The morning call., 1891-09-20
The GRAND
TRUNK TUNNEL.
Interesting Ceremonies at Port
Huron, Mich.
Brief History Of the Great Engineering Work
That Connects Canada With the
United States.
Special TO THE MORNING CALI.

Special TO THE MORNING CALI.
PORT HURON (Mich.), Sept. 1e.-All the
trains arriving at Port Huron and Sarnia
to-day brought distinguished guests, who
came to take the first official ride through the
great tunnel. At Port Edward a special
train, with four ordinary day coaches, was
drawn up in front of the station, and at
1890 o'clock the inaugural train started.
1t pulled directly to Sarnia depot, where a
a number of invited guests and citizens of
Sarnia were taken aboard. Then the train
steamed out to the edge of town to reach
the approach to the tunnel. Here tri-
umphal arch was ererted. Mayor Watson
and the officials of Sarnia met the President
of the Grand Trunk Railway and the Mayor
read an address. President Tyler made a
brief speech of acceptance. The company,
with the Sarnia officials, then boarded the
train and proceeded on the trip through the
tunnel. When they arrived on the other
side they passed through another triumphal
arch. where Mayor McIllwaine and the
Port Huron city officials were waiting on
platform 10 receive them. A large assem-
blage of citizens was also present.
As soon as the railway officials stepped
from the cars the Mayor read an address.
At the conclusion of tie reading the Mayor
presented Sir Henry Tyler with an ell
crossed copy OF the address, and Sir Henry
responded with q neat speech of thanks.
The people cheered aud waved their hand
kerchiefs. and the TAIN pulled out to Chi
cago and the Grand Trunk Passenger Sta
tion, where's all got eff and embarked on the
steamer Omard. Conger, for Sarnla.
One of the greatest obstacles to traffic at
this point has been the necessity for ferry
ing freight and passengers across the river.
Owing to the immense shipping traffic up
and down the river aud to the physical con-
formation Of the country bridge is out of
the question. Consequently it was decided
to construct tunnel eneath the river, and
in 1854 the preliminary surveys were made.
Several attemrs were made 10 dig the tun-
mel, but all were unsuccessful until in 1899
work was commenced under the plan that
has now been completed. Permanent cut
tiDEs were made from the surface to the
mouth of the tunnel, at grade capable Of
being mounted by railway engines. On the
y ntIlcND SlGe lHlS cuJtlNR is ZOO IetI IOus,
260 feet v ide and has a maximum depth OF
81 feet. The grade is one foot in 90. On the
Canadian side The cut is 1892 feet long, 90
feet deep and 260 feet wide, with the same
grade as the other
BORING THE TUNNEL.
The actual work of boring the tunnel
was done by hydraulic shields, made of
steel and resembling an immense barrel
without ends. The front of the shield had
transverse cutting edges to slice the soil. III
the body OF the shield were braces and
shelves. In the rear end was the hood in
which were built up the sections of the tun-
mel. Next in front of the hood were arranged
the hydraulic jacks. Each jack had a valve,
so 1t could work independently. When the
pressure was applied the shield moved for
ward the length of the pistons of the jacks,
or about two feet. The men in the front of
the shield dug out the earth and loaded it
into small cars. The pistons of the jacks
were showed back into their cylinders. This
made room for new section of the tunnel
to be built Then the shield was again
pushed ahead. The hood always protected
the end of the tunnel. The worEmen were
protected by the shield. The shield could
be raised, lowered or curved sideways by
regulating the pressure of the hydraulic
jacks.
Work was prosecuted from both eIds, the
American shield starting on July IL, 1889.
the Canadian on September-2l, 1889. They
met on August 80, 1890 the distance bored
being COCO feet. The walls OF the tunnel
| are made OF cast-iron segments, thirteen
and key being required for the entire cir
cumteTence of twenty feet and five inches.
The Segments are fastened with steel bolts,
and are mmOvably fixed In their places
The lower third of the tunnel Is liEed with
brick and concrete, and On the bottom the
rails are laid. the intervening space being
thanked over. The tunnel was built for
the accommodation of the Grand Trunk Rail
h way and its connecting lines. Joseph Hob
son is the chief engineer of the tunnel,
and is well known as the engineer of the
great bridge over the Niagara River at Buff
falO. Seven hundred men were employed
on the tunnel and the entire cost of coa-
struction did not exceed S2,500,000. 1t is
exI ected that second tunnel will be built
along the present one in order to accOmO-
date the heavy traffic that is expected to
follow its opening. This triumph of mod
ern engineering has been achieved under
the swift outlet from Lake Huron, to super
sede the ferry system of transporting the
traffic of the Grand Trunk route from
American to Canadian banks. The tunnel
under the river is over a mile long and is
lined throughout with solid cast-ir0n plates
bolted together in segments. The tunnel
| and approaches are little over two miles
in total length. AT the end approaches are
functions with the Grand Trunk Railroad
on the Canadian side, and the Chicago and
Grand Trunk Railroad on the American
side of the river. The cost of the tunnel
proper was Sl,460,000.
THE BANQUET HALL.
The guests arrived at the freight-sheds,
which had been turned into banquet hall,
shortly before 2 o'clock. The exterior was
almost covered with green Fir boughs, and
the interior was festoOned with flags and
bunting. On the east side were three long
tables running with the building. the guests
facing the river. At the other side were
thirteen short tables set crosswise. At the
center of the middle long table sat Sir
Henry Tyler. To his right was Sir John
Ross, Commander-in-Chief Of the troops In
Canada. To the left sat Governor Wimans.
Others on the left were Senator Smith, one
of the Directors of the Grand Trunk;
United States Consul General Knapp of
Montreal. ID. Mcintyre, Congressman j.
Logan Chapman, Senator Boulton of Otta-
wa, AdjutaDt. General Farrar, Hon. Mr..
Ross of the Ontario Cabinet. J. Lastor, NJ.
2. for hampton County; Senator Vidal Of
Sarna To the right. after passing Sir John
General Manager of the Grand Trunk sys-
TEN; Richard Harcourt Of the Ontario Cab
met, Erastus Wiman, John Bell, counsel of
the Grand Trunk; Hon. Mr.. Gibson of the
Charles Mackenzie, NJ. p. On the end was
joseph Hobson, who built the tunnel.
The post-prandial work began with a
toast to the Queen, offered by Sir Henry
Tyler. He spoke as follows: 81 arise, gen
tlemen. to propose to you the health of her
Majesty Queen Victoria, Queen of the
United Kingdom. Empress OF India and
sovereign OF the British Empire. 1t is a
matter Of common knowledge that her
Majesty has regned fifty four years-a
longer time than any previous sovereign of
England; but there are considerations con-
nf fn INN
tant and OF much higher interest than mere
length OF days. During the lifetime OF her
Majesty there have occurred events which
have transformed the face of the earth. 1t
is during the lifetime of her Majesty that
railways have for the first time been con-
stIucted. ocean steamships employed, tele-
graph communication between land and sea
brought into use, and the most remarkable