About ono
bundled feetfrom tho heading was a rock
several hundred pounds in weight. 1t had
been thrown 80 far from the blast We
clambored over the ruins Ave thousand
seven hundred feet from the tunnels on
trance, and pulled out some of the quartz
through which the drills nre now making
slow progress, aud hurried TO the cars.
"Wogo back to open air as soon as pos |
sible, concluding we would much rather
follow you over tho mountain than try TO |
get any further throughit. Our way out
was beset with perils, not theleast of which
wero two nitro-glycerine explosions at tho
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