The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-07-25
The suIRo TUNNEL.
Boring \ Hole 2o,lzo Feet Long
1900 Feet Below the Surface Of
fha EaRth

01. ana e, ae,o1 ,se a1rtaee ~
,oVy
me hefth'
The news came from Gan Francisco
yesterday, that at II o'clock on Monday
night a connection was made between the
sn,,o TunneI and the !. $50 foot level Of
~ $500 M;na ubsn "a .tronR draft oI
- ~ - - 49, ~. r;re y ,r5
an ~ once PouieI nv % 60. - -.
1Gen. suro entering the eH.sBe WORK.
from the tunnel = general lolhncahon en-
sued" n
The obisc. Of this remarkable engineer.
ing work Is 10 facilitate mining opera.
lions on he Comstock lode, whore the
miner, have reached . depth Of from one
thousand 10 two thousand three hundred
feet The expense Of pumping up the
water from such 4 depth IL enormous
from 81 900 900 to 5000 900 Is the esti.
mate: besides, work Is difficult In an at
mosphere Of from e5 TO l20 degrees,
where the water Il often at 4 tempera-
ture Of 1907. In some places miners can
only handle tie pick for Eve minutes at
a time. having then 10 retreat to the
cooling place. into which compressed
air 10 introduced, 90 that Il often fakes
three or four men TO keep one pick go
ing. A recent item ret down the daily
consumption Of Ice per man insome parts
Of these mines at % pounds. The aim
Of the sutro Tunnel was to create, As il
we're a nav surface and A new poipt of
departure. nearly 1900 feet below the
ground, To this depth the natural Aow
Of he water will drain the mine. Il is
Ia contemplation 10 make the motive
force OF the water falling from above
pump up that gathered below, the whole
being discharged at the tunnel level.
Further. the tuupel will yentilate the
mine M though he shafts, thus enabl-
ipg The men 70 DO more work st less er-
pense. Again. a wire rope transportation
with double track will convey the ore,
e,c, 10 tbe surtaco with infinitely greater
ease and less cost than Il could Be hoisted
10 The ton Of The shaft. Lastly, the Car.
son River flows near the mouth Of the
tunnel, and, having . considerable fall,
ia power will be used TO compress air 10
be sent into all the mines 10 cool the
atmosphere and propel machinery.
The coat Of hois;ine and transporting
TO The mills At Virginia City Of the / 800
tons OF ore daily produced by the Com
stock lode IL placed at S4,500. The tun.
mel company claim that il can deliver the
same ore NJ the mouth Of the tunnel ut
the town Of sutro, Lyon county, New, Al
an expense OF $50, thus making the new
town a rival, or rather the successor TO
Virginia Civ, With these advantages,
II will be possible 10 take out low grade
ore, that now Il does not pay 10 extract,
long after the bonsnras have been ex-
haus,ed.
The Sutro Tunnel Company has, under
act Of CONGRESS, a right 10 charge g =
ton on ali ore extracted from all the
mines after It's completion, which,
with the other sources Of revenue indica.
ted above. should secure handsome profit
for liz stockholders, who further own
5 OO0. acre trac, 4, the mouth Of the tun-
pel. where a town is 70 be built and
works will be erected. The same act Of
Congress al,o gives them all the mines
not preyiou,ly owned for q distance OF
3 600 ieet on each side OF the tunnel for
.eyep miles in length. A dozen or more
ousrtx lode, some showing assays Of
rom 80 10 $40 ton. are cut BY the tun-
nel but will not be worked till lie main
Object has been accomplished.
Iii. now about eight years since work
was bsoun at The mouth Of the tunnel in
Inc valley of The Carson. which stream
Nssbe. The eastern b.se Of the Wmhoe
range. II Il doubIe.tracked, straight "a
a srrow IN liz course-indeed from ia
extremity the faint star Of light at It's
entrance can be seen. The riae IL lost
sufficient for drsinsge: three air shafts
,nsure ven,il.,ion. To Be precise, ground
was broken October 10. 1859, with lin.
lad meaps-:pdeed Il was some time ere
machinery was introduced TO do the
horinv In 1863 there were constructed
4So feet: in 1870. i,29O; 10 1871, 9l5; in
1872, sl5: in 1878, ], 9l9; in 1874, machine