Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-01-01

miles of fuse was required. The men
have burned twenty-five tons of cam
dies and consume monthly about
eighteen thousand dollars worth of
provisions. Straws show how the
wind blows, and we have introduced
these less important figures first to
give comprehensive idea of the real
subject in hand. We can, perhaps,
better describe the work in recounting
the experiences of
VISIT,
which we made to the tunnel few
weeks ago.
1t was five o'clock in the morning
when we alighted from the stage
coach in the eaiion on the Southern
slope of the mountains, where the
principal camp of the tunneling force
is located. The bright starlight had
hardly given place to the gray dawn
of morning, and over the rugged
peaks it cast shimmering halo that
softened every outline. Already there
were signs of life in the camp,
A PICTURE.
In the corral the horses whinnered
their satisfaction over the early meal,
and the teamsters were making prep
arations for the work of the day.
Down the road to the left were the
white tents of the Chinese force, and
through the canvas the bright fires
could be distinguished in subdued
glare. Now workman passes up the
road, hurrying to his task and the
sound of his footsteps dies away in an
echo from the caflon above, leaving
only the subdued murmur of prepara-
tion in the camps. Strolling down to
the base of the mountain before the
mouth of the tunnel,
A STRANGE SIGHT
met our gaze. Further than the eye
could pierce the black cavern extended
into the mountain side, and its depth
was only betrayed by the twinkling
lights in long perspective against its
sides. They seemed as they shOne
from the unfathomable darkness, a
thousand bright sparkles, like anoth-
er armament or charmed way lead
ing to some fairy land in the regions
below. Silence brooded over the scene,
adding another charm to Its novelty,
until broken by a low rumbling
sound as of distant thunder, that
came from the far depths. A star
seemed to have broken from its sisters
and came dancing and skipping and
twinkling toward us. Louder and
nearer approached the rumbling, un-
til at last there appeared in sight a
car rolling down the long track drawn
by two horses. Upon one OF the ami
mails sat the driver with miners
lamp fastened i'm his hat that had
formed
OUR BRIGHT PARTICULAR STAR,
as It peered from the darkness and
bore down upon US. Soon the odd
equipment passed and disappeared
down the approach and all again re-
lapsed into silence. Hark! ii is a be-
lated owl that sounds from his near
covert, his mournful to-mO0, tO-W0O,
tO-,ooo, and the strange note falls
like the wall of spirit upon our
senses. The scene is weird and ro-
mantle beyond description.
We found the Superintendent in
charge of the tunnel wOrk-Mr. Frank
Frates-an affable gentleman, and,
upon making our mission known, he
received us with every mark of kind
ness. A steaming hot breakfast was
soon dispatched with gusto, as our
long ride in the keen morning air had
considerably strengthened an appetite
at no time very captiOus. Then the
best horse in the camp was provided
for our use,
EVERY CONVENIENCE FOR INvEsTIGA-
TION
placed at our command, and, in COM
pany with Mr.. Koons, the book-keep-
er, we started on our tour of inspec-
tiOn. Proceeding first to the North
end of the tunnel We followed it's line
to the Southern extremity, taking a
road and bride path laid out over the
summit of the mountain range.
Here few words of
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
will be of service. The tunnel, as we
have previously stated, is nearly IA
mile and IA quarter in length, extend.
lily INOItu duu tSOutH. Iuio 10 CASiu-
sive of the approaches, heavily gra-
ded, which will aggregate probably
half or three quarters OF a mile. The
deepest point in the tunnel is 600 feet
below the top of the mountain sum-
nit. The excavation is made in the
form of a trapezoid, only that the top
which forms the longest side of the
figure is surmounted by an arch. 1t
is the usual shape which may be seen
in many places along the line of the
Central and Union Pacific railroads.
The width of the bottom is fourteen
feet, the height Of sides to the COM
mencement of arch sixteen feet, and
the height to centre of arch twenty
one feet. The sides and top are pro-
tected by
HEAVY TIMBERS,
braced, fitted and spiked into the aper-
ture, as soon as the earth Is removed.
The South approach ascends at u
grade Of two feet in one hundred un-
til it reaches the mouth of the tunnel
where the road-bed strikes uniform
gradient of lilo OF a foot in 100, rising
toward the North. At the Northern
extremity it reaches its highest point
and then descends with the same in
cline as the Southern approach.
WORK WAS COMMENCED