The daily gazette., 1878-07-11
Ihe SutrO Tunnel-A Gigantic
Enterprise.


The Sutro tunnel, one of the greatest
engineering projects of modern times, is
rapidly approaching completion. On
Monday night the tunnel struck the
great Comstock lode, and connection was
opened between it and the 1,Gj0-foot lev
el OF the Savage mine. Gen. Adolf Sutro
the protector of the enterprise, was pres
ent, and his triumph was complete when
he entered the Savage works from the
tunnel. The latter begins in the Carson
valley, four miles east of the Comstock
lode. -Four perpendicular shafts were
started, at equal distances along the
route, from the surface, to meet the main
tunnel. The workings from the first
shaft and the entrance met about four
and half years ago. The second shaft
encountered body of water, which burst
out so suddenly that the workmen We
obliged to flee for their lives, and the
shaft became a well. The main tunnel
reached thir shaft in 1875 and drained the
water. The third shaft was also drown
ed out. 1t was feared few weeks ago
that the course Of the tunnel was going
east OF the drift from the 4,650-ioot level
OF the Savage mine, but this fear has
been happily unfounded, The work on
the tunnel has been prosecuted for nine
years, at an average cost of ST. 900 day,
the total expenditure having amounted TO
nearly S4,000,000. To raise the money
a deed of trust or mortgage was executed
in 1873 by the Sutro Tunnel Company
to Robert McCalmont, ofNo. Is Philpot
lane, London, England, merchant, and
Isaac Seligman, of 3 Angel court, Throck-
morton ST., London, England, merchant,
as trustees, to secure payment of princi-
pal and interest on the bonds to be issued
to the amount ofSS, ,00H 900 gold or f1,-
100000 sterling. The deed or mortgage
conveys to McCalmont and Seligman.
i'll trust as joint tenants, and not as ten
ants in common, all the right, title and
| interest of the Sutro Tunnel Company in
| and to the tunnel land, and other prop
erty ofthe company, and all rights, privi-
leges, and franchises thereupon apper-
tanning, until the principal and interest
on the bonds are paid.
The company is allowed twenty-five
years, or until October |, 1902, in which
to redeem the last of the bonds, and an
extention on those first falling due was
recently granted to January l, 1S91.-
| There is good prospect of an abundant
return for the enormous outlay. The
| immense deposits of silver ore in what is
known as the Comstock lode, under Vir-
gnia City, Nevada, are 1000 feet below
the surface of the hills under which they
lie. At rough estimate 5000 tons of
waste rock are lifted 1000 feet daily, and
the water has to be pumped into sys-
TEN Of cisterns 200 feet apart at enor-
nous labor and expense. When the
Sutro tunnel is in operation the water
from the mines can be run Off through it.,
and companies who are pumping water
1000 feet can discharge it at an elevation
of 100 or POO feet. The tunnel intersects
the lode at a depth of about 1,G40 feet;
it will reduce the immense cost of drain
age to a minimum, perfect the ventila-
tion and stimulate the production of the
mine.
From its main line branches will run
out to tap all the mines, and all the COM
panies, it is thought, will avail themselves
of its aid. The flooding of mines with
| water, and the expense incurred and time
lost in removing it, have often proved
formidable, and sometimes unsurnount-
able obstacles. The tunnel will to a
great extent, remove these OF render them
trifing, and for every dollar the compan-
les pay to the tunnel they will put two
into their own pockets. The ore and
| waste rock will be easily run out on the
horizontal railroad which goes through
the tunnel. 1t is double tracked, as
| straight as an arrow in its course, with
a rise just sufficient for drainage.
| AT the mouth of the tunnel the Sutro
Company have laid out town, have Sc
cured magnificent water powers, and ex-
pect to realize largely on that part of
their investment by the removal of most
of the mining and milling operations on
the vein from Virginia City to this new
town of Carson. Some years ago several
of the principal mining companies work
ing the Comstock lode entered into a
combination to resist the payment OF
royalty to the tunnel company, but about
a month ago directors of nearly all these
hostile companies passed resolutions
withdrawing from the combination,
leaving each company free to deal with
the tunnel company as it sees fit. All
the mining companies, it is expected, will
eventually ratify contracts with the tun-
mel company.