, 1873-11-14
THE HOOSAC TUNNEL.
Its Approaching Complexion, General
Fczltnrca, and Cost Of COlistr.sctfon.

x
From, tho Ne,u York Ford, Mop. Q. :,
Now England, nB writer has pointed out,' is
"aoparatou from tho rest OF tho Unltod Station
by tLo woatorn ridge Of tho Appalachian ohnin,"
aud It y through tho Pa.t of thia riage know,
been In course of construction for so1ne years,
and which orc many months will be open for
traffic, has boeu run. Tho completion Of this
work will opon = now through route from tho
minus at Troy. BY tho tunnel routo tho diatnnce
from Troy to boston will be 1872 miles, boing
saving IN distance Of 80 mloa aa COM
pared with that from Albany to Boston by
tho Boston d Albany Railroad. But a nucl,
than In distance, tho maximum grade on tho
tunnel line bong GO feet per milo, against B5
feet on the Boston & Albany Linn.
The yogf on o h9esao 1sHa qnnel was COM
abandoned md recommended gome throo or four
times within period OF twenty years, until III
December, 1868, 4 contract for completing IT
within five years "4s taken BY tie present con con
Since then tho work has gono forward without
interruption, and with constantly improving
progress, until now lilo pierong Of
tie nE,t!.,ns mountain is within VT, 49, few days
ing to be excayatea Nov: being only
242 foot. The. time required to complete
the work, including tho laying Of the permanent
track, will DO about seven months from tho 1st
cd to moot, thus completing tho boring Of the
mountaip-about tic 25th instant and tho tuu-
mol will probably bo opon for traffic by tho 9Th
Of July ncxt.
Tie total length of tho uoosac Tunnel Ia four
milea and tl1roe.duartors. It is "a feet wido.
that being sufficient for double line Of rails.
and its height il 2S feet, Compared with the
Mont Gents Tunnel, aftor which 1t takcB rank in
point Of length (tho formor is about soyen miles
milea long,, tho conditions attending tho work
Of tho Hoosao made it o much moro difficult un-
dortakiug. YAo oxieouoios Of tho situation .re-
quired tGat the work should DO carried out by
rnoaue of shafts, Of which tloro are two-tle
west shaft. about half q milo from tho
western rortnl, npd 8l8 feet doom md the CEN
trai shaft, which Is sunk in tho lowest part OF
Tho mountain botweeu tho two ends. to tho
alone, to allow Of tho tunnel being driven east
and west, involved m expenditure OF $500, 900.
The gonoral character of tho work to DO dealt
with presented unusual diflicultios to tho
progress Of tho work. among the mon omployod
upon which wero soveral saVoyaras and Pied
monteso, who brought their Mont Ccnis or
perionco to bear upon what they nj! pronounced
!, to bo o far harder work than thoy bnd eyer
encountered in tho .great Alpine tunnel.
Tho explosive usol las been chiefly MI
tro-glycerlne, manufactured On the spot by
Mr.. q. n. Aobrny, whose laboratory is
as vol worth tho attention Of visitors as are tho
tunnel works. Tho drilling has boon done by
|. tho NHurioigh rock-drlll,' manufactured IN
Fitchburg. Alass and the power used was tho
atmosphere comprosaad to pressure OF from
iifty-throe to sixty-iye pounds On tho square
machinery and supplying oxygon to the hun"
dreds OF men employed IN tho work. From their
commencement undor tho present contractors
tho WORKS laYo boon carried on without interrupt