Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-05-21
FULL OF INTEREST.
HOW WORK IS PROGRESSING AT THB
BRIDGE AND TUNNEL.
The Scene About the Top Mill at Night-H0w the
Tunnels are DriVen-Gsnsral
Industa News.


Tunnels are Driven-Gsneral
INDUSTRY i News.
The first notable object discovered upon
approaching the scene Of operations at the
TTn;on bridge and tunnels, near the Top
mill, at night, is the brilliaucy cast ao0u'
the place by the half dozen or more huge
unshaded arc electric lights, which lnu-
inmate the vicinity.
On top of the tram-way where tne eai'n
ia hauled down Johnathan's ravine, hangs
a large blue and white sparkleT "nich
lights ND two or three squares and relieves
the necessity of the workmen carrying
torches about that part of the work or on
the dump nearby. A hundred yards further
on. at the waters edge, hang two more
strong arc lights which serve for the nifty
men and the half dozen teams working
nm the excavation for the first shore pier
II is not as light as day, but it ID far more
dazzling, and when seen in connection with
the bright red danger signals spread out
over the river where the piers are to be loca-
ted and where the floats and barges are tied,
tba nicturs ia one calculated to impress
the vision with the wonderful posslollities
of mans inventive genius, and his power
to bring art to the assistance OF natural
means.
Down in the pit where the solid masonry
of the frs. pier will soon rest, the dark
'orms scurry about, while at the top,
in Mace which commands view OF each
man stands the working boss" with
more austerity and prof nifty than the pro-
verbal Mississippi steamboat mate. His
profanity is actually picturesque, and 1t
flows out like a bubbling brook, but the
workmen below know that it ia only his
way, and care ss little for his remarks as
thew do for the water and mud IN winch
thew splash about. The buzz Of the steam
holster as 1t lifts the earth, half cubic
ward at once in huge iron bucket, sounds
like a saw mill in operation, and
ever and anon chunks of soft,
slimey clay slip from the vessel
and splash over the heads and backs of the
brawny Italians below. Every such splash
ia followed by a cloud of Italian nOise,
supposed to be profanity, which rolls up
from the pit in volume that would as
tonish the old fellow who is supposed to
occupy another pit infinitely larger, but
with as vet no discovered bottom. But the
work goes on, the pit deepens and the boss
busters lust the same, and the enterprise
that is TO help Wheeling's business and
shipping interests assumes continually a
more definite shape.
Up at the tunnel the work is more inter-
esting and the view more unique. over
the mouth hangs another electric light,
and by its rays two men and mule haul
the earth away from the gang Of diggers 3
hundred and fifty feet under the hill. The
method Of working in detail is as follows
The first gang of men work on what IS
known as driving the heading" They
commence at the line where the fpriDgers
of the arch are to be placed and remove
the rock up to the top or key of the arch.
This is done by blasting out the rock with
dynamite and picking it away to the gen.
eral curve of the arch. AS the work pro-
crosses timber arch made of sawed blocks
which fit into each other perfectly, is
built. and above that ceiling of three
inch oak planks is laid, resting on the
wooden arch. The springers OF the arch
are allowed to rest on the solid rock, and
the opening made by the first gang is only
few feet in heighth and as wide as the
tunnel will be where the spriDgers rest.
Another gang follows the heading driv-
ers" and removes the earth down to line
half way between the arch springers and
the flor of the tunnel As they go they
remove the rock on which the arch rests
and in place of it put in short upright
timbers to support the arch, these timbers
in turn resting on the second
ledge of rock. A third gang Of men fol-
lows and removes the lower ledge down
10 the point where the final floor of the
tunnel will be. AS they remove the sup
port of the arch, the long timbers which
will finally support the arch are put in,
and the tunnel IS completed. Up where
the heading drivers work, it looks rather
shaky, and when one considers that the
whole of Wheeling hill is over him, and
that seam or crevice in the rock might
let it all down upon him, be
feels that it would be safer
outside The heading drivers"
at the Top mill tunnel are all Italians, and
are in charge of an Italian boss. They
work steadily and dOggedly, and in an
hours time not word will be heard and
no sound breaks the stiffness save the
"pipg,n "piug" of the sledges on the ends
of the steel drills. Even when the drillers
wish the strikers to desist they do not
speak, but simply motion with the hand.
| The little coal oil lamps hung about the
work from crags Of rock shed dim
smoky red light on the swarthy workers,
aud the reflections on the bright
butts of the drills serve to
guide the strikers sle6ges Each man
works with the regularity of clock work,
and the blows on the drills are as evenly
numbered and divided in time as the
ticking of clock. When hold is drilled
to the desired depth, il is charged with
dynamite and the battery attached The
boss then goes throughout the entire place
crying "fre," fire" and the workers
seek shelter on the outside or among the
timbers. When all the men are safely en-
sconced, the electric circuit is closed and
| in an instant dull boom announces that
the explosive has done its work and
all danger is past. Usually these
shots are 30 arranged that
four or five are fired at
once, and they follow each other in such
quick succession as to carry the idea of
heavy csnnonsdiDg, except that the boom"
is much lighter and the report less sharp
and decided An examination, after the
battery of shots have been fired, shows
very little change to novice. A few tons
of broken rock, with here and there a
crevice, are the only changes. 1t seems to
be very slow work, and it is not at all
rapid. Sometimes the result Of a days
work will be almost imperceptible.
The drilling is all doue by hand, 1t hav-
ing been found to be quicker in such work
than the use of the steam drill. The rock
at the top of the arch is solid ledge of
lime stone, under which is ledge Of blue
shale. Below this again, and TO the bot
tom of the tunnel is a vein of clay, in
which is closely spTinkled large lime
boulders and loosely packed sand shale.
A ride across the river in ekiff brings
you to the steam dredging-boat Western,
which is located on the site of the first
Ohio stone pier. The dTedge consists Of q
long wooden beam, arranged with chains
and pulleys on an iron crank at the boats
bow. On the end of this beam is huge