The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-03
Mere abort the Sutro Tunnel.

The completion OF the Sutro tunnel will
he matter OF national conSra'ulation.
Last nights dispatches state that the open
ING " the tunnel Yesterday for the rcccp-
iioa OF water from the ComStock mines was
successful in every respect. and that III
few hours the water in the iong-submcrged
mines was lowered one hundred feet. There
does not appear TO have been single cause
for disappointment, and the inces>ant toll
and expenditure of ten years is crowned
with perfect triumph. Ground was
broken for the Sutro tunnel on the
l9ih or October. 1869. The progress
was Very slow nj first, all drilling
having been by hand; but i'm the spring
OF 1874 experiments with the Burlcigh
drill haYin" demonstrated the advantages
to be derived from the use OF that machine.
n carriage capable OF supportin" six OF
those drills while at work was made and
on the 22sl OF June. 1874, four were started
The progress was now mEch more rapld
than ever before in the history Of tunnel
| lirg in the world, ana OR August 1ih. in
! The same wear, TWO more drills were put to
work. This made six altogether. From
! that date the average progress was over 800
| feet per month up 10 April, 1877, when, the
header having entered the broad ComStock
mineral belt, the heat became so in
| tense that two drills had 10 be taken
| off the carr iage. From that day the
average monthly progress fdld not exceed
two hundred and fifty feet. Work has been
continued uninterrnptcdlv from the time
! that ground was broken. but 1T times only
TWO men were At work IL the tunnel. Tie
! greatest progress was in December, 1879,
| when the header WAS advanced four Eun-
drud and seventeen feet. and the least IN
October. 1870, when il was only advanced
nineteen iccs. The total length OF the tun-
mel. is stated in the official chart. is POLIO
feet. The work has cost nearly $4,000. 900.
There is good prospect Of an abundant
return for tie enormous outlay. The
Immense deposits OF silver ore in what
Is known rs the COmstock lode, under
Virginia City, Nevada, are 1000 feet
below the surface Ct tic hills under
which they lie. At a rough estimate
5000 tons Of waste rock were lifted . ,00C
feet daily, and the water had to be pumped
into a system OF ci>tcrns 200 feet apart. al
, , enormous labor and expense. With tht
tunnel in operation, the water from The
mines can be run of throuShit. and colnra
mics which have been pumDin" water ZOO
feet can discharge it at an elevation CT 100 o
200 feet. The lunucl intclsecls the lode Il
Il depth Of about 1.G40 feet; it will reduce
the immense cost Of drainage to mini
mum, perfect the ventilation. and stimulate
the production OF the mine. From ii
main line branches will run out to ta
all the mines, and all the companies, it
thought, will avail themselves OF its aid
The ore and waste rock VIII be easily ru
out on the horizontal railroad which goe
through the tunnel. 1t is doublc.trackod
as straight as IN arrow in lis course. wit
rise Just sufficient for drainage. Som
years ago several OF the principal miniE:
companies working The Comstock lode en-
tered into 4 combination 10 resist the pay
meut Of royalty 10 the Tunnel Company
but recently the directors OF nearly ali tines
hostile companies passed resolutions WITH
drawing from the combination. !caNin!
each conn any free TO deal with the TUNE
Company as it sees iii. Ali the nlnin
companies, it is expected, will ratlfy con
tracts with the Tunnel Company.