The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-12-09
AN ENGINEERING FEAT.
A Tunnel Nearly Two Miles Long
Through the Great Divide.

One of the greatest engineering en-
terprises of the decade has just been
completed in Colorado-an euterpsise
fully as great a. the tunnelling of the
Hoosac Mountain, whose completion was
celebrated as a great national affair.
But these are the days of great enter
prises, and the piercing of the great
divide by tunnel nearly two miles long
in one of the wildestmountaia regions in
the world has scarcely attracted atten-
tion outside of Colorado.
The road itself--the Colorado Mid
land-which passes through the new tun-
mel, is one of the most wonderful pieces
Of engineering in the world. All the
way from Colarado Springs TO Glenwood
is a succession of surprises to the travel
Ter, and that part of it which runs from
Leadvile over the great continental
divide is only the climax of series Of
surprising victories over the most appar.
emily iusurmountable natural obstacles.
The Hagermon Tunnel at the top of the
pess. which has been used since the
road was opened about seven years ago,
is 2,O64 feet long and Il ,52S feet above
sea level, and the Midland is here the
highest standard -guage railroad in the
world, and the highest of any gauge ex-
cept one in the Andes.
The big trestle from the east end OF
Hagerman Tunnel is 200 feet high, cost
$50, 900 TO build, and would have to be
rebuilt every eight years. Besides this,
immense rotary snow plows 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 thirteen
feet deep on the level. The new tunnel
1t is estimated, will save in operating ex.
penses $40, 900 every year. besides insur.
ing the continuous operation Of the road,
so that the 81 600, 900 spent on the tun.
mel is expected to be good investment.
The Busk Ivanhoe Tunnel, as the new
one is called, pierces the main Sagusche
pronounced sah'wash) Range, which
here forms the continental divide, about
twenty miles from Leadville, at height
of 10, 800 feet above the sea level, 1900
feet below the crest of the mountain, and
72S feet below the Hsgerman Tunnel.
Its length is Q, 1874 feet. Work upon i,
was begun Oct. s, 1890, and since that
time has been pushed unremttiugly from
both ends, twenty hours a day, with the
most modern scientific apparatus. The
backbone of the continent is of solid
granite, and compressed air drills aud
dynamite have done the work of excavs.
tion.
There has been QUITE rivalry be-
tween the gangs at work on the two ends
as to which should reach the centre first.
The Busk, or eastern, gang won the Dee,
for the Ivanhoe men were retarded by
water, and the final junction was made a
thousand feet west of the centre. The
dividing wall was pierced by the drill at
$50 Tuesday evening. Oct. IL, and at
6;l5 the next evening the blast was ired
which broke the wall down.
The man who conceived the ides OF
this tunnel was Mr.. B. II. Bryant, chief
engineer of the road The man who, as
engineer in charge. directed the work
was Mr.. W. III. Lefiingwell. The tunnel
took three years to build and cost si,-
600, 900. Ii is little less thaa two miles
long. The plans of the engineers worked
out with great accuracy, and the align
ment, when the last partitions were
cleared away. was perfect.