The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-15

y uREAT u DEhTAkISG.
The length OF the cntirc tunnel wa
thus to be about five and an eighth
miles. It was great undertaking, the
cos. would be over 81. 900, 900. and there
were many chances OF failure.
Two shafts were sunk to the level oil
tho proposed tunnel, and the boring
was done in five sections-ono upward
from tho outlet, and two each way. up.
ward and down ward, from the foot o!
the shafts. Thus two connections on
grade had TO be made in tho tunnel
rendering the result OF the work much
matter OF speculation. The engineers
took weeks to draw their plans. The
tunnel was driven in miniature, with
all the great measurements which were
to mark the real tunnel reduced to min.
ute dimensions. The architects OF the
mine drew plan upon plan OF this great
iive-mile watcrspout under two noun.
tains. and it was not until the spring OF
1891 that everything was in readiness
to begin work.
Five gangs Of men. with fifty in each
gang. were pu, to work and pushed
ahead as rapidly as possible. The pro-
grcss was slow, owing TO tho TACT Iliut
every foot Of the tunnel had to be
blasied out Of tho solid rock. The rock
was extremely hard. and some Of it 80
resisting that the great power drill
would bore into i, with provoking slow.
moss. Instead OF dynamite for blasting,
Il less powerful Observation-Disclosures
used, because there wero less fumes and
smoke with it than with n stronger OK
plosivc. Forcito is form OF dynamite
from which nil tho base particles have
been extracted, and in its purified form
it loses some oil its power. Throe hun
dred and forty thousand pounds OF
iorcite wero used by the timc tho tun.
mel was completed. Sometimes they
cut through vcina OF water, and aevcn
pumps were used TO keep tho tunnel
clear oil water.
TIE ENGINEERS PLANS ACCURATE.
As month after month passed the
ends OF tho sectious neared each other,
and tho anxious engineers and officials
OF tho company engcrly awalted the
tlmo when tho FIST connection should
DO mado and they could be assured that
their carefully drawn plans wcro correct
and their fortune made. or that they
wcro wrong and that q fortune had been
thrown away. Toward Tho ond Of last
Aueua. tho men driving north in No. 3
and south in No. 4 came within hearing
OF each other. and the anxiety roso to n
fovor hcat. Finally. on September 8, a
drill from No. g. after piercing tho rock
n fow inches, met with no resistance
tho connection was mado. tho engineers
were right, tho plan, woro accurate, the
tunnel was n SUCCESS. In Tow hours
tho wall OF rock had boon cleared away
and there was not moro than an inch
difference in tho foors Of tho two aoc-
tons. "Truly great piece Of engineer
inQ," enid all tho prominent operators
present. Soon niter tho wall between
No. | und No. Q was broken away, and
thero the work was just as carefully
mud accurately dono an betwoon No. 3
aud No. 1. The tunnel VIVA 6nishod.
Meanwhile, 90 tho tunnel was nearing
completion, connection was boing made
besaeen It and tho flooded workings by
means OF a bore.holo. This bore-holc
wa. started at ono aldo Of ono OF tho
mining villages.
Four hundred and fifty feet below tho
suriaco it wins TO piorco tho contre oil tho
tunnel, 80 close calculations had to bo
made. So accurate woro thoy that n
six.inch circle, marked OH tho roof OF