Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-17
visit to santa Anita Tunnel.

N AbAb ~ 30 u So n AesA = 81
This afternoon we paid visit to the
new water tunnel in process Of being
bored at the Santa Anita canon in the
Sierra Madre mountains. Turning off
Grand View avenue to the left after
passing N. G. Carriers ranch, our way
lay past Mr.. Richardson's picturesque,
old.fashioned, vine-clad cottage down to
the winding canon trail, shaded from
the warm afternoon sun by bushes, syca.
mores and live oaks. A clear stream, al
ways audible and often visible, hurried
by on our right. The larger ferns are
still green and luxuriant under the shelter
of the trees and the canon sides. The
poteris aguilinus stretched its great tri.
angular frouds over the sides OF the trail
and the wood.Wardia' spread out its
feathery crow in lavish profusion at the
waters edge. A few late gold.backs
glimmered through the brush. The
poison .oak, like some evil-hearted siren
delighting to entrap the unwary, dis
played its beautiful crimson leaves against
the dark background of the live oak. A
sudden bend in the path let in the sun.
shine and disclosed the small door
that forms the entrance to the tunnel.
We were fortunate enough to find Mr..
Smith, under whose experienced manage.
ment the arduous work of boring three
hundred feet into the solid granite is be.
ing SO successfully carried on, sufficiently
at leisure for the moment to allow of his
explaining to us his mode of operation.
He very courteously invited US to enter
the passage and supplied US with lighted
candles that we might penetrate as far
as possible into the gloom. We were
fully prepared to find the task of explora-
tiou rough and difficult, but were agree
ably disappointed in both respects The
passage way, about six feet high by three
feet wide, was carefully boarded at the
top and sides with stout lumber, all of
red wood. Underfoot was ten inch
plank laid over cross.beams. We were
thus protected from the drip from above
and from the stream of water rushing out
beneath our feet. The boarding extends
almost as far as the cutting. Whsre it
ends we saw the clear mountain water
gushing out of the granite in full and
rapid flow. Where the rock is dry the
blasting is done by setting light to fuse
made of gun-powder enclosed in three
wrappings of tape stepped in tar. When
water is flowing, powder saturated with
nitro. .glycerine Ito render it impervious
to damp) is ignited by electricity. The
nitro.g .glycerine is the most powerful ex.
plosive known. 1t dislodges the rock at
both sides of it, while the black powder
of the fuse only blasts outwards. Mr..
Smith drew our attention to the lines OF
his electric battery, which run along the
side Of the tunnel and showed us the lit.
tie metal cap furnished with wires that
he attached to them to discharge the
nitro -glycerine. Looking outwards from
the watery grotto in which the passage
terminates, we could see the sunlight
through veil of tears. so straight is
the line of the tunnel. The air at the
far end felt close and oppressive.
The work of excavation has been in
operation since last March. 1t is COM
puted that the tunnel will have to be car.
ried about hundred and thirty feet
farther, in which case it will take three
months to complete the structure. The
boarding is not mere temporary job.
The red wood, protected from the sun,
ought to last hundred years.