Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-21
Giant SCHEME.
TALK OF a PROJECT TO TUNNEL THE
SIERRA NEVADA.
How the Snow King May be Circum-
vented-A Gigantic Piece of
Engineering.
[san Francisco Post, March Goth. !

San Francisco Post, March Goth
The rude winds, the cold weather and
the horrid SHOWS in the Sierra Nevada
have had the effect this winter of stimulat.
ing one of the grandest engineering en-.
terprises of the age. 1t is nothing less
than the tunneling of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains. This will be done to facilitate
traffic and prevent delays caused by snow
blockades. The project originated with
the Central Pacific officials, and has been
brought 10 the attention of the Senate of
the United States by Senator Stewart of
Nevada as an amendment which he intro
duced TO the Pacific railroad funding bill.
The amendment provides that the work
is to be paid for by the companies using
the tunnel in this manner: Instead of
paying the Government the sums which
are due in installments, the Southern Pa.
cific Company will lump as much of the
sum as it possibly can and use it as part
payment for the work. In this manner
the Government will not be called upon to
contribute anything. The remainder of
the money due for the work will be paid
as soon as it can be raised, and after that is
done payments will be resumed to the
Government.
1t is asserted that the project will cause
the Government no loss, but will simply
delay the payments. Weighed in the bal
ance against the inconceivable benefit such
tunnel will be to cross country travellers.
this appears to be but small matter.
1t is now estimated that the scheme will
cost more than $10,00O,COO, and will re :
quire many years of hard work to COM
plete the enterprise. The proposition of
the engineers of the roads is to begin to
bore into the mountains at least a Thousand
feet below the deep snow line. This will
bring the mouth of the tunnel about 9. 900
feet above the Truckee river.
From all that can be learned now, the
start will be made at Cold Spring canyon,
just west of the town of Truckee and over
the line into California. The tunnel will
pass over the present bed of the line, and
will come out of the mountains on the
Pacific side al Yuba river canyon.
After leaving the first tunnel, which will
be i've miles in length, it is proposed to
run down the Yuba canyon for some dis
lance, and then five more miles Of tunnel
ing will be done.
The grade will be a gradual descent, SO
that when the train leaves the mouth OF
the tsnnel it will be level with Sacramento
city, and rise of thousand feet will be
saved on each side of the mountains
In addition to this the saving of time
will be of great value to those travelling
over tine road. The increased traffic which
will be reaped by the railroad COM
pany will be great, even in the matter of
the saving of fuel and the wear and tear on
machinery. The heavy mountain engines
may then be dispensed with, and there
will De no fear of further delay.
General Superintendent a. n. Towre of
tie Southern Pacific Company, in speak-
ing of the matter this morning to Post
reporter, said
Senator Stewart has the matter in
charge, and it is quite probable that the
tunnel will be constructed. The recent
storms have demonstrated the fact that we
must have unobstructed communication
with the East. We have had snow Just as
deep before, but never had it so continu-
Gus. 1t is now quite plain to the people of
Nevada that they must have an open road
to do business with the people of Califor-
MIA, and certainly the people Of Cali53rnia
can have no less desire to have an outlet to
Nevada and across the continent"
is it within the range of modern engin.
eeriDg to put the tunnel through ?" was
asked.
''Oh, yes; it is quite feasible. The ex.
peDse, of course, will be great somewhere
between ten and fifteen million dollars. but
the benefits to be derived from the work
will wholly justify the outlay"
'Ot course the Southern Pacific Com
pany approves of the idea, does it not?"
Certainly the advantages are manifest to
both the public and the company. It will
be ss great a feat in engineering when ac
complished as was the tunneling of the St.
Gothard tunnel, and eventually it will
prove to be of much more Importance.
Ieu see for twenty years we have not met
with such distractions as have bothered us
Tor the past few months. 1t is not simply
the loss to the company, but the immense
Inconvenience to the public and the loss to
business in every section. You see here
we have been virtually cut off from the
East for days at time recently. Suppose
II was time of war, and an invading army
we're landed on this coast We might tele-
graph as much as we pleased to the East,
but they would be powerless almost to help
US. They might snow up an army of half
a million men in the mountains and that
would be making matters worse. No;
everything is in favor of the construction
OF this tunnel. The interests of commerce
absolutely demandit. Hope that Congress
will see the matter in the same light as
business men do"