Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-14

from first to last, the greater number of acc
dents occurring at the central shaft Four yeaI
ago the house over the mouth of the shaI
burned, smotheriug thirteen persons TO dealt
Several times one or two have met their fate b
the breaking away of the buckets. q
falling from the scaffoldings placed at interval
in the shaft, so that latterly parties ar
much less inclined to descend into the openin
of death. 1t is rather disagreeable to think a
falling thousand or so feet before touchin
terra frma. A very curious accident happene,
once in the eastern branch. A thunder Shove
coming up very suddenly, the superintendent
sent messenger post haste to warn those in
side who were making ready to set off blast
the heading, then mile from the mouth. HC
ran with breathless speed, and was almost in
hang distance, when a violent explosion
almost stunning him by the conclusion, told Tho
sad story; he was too late. As they were adj
justing the tubes, the explosion took place, in
stantly killing three men, All danger from such
sourceis now obviated, however, by charging the
batteries within the tunnel.
Nearly three hundred men are employed in
all. They are divided into gangs, each gang
laboring eight hours, though :.fany of the men
work sixteen. The work is prosecuted night
and day, excepting the twenty tours of the Sab
bath.
1t is quite an experience TO 90 up to the
heading" A funny looking locomotive, CON
structed rather on the principle of strength than
beauty, dubbed the "Gov. Clafin," takes the
visitor in mile or more. 1t draws perhaps
twenty-five dump cars, and "dumpy" describes
them admirably. At the regular hour, the
wheeling, fussy little engine takes in forty or
fifty workmen and tools, and it is quite weird
and picturesque scene to look back over the
swaying train and see the figures looming up
strangely and grotesquely in the flicker
ing light of the candle that each one
holds, to which additional effect is given
by the sudden glow Illuminating the faces
from the Whit at the pipe, a luxury in which all
indulge; and so you go swinging and ioltng
past the numbers on the sides, which mark the
distance, through the smoke and black darkness
into the heart of the mountain. The tunnel is
straight, and when it is free from smoke, you
can distinguish the opening mile from the end,
though usually Erebus rules the entire distance
Shortly after entering, a pinching sensation of
the air was slightly felt, caused by the concus-
sion from the blast at the heading" TWO miles
away. The temperature is the same winter and
summer; but the air is damp, and sulphurous,
powdery odor is generally very perceptible, SO
that, as my companion suggested, the illusion
of descent into the Internal regions was almost
perfect. | told him / presumed he ought to
know.
The excavation has been made large enough
for double track all the way, and the arch is
the required height of eighteen feet for some
thing over half the distance to the heading on
the east side; it will be a comparatively easy
task to finish up when the "hoe'' is once
through. After leaving the cars with a cane,
"a great comfort so employed), and a lantern,
you stumble along over rocks and into little
pools Of water, so nice and cool, you know, I'M
til you reach the heading" Here the fresh
relay of workmen remove the debris of the last
blast while current escaping from the pipe
with rush like steam, supplies an abundance
of pure air. On either side upon narrow track
are two frameworks about twenty feet long,
eight wide, and six high, which present front
to the solid rock. Upon one are mounted four
and on the other five of the drilling machines.
They have no connection, each being managed
separately. They are worked by means of COM
pressed air, which is driven into the east OPEN
ing by four turbine wheels in the machine
shop just outside, one of 200 and the others of
100 horsepower, each turbine driving four pis-
tons with such force that the pipe by the friction
Of no nil &c hot 70 tla nj.
| drilling makes deafening CHATTER and sometimes
it makes one feel a little apprehensiye lest the
old mountain should tumble in, the trifing
space of air between your head and the vast
mass of az0ic, palaeozoic and what not above
adding force to the reflection. Upon tue east
side the drift has been through mica slate al
most exclusively, and occasionally little flint,
and also at the central shaft, while at the west
end the rock has been harder, and veins of
quartz and formations of various kinds have
been met. The drills, which are generally used
but once, bore between two and three feet, and
then the blast is made, upon one side first, and
then after an interval of half a minute. upon
the Other three blasts in twenty-four hours
being the average. Six feet is considered a fair
daily advance. During April three hundred
and sixty-nine feet in all were completed
Quite village has sprung up near the tunnel,
not remarkable for the architectural grandeur
of the edfces, which are built, however, upon
avenues called by the suggestive, if not eupho-
NOUS names, castle Garden, peanut Row."
etc.
A visit to the dam and the cascade, both easy
of access, will well repay. The tunnel will cost
s12OOO,OOO? Next to the Mt. Gents tunnel
under the Alps, which is seven miles long, it
will be the longest in the world, and its compile
ton will be hailed as one more link in binding
the different states by the close ties of CONNER
| cial interest. c. F. FALCULA.