Iron County register., 1888-04-26
THE HOOSAC TUNNEL.
One of the Most Wonderful Triumphs o
American Enterprtsa.

One of the Most Wonderful Triumphs of
American Enterprise.
The Hoosac mountain stretches
across the western part of Massachu-
setts. and forms natural barrier be-
TIVE en- tn at State and New York. How
to make direct line of communica-
ton between these neighboring States
was problem that it took half a cent
ury to solve. At the point chosen for
the excav alton of the tunnel. the top
of the ridge is 2 500 feet above the
level of the sea, and is approached on
the east by the valley of the Deerfield
river, and on the west by the Hoosac
river. a tributary of the Hudson.
These valleys begin not more than
i've miles apart and thus allow rail-
ways to reach the tunnel by easy
grades. AS early as 1925. commission
ers of the Legislature reported in
favor of tunneling the Hoosac mount
ain for canal. but nothing was done
about it, and in 1841 railroad going
over the moun' ain was completed. and
the tHnnel project was abandon
The building of a tunnel, however.
& Greenfield railroad. which was in
corporated in 1913. but no work was
done ON it for some years, owing to
the difficulty of obtaining assistance
from thu Safe. In 1854 the S tate Leg
islature passed an act providing for a
loan of credit to the amount of 50. 0OO.-
900 for the construction of the Hoosac
tunnel. but the gift was hampered by
conditio~ which made it not directly
available by the COMPANY. and thus
the work was greatly hindered. Sew
eral contracts were made for the exca-
vation of the tunnel. but all fell
through by failure of the company to
meet payments when due, and the
work was not begun with vigor until
1857 1t was then carried on until
July. 1861. up to which time the State
had advanced nearly $500. 900 for the
work. but as the State officials then
refused to longer certify the bills of
the contractors, work was suspended.
and the project was entirely aban-
doned by the railroad company. In
1862 the State assumed control of the
work, and appointed commissioners
to supervise it; these found serious de-
fects in the tunnel plan and recon-
mended important changes Work
was begun again in December. 1868,
but so slowly did it proceed that
the Hoosac tunnel became to the peo-
pie of Massachusetts q symbol of all
impossible and unattainable re suits.
But the second veritable epoch in the
history of the enterprise may be said
to date from 1868. when the State de-
cided, after much discussion, to have
the work completed Immediately.
The contract was then awarded to the
Messrs Shanly. of Canada, who vigor-
ously prosecuted the work. day and
night. and on Thanksgiving Day.
November 81. 1873. the laborers ad-
vancing from both sides met, and
light was admitted through the tun-
mel 1t was completed in March,
1874, and trains were running through
it by the following September. The
length of the tunnel is % O31 feet or
four and three-quarter miles. 1t is 26
feet wide, and varies in height from
% to 26 feet. The grade allowed is
26 feet to the mile during the entire
distance. from each portal to the GEN.
trail shaft. making the interior summit
more than 60 feet higher than the
ends. There is central shaft in the
tunnel which occasions sufficient
draught to ventilate it quite effectual-
ly. The entire cost of the tunnel is
estimated at SO. OOO 600. The long
est tunnels in the world are those
through the Alps. Of these the Arl-
berg IS six and one-half miles long.
the Mont Gents seven and three-quar-
ter miles, the ST. Gothard nine miles
and quarter, while the Simplon tun-
mel. now in process of construction, IS
to be twelve and a half miles long
Chicago Inter- Ocean.