Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-30
TunneIing the Confidential Divide.

From Harper's Weekly.
One of the greatest engineering enter
prises Of the decade has just been COM
pleted In Colorado-an enterprise fully as
great as the tunneling Of the Hoosac noun
tain, whose completion was celebrated as
q great national affair. But these are the
days OF great enterprises, and the piercing
OF the great divide by a tunnel nearly two
miles long in one of the widest mountain
regions in the world has scarcely attracted
attention outside Of Colorado.
TIE road itself-the Colorado Midland
which passes through the new tunnel is
one OF the most wonderful pieces of en-
cheering I'm the world. All the way from
Colorado Springs to Glenwood IL lie sue
cession OF surprises TO the traveller. and
that part Of 1t which runs from Leadville
over the great continental divide Is only
the climax Of a series of surprising VIC
tories over the most apparently insurmount-
able natural obstacles The Hagerman tun-
rel at the top of the pass. which has been
used since the road was opened about seven
years ago, is 2,O64 feet long and 1l,52S feet
above sea level, and the Midland is here
the highest stsniard-gauge railroad in the
world, and the highest OF any gauge except
one in the Andes. The new tunnel substi-
tutes two miles OF rail for the ten now in
use. The big trestle is 2oo feet high. cost
$4,000 to build, and would have TO be re-
built every eight years. Besides this. i'm
mense rotary snow ploughs have TO be kept
in operation at both ends OF the old tunnel
all winter, the snow on the west side OF
the divide being often IL feet deep on the
level The new tunnel, IL is estimated, VIII
save in operating expenses $4,000 every
year, besides insuring the continuous oper-
alton OF the road. so that the S.0oOOo0
spent on the tunnel is expected TO be
good investment
The Busk-Ivanhoe tunnel. as the new one
is called. pierces the main saguaehe dro-
nounced sab wash range. which here forms
the continental divide. about twenty miles
west of Leadville, at a height of 1850 feet
above sea level 1.5o0 feet below the crest
OF the mountain, and rs feet below the
Hagerman tunnel Its length is 1894 feet.
Work upon ii was begun October = 1880.
and since that time has been pushed unre-
mittingly from both ends twenty hours
a day, with the most modern scientific APP
paratus. The backbone OF the continent Is
of solid granite. and compressed air drills
and dynamite have done the work OF
cavation. There has been quite a rivalry
between the gangs at work on the two ends
as to which should reach the center first.
The Busk. or eastern gang, won the race.
for the Ivanhoe men were retarded by
water, and the final junction WAS made
1000 feet west Of the center. The dividing
wall vas pierced by the trill at 9s3o Tues
day evening. October IL, and at e:15 the
next evening the blast was fired which
broke the wall down.
The man who conceived the idea OF this
tunnel was b. II. Bryant chief engineer OF
the road. The man who. as engineer in
charge, directed the work. was w. n. Lef-
fngwell. The tunnel took three years TO
build and cost slW0o0o 1t IS little less
than two miles long. The plans of the en-
gineers worked out with great accuracy.
and the alignment when the last partitions
were cleared away was perfect