New-York tribune., 1871-09-28
THE HOOsAO TUNNEL.
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE
ENTERPRISE.

'hESbhT CONDITlON OF THH WOkh-A fBkT TV
THE TUNNEL - COMPARISON WITH THE
MONT GEMS TuNNEL-RELArIvR COST AND
IMPORTANCE. ,...a..
ISRoM ouR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NORTH ADAMS, Mass, Sept. 17.-The recent
opening Of the Mont Cen Tunnel dlreCtS public aten-
ton IN this country to the condition Of the only similar
In the world approaching 1t in magnitude
the tunnel through the HoOsAc Mountains. in western
which commenced nearly % years ago.
and upon which about years Of work has been en-
pended The project first commenced in $780, before
the days Of railroads the idea ct that time being to carry
a canal through the mountains to connect the
waters Of tho Hudson and Connecticut Rivera
Soon afterward the en- Of railroad pulding
began and Commission, appointed BY the State Govern
ment, to find feasible route from Boston TO Albany
examined the mountain region In the part
OF the State but tho difficulties In the way OF building
road either over or through the great rockv barrier that
stretches southward from the Green Mountains OF Yer
mont were so great that less direct route by Way OF
Springfield and PttsAeid was determined upon. The
Boston and Albany Railroed was chartered ana COM
peted In lsI9 The tunnel project langusned out was
tfully sgitated from time TO time, and never entirely
abandoned. The people living about Greenfield ana
through the northern part Of the State reaseo e iac
that the direct and natural highway between Boston
and the West by way Of Troy and the NewYork Central
their doors and that nothing prevented
Its opening but some ave miles thick OF mountain WALL
towering ND hight OF 2oo feet that barred the way
The inhabitants Of the region lying west Of this WALL
comparatvey isolated from the rest OF the State, were
of courSe eager to have route opened by which their
products could reach the capital and commercial metop
oils Of the Commonwealth. The merchants OF Boston
finally became convinced Of the Importance Of opening
second and shorter line to the West which should com
pete with and Albany Road and give needed
additional transportation facilities.
In ls4s the Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company was
chartered to construct road from Greenfield the
Connecticut up the valley Of Deerneld Creek to and
through the HOosao Mountain to North Adams, and
thence along the Hoosac River to the Vermont ne on
the way to Troy. 1t was easy road to build except
for the great mountain barrier that separated the valleys
OF the Deereld aud the Hoosac In 1851 wsrk was be-
gun the present tunnel at the east side Of the noun
tan with pouderOus and costly machine, which was 70
cut the full OF the tunnel 1t proved failure,
and the Company. finding the undertaking more formd
able than had been Imagined ceased work until 1884,
when the State voted loan Of 0OO and took mort
gage the COmpanys property The work went slowly
until 1861, when the funds gave out. In 1862 the
State fOreeosed s mortgage at the desire OF the Com
pany, appointed commissions TO carry on the enter
PRISE appropriations After six years OF
management by commissions, the Legislature, weary
OF making constant appropriations and seeing small
results authorized the Governor to make contract for
the entire work Of completing the tunnel which was
done with Messrs. F. ShaDley Co. Of Canada, for
a $4,000 Since that time the enterprise has been
vigorously pushed the contractors having agreed to
hnish the tunnel blythe 18th of March. 1874
The distance from end to end Of the tunnel is S+oo
miles or in round numbers a. The work Of excavatnR
prosecuted both ends and in both directions from
central shaft The tunnel has advanced II miles
from the eastern entrance miles from the western,
and $50 feet the center leaving about II miles yet to
complete. The method Of construction is to dnve
heading about feet high by II broad and afterward en-
large the aperture to the full sEe of 2 feet by a. By
keeping headings hundreds Of yards in advance
Of the enarGements work b prosecuted on both at the
same time, and twice many men are employed as
could I've used the tunnel made Of complete size as
fast 1t ia carved forward into the mountain About
zoo men are constantly employed, OF whom moro than
500 work in the tunnel The tunnemen consist Of two
classes; the miners, who do the drilling, and the
muckers," who remove the pieces OF rock after the
blasting Is done. They DIVIDED into three gangs
who labor eight hours each In the a. There s OF COURSE
necessity Of stopping work when night comes for In
the tunnel it is always night Of the backest kind the
darkness appearing to have palpable consistency,
which the rays of candle penetrate but few feet The
drills are driven by simple machines resembling the piston
of steam engine the power being supplied by air con-
densed and water power near the entrances,
and driven in along strong iron tubes about IS inches in
diameter The expansion of the air acts just like the
banding force Of steam and drives pstonrod back and
FORTH striking rapid blows upon the head Of the drill
The air escaping purify the atmosphere in the
tunnel and drives out the noisome vapors which are
generated by the explosions OF powder and nitrogycer
Ine Pour Of the drilling g-machines are attached to
strong Frame and goared as to be movable ike pivot
guns The frame rollers, and is advanced until
the drills in position against the rock When the
holes are made the explosive cartridges Of nitro
gycerne-are inserted the machine is moved back out
OF tho way Of flying pieces Of rock, wires are at
tached TO the cartridges, the workmen retreat to
safe distance and the foreman res the blast with bat
~ ~
tight to zee all the holes have been fired, shouts all
eight and the men return TO load the pieces Of rock
upon cars and get the drills In position again blast
s usually made at each heading about once every four
hours At the eastern entrance small cars propelled by
dimnutive locomotive run all the way TO the heading
and carry the rock the tunnel having been pushed
straight from the side Of the mountain through alter
nate veins Of tacslate and micasate which make firm
and roof but at the western entrance the
gineers had to contend with greater difficulties. The
rock for the first quartermile is mica schist which
readily dsnegrates by the action OF air and water and
forms what L. called demoraliSed rock" or "pOrrdge"
Il cannot be depended ION for walls roof and with
great labor brick archway courses thick had to
be constructed While this In progress shaft was
sunk In the mountain sde Ss eet TO the proper grade
which reached the firm tacslate and from the bottom
OF this shaft the tunnel pushed eastward under the
mountain and westward toward the entrance the rock
being conveyed IN small drawn by mules to the foot
Of the shaft, and hoisted 70 the surface ny ACnor1
above.
To understand the situation and importance OF the
Hoosac Tunnel the next best thing to taking look at 1t
Is TO examine map Of Massachusetts, large enough to
show the mountain ranges In Berkshire County 1t will
be seen that Mountain formation comes down
into Massachusetts, in number OF parallel ranges and
finally Is lost in the high hills that bound the HOUSE
tonic Valley In Connecticut The HoOssc Mountain is
the Of system All the others are more OF
less broken by valleys The Hoosac is the water
shed It's eastern base is washed by Deerfeld Creek
nne, rapid stream, which runs in south
ery direction until 1t reaches the eastern entrance
70 the tunnel, where 1t turns abruptly to the
easfwand and Coca off To ioin the Connecticut, 80