The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-29

heing hewn out of the solid rock, and |
there all is darkness, dampneSS and |
gloom. In places the floor of these |
tunnels is comparatively dry, and at |
other places it is covered with water; |
but dry or wet the men go ahead with
their work all the same. Here and
there are trenches, and the men at
work all have lamps on their caps.
Sometimes a assure in the rock over
head gives way, and then men hurry
to the spot with Oakum, ETC., and soon
the flow of water is checked. These
dangers are frequent, but still the work
goes on, day and night, for the gov
eminent furnishes the money, Hell
Gate, through which many congress
men and other politicians will pass,
having been remembered when the
river and harbor bill was up in con-
gress. In eXcavating these chambers
or tunnels, holes are drilled in the
rock and then filled with three ounces
of dynamite. The conclusion caused
by the explosions cannot be heard at
the extreme portions of the mine, but
there is perceptible vibration of the
works. Should these explosions cause
an opening that could not be stopped
the result would be terrible, for the
great pressure of water would quick
ly enlarge the opening and the escape
of the men would be impossible.
There are upwards of five acres of
Subterranean excavations, in which
there are something like five miles of
walk or avenues. These vary in width
from twenty to twenty-five feet,
and in height from six to
thirty feet. By the cutting of these
tunnels lengthwiSe and croSSwiSe at
regular intervals chambers are
formed, the intervening rock remain
ing being called the pillars, each of
which is on an average fifteen feet
square, and serve to support the roof
of this maze of chambers and the
great weight of the river above 1t.
The roof rock left standing is about
fifteen feet thick, and all this, it is
expected, will be removed at one final
blast about two years hence. 1t will
fall into the chambers below and
leave broad, safe channel twenty-siX
feet deep. AT present about 200 men
are employed in the mine, divided
into three gangs, each of which works
eight hours out of twenty-four. The
men are provided with rubber suits in
addition to their own clothing, and
with a miners hat with torch or
lamp attached. A narrow gauge rail-
way extends through each avenue,
upon which are run tramcarS for the
conveyance of, the rock and sand to
the main shaft, whence it is hoisted
by machinery and dumped into a
| lighter alongside the rock, and lowed
to where the river is deep and there
dumped. The cars are propellnd by
three mules that have not been out of
| the mine or seen daylight in four
years. Near the shaft is large pass
age or room, into which hot air is in
| troduced for the purpose of drying
the miners clothes. The temperature
in the mine averages 700 and is very
pure, the air machines and COM
pressers for working the COM
pressed air-drills being located on the
surface, as are also the boiler and en-
CINE used in hosting. The system of
ventilation in the mines is good. The
holes now being drilled for the final
blast are ten feet deep and three
inches in diameter, and as fast as
drilled they are plugged until all are
completed, when they Will be charged
with dynamite. The system of eXplO-
sion will be the same as that at Hal
| let's Point, few hundred feet
from Hell Gate in 1916, all the holes
being charged, wire being placed in
each charge, the whole number being
merged into one which will be eharg=
/ ed with electricity from powerful
battery on the main shore, after all
buildings and machinery have been
| removed from the mine and surface
of the work.
Newspaper men everywhere and all
others whO!have for years have suffer
ed by the arbitrary power of an organ
iZation known DIS the associated press
will be glad to learn that the day is
not far distant when the transmits
sion of newspaper news and com mer-
cial dispatches, ETC., will not be con-
trolled by that or any other organiza-
ton. The recent successful tests of
long distance telephones by which
the minuteSt sounds can be conveyed
{ yer miles of space and the accu-
raey obtained in the transmission
of messages, have revived the
interest of the reading public in the
| termination of that vast and grasping
monopoly. Daily journals in the
smaller cities of the country, and
especially papers in their babyhood,
will be greatly benefited by the col
lapse of this monopoly and the intro
duction of the telephone for the gen.
eral transmission of news. There is
no telling how many have
been forced into bankruptcy owing to
their inability to procure reports out
side of this close corporation. y eS-
terday Mr.. II. Cummins, the manager
of the new postal telegraph, was in
terviewed and he said:
sour lines are almost ready for
work, and l think we will give the
news better than any system of tele-
phone or telegraph ever before known.
The days of exclusive news reports
are over. Any one can receive all the
messages they want from all points
at reasonable rate. We can trans
NIT the Chicago press news entire in
less time than it now takes to prepare
it for the wires. Over 1000 words per
minute both ways.
Besides, the telephone people can
fix their machines to our wires and
talk all they want with Chicago or
any other point. We are not going
to consolidate with any other COM
pany. We will make more by running
independently. Our news lines are
open to all, and l think the days of
news monopoly are about over"
TALKING WITH PERSONS IN CLEvE-
LAND.
The experiment of talking by tele-
phone with parties in Cleveland was
also tried yesterday at the Office of
the Postal telegraph company, and.
like the previous one. was success.
The distance is about $50 miles. The
instruments employed were the re-
ceiver and transmitter of the Mole
cular telephone company. The trans
mitter consists of box in which is
an induction coil.
| TEXAS NEwSPAPERS-THEIR CIRCU-
LATION.
| Your correspondent was this week
shown advance sheets of newspaper
directory that will be issued April list,
by Mr.. AFRO Golf, the advertising
agent who is so enegetically looking
after the STATESMAN's business inter-
ests here. Turning to the page con-
tanning the Texas papers, he was
pleased to find them more favorably
and correctly quoted as to circulation
than in any directory he had before
seen The fact is the growth of Texas
and the growth of herneWspapers has
been SO rapid the past few Years. that
the outside world has not been able
% keep 1[rr 1<I A. 8o'l 8