The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-01-11
THE SUTRO TUNNEL.
An Exploration OF three Miles under
NOuut Davidson.

"bNhtt DhN AuNVu.
confess, says a correspondent Of the
New York Times, that previous to my
advent in Nevada | had not ever heard
Of the Sutro tunnel, and there is con-
ISOLATION ola certain kind in the belief
that most people in the east are still ig-
norant OF It's existence, But it has been
the object Of long and bitter fight in con
gres', in its progress, which has not been
delayed since its inception, despite the
Legislative warfare, has beer watched
with the greatest interest by the most
eminent engineers at home and abroad.
That progress has been extraordinary,
though it has been unnoticcd save in an
occasional paragraph circulated by the
associated press. On November the
eighth the tunnel had been driven A.
9l5 feet under the mountains, eighty
feet having been driven by sixty.fve
men, with the lngersoll drill, during the
week ending on that date. The rock
penetrated had been porphyry of a
whitlsh color, containing pyrites, four
hundred and seventy carloads of which
had beed excavated during the week,
and l,422 drills had been sharpened.
These figures brought the work for Oct
tober up to the following totals: Head
ing advanced from l4,5l4 to II 1888 feet;
car loads Of rock e%xcavated, 2077; drills
sharpened, 1854. Thus, while the tun-
mel is yet incomplete, it is already longer
than any other tunrel in America, and
the Roadway it is making is almost with.
out a parallel, If you give the figures a
moments thought you will realize how
immense the work is chat Adolph Sotro,
the protector and superintendent, has
done, and how magnificent the result
will be when it is finished. The tunnel
starts in the Carson valley, and will
penetrate the ComstOck lode four miles
further west, at a perpendicular depth of
1000 feet. In order to hasten the work
four shafts have been sunk, about one
mile apart from each other, and the first
reached the tunnel level nearly three
years ago. The e~asterly drift of this
shaft met the heading of the tunnel, and
SO accurate had the surveys been that
the variation did not exceed a single
nch-that is to say, two bodies OF men
working in the darkness of the bowels Of
Il mountain, boring their way toward
each Otner through masses of rock, met
face to face, the tunnel OF one party con.
tlnulng that of the other with the dit.
ference of an inch, or less. Shaft No.
two reached a depth of l,04l feet in
April, 1874. and after drifting two hun
dred feet in each direction, a large
quantity OF water, with a temperature OF
deg, was encountered in the
westerly drift, which rushed in with
such force that the men barely escaped
with their lives. The main tunnel was
cut through this shaft in 1875, and the
water, which Immediately after the ac.
rose to a height OF nireI hundred
eet, was drained off. Shaft No. three
vas also drowned out, and shaft No,
our has reached a depth of 1885 feet.
Che main tunnel will be the ganglion of
system of tributary tunnels, which {
will i-radiate in every direction: and
not one but all the mines on the !
ode. !
\ glance at the situation of Virginia
lily and its famous minesis necessary I
perfect understanding of the utility of |
he work. The railway that bears all l
he wealth to and from the outer world
like a great snake unfolding itself. To +
iy that tits winding does not adequately '
Spressits miraculous siEuosity III lodges {
a and out and round by a bewildering z
multiplicity of curves, and plays a : y
intalizing game of hide.snd seek with !