The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-24
III o o s A G..
The Four-nnIe Tunnel in massnchusett

The FOur-NIile Tunnel in Massachusetts.
The present condition of the work on the
great Hoosac Tunnel is described by cor
respondent of the Boston J0WHdL who
says-
1.-The tunnel is making progress at the rate
of about ten feet day, which, with headings
leading from the central shaft left entirely
out of the question, would admit of its
completion in less than five years. The
Messrs. Shanly have four years and half
(until March 1, 1879 to complete their con-
tract and are constantly increasing their facili-
ties for work. SO that there appears but little
doubt of their abilityto to end their work within
the given time. At the present rate it will
take about year longer to sink the central
shaft In company with Mr.. Pratt,I stepped
up in front of the drilling machines to OBJ
serve their operations They evidently do
their work effectually. There were drills to
the right of us and drills to the left of us, and
shower of stone dust came down on our
heads from the working of other drills above
us. 1t was place no one would care to re-
main in long if he could easily get away, and
how the miners stand it is a mystery. To be
immured in such gloomy dungeon any way
is bad enough, but to be shut up with such a
terrific clatter about ones ears adds ten thou
sand fold to the discomfort
Cup to August 81 the east heading had
reached distance of 1888 feet from the por
| tai. The present depth of the shaft is 675
| feet, and the bucket is attached to sort of
| elevator, which runs down in grooved timbers
| to within fifty feet or so of the bottom. A
! minute and half to two minutes is usually
| the time occupied in hoisting or lowering
| bucket. 1t was at this place that thirteen
workmen lost their lives, October 10, 1867 in
| consequence of the burning of the buildings
! over the shaft by which means all chance of
escape was cut off. The water quickly filed
the bottom of the pit, and the bodies could
not be recovered for full year. This acci-
dent occurred at the depth of
| 5S3 feet. There have been other accidents
at this shaft, and no longer ago than the
30th of June three men were killed while de-
| scending in bucket. The engine ran away
from the one in charge, allowing the bucket
to descend with great rapidity, and to strike
upon some timbers by the way, throwing out
| the three men, while a fourth, by some
miraculous means, saved his life by jumping,
all four landing upon the wood work by the
| side. The shaft is twenty-seven feet by ff-
teen, and is filed for part of the space with
| timber work. There is now a series of lad
| ders upon the sides extending to the bottom,
by means of which the men might escape in
case of any accident in the hosting appa-
ratus
Arriving at the west shaft, party of four
was made up to accompany the superinten-
dent, Mr.. HI. H. Pratt, to the bottom and to
the west heading, some eighteen hundred feet
| beyond the shaft, The distance between this
shaft and the west portal is about twenty-five
hundred feet, and it is in this section of the
| tunnel that large brick tube is being con-
structed to guard against the caving of the
| demoralized rock, which has caused so much
trouble and about which SO much has been
said. The brick tunnel will reach to within
some three hundred feet of the shaft The
descent at this point is made in a sort of box
elevator, open on one side to admit car,
such as the rocks and debris are taken out
upon. One of these elevators is coming up
while the other is going down. The depth is
31S feet, or ninety-eight feet more than the
height of Bunker Hill Monument Rubber
suits were again brought into requisition, and
rubber boots also put on, for the bottom is in
| places very wet.
''To journey to this heading is a more diff
fcult matter than running in on a car at the
eastern end, and it involves little hard
work With Mr.. Pratt as a file leader and
our lamps dimly burning we march away
! from the shaft through the darkness, occa-
sionally tumbling over piece of rock or a
TIMBER some five hundred feet from the end
we are forced to Chamber up over the rocks
several feet, for the heading at this end
} is carried forward at the top instead of
at grade, as at the other end There is a
noise as of half q dozen cotton mills, and
l as many rushing, shrieking locomotives; as
we draw near the end of our journey, and
after jumping aside several times to avoid ina
ginary cars, we gather from Mr. Pratt, who
: shouts in our ears at the very top of his
voice, that the drilling machines are in opera
J ton Here, as at the other end the drills are
driven by compressed air, which is also used
to ventilate the tunnel. The rock now being
worked through, however, is much harder,
although of the same kind, and the progress
} made is somewhat less, averaging about three
feet day: Nitro-glycerine, instead of pow
, der is to be used in blasting, in the course
of the present month, and it is conjectured
that four feet per day will then be made.