The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1897-07-02
4 MAMMOTH TUNNEL
1t Will Run Through Pike $ Peak, Unit
ing Rich Mining Regions.
MILES THROUGH BEDS OF ORE
Oue of the Grandest Schemes of the
Ate-Wil! Take Millions of Dol
lars to Complete the I'm.
dertaking.

Another gica ltic undertaking has |
been begun this country OF great
enterprises, says Cripple Creek spe
cia' The '49eri who trudged across |
t e co:ltinelt actually leading their !
cams tbr ugh the winding passes f
the Rockies, would have ridiculed. as
we now deride air travel the idea of
eros sing sby train according to time
table as infallble as the sun. ''If it
hope, one of them said to the first
railroad survevor who went over the
moutain wifi his line.
The railroad has long been an accom-
plished i',i"1. Il has to wind around
Pixies Peak, it is true. and go fifty
miles ont of its way before it comes
back to the straight line again. But if
does it with skill, passing overland
| through some Of the widest and most
| marvellous scenery known III railroad
| travel. The canyons of Colorado, the
mountain sides. and the trestles are
world famous They are now begin
! ming a work that, while it may rob tie
Colorado journey of some Of its seen
cry, will be one OF the most important
steps in the cross country travel which
the 49ers began.
This is the work Of tunnoling under
| Pixies Peak. Those W no are familiar
! with Colorado know that it is crossed
I by three ranges of the Rocky noun
tains. These are separated by plateaus
of great height, which form the natu-
raj ''parks, - for which Colorado is ia.
nous. Above the parks rise the noun
tain peaks, piercing the heavens on
either side.
One Of these peaks, at one time
thought to be the highest, was climbed
| by Major Pike in 1906, aud named
after him. Nothing more was known
of it until the "Pathfinder'. Colonel
Fremont, visited it in 1912, and took
observations from its sides at an alti-
tude of 1900 feet In 1853 settlers
located upon the peak, looking for
gold which Was found thc~e in some
abundance, and formed lite settle
ments, one of which is the fournish
| ing town of Victor
| The leak. ulforturateiy for the set
| tler-, is located in the midst Of the
richest kn '~n spot il the world. Here
are found wOn9s. OrcS, stones, and
every mineral that has ever been IN
earthed. It's natural resources are such
that in spite of the difficulty of road
construction, there are more paths
!
around Pixies Peak than can be
| Union The profit to be gained by fur
other development of the natural re-
sources Of the peak was the motive
power which set in action the present
enterprise Of digging tunnel under
Pixies Peak. 1t has just been begun.
under gigantic auspices. by the employ
ment of two immense gangs of work
men, who are now eXcavating at the
rate Of thirty feet a day. 1t is pro-
posed that one tunnel shall run in a
straig light line under the mountain, and
that other tunnels shall branch out
from the main one, coming out at
Sunol, Victor, Gillette, and other
! towns upon or near the mountain.
| The most important tunnel will mite
Cripple Greek and Colorado Springs.
connecting them by railroad only 1G
miles in length. The trip from the
Springs to the Creek can then be made
in half an hour instead Of the average
of two hours now necessary.
The starting point of the main tun-
nel where the men are now working
at the foot of the mountain. leading
up to Pixies Peak near the old town of
Colorado City. From here it runs al
most due southwest. The further end
of the tunnel is at the edge of the
mountains at Four Mile Creek. in FIRE.
mont county, Colorado, six miles south
Of Cripple Creek. and near Sunol
The main tunnel will pass directly
under the cone of Pixies Peak, at
/ depth Of nearly 1000 feet. and 2. 100
feet beneath the town of Victor Most
of this lies directly underneath the
Cripple Creek district, at an average
depth Of $500 feet.
The expense Of the excavation is
about 800 per foot. but it is certain
that this expense will be fully met by
the minerals that are brought out in
the process of excavation. Perhaps in
the secret pockets of the mountain
there lies a diamond mine, supposi-
tion not at all improbable.
The contracts for the work read that
it shall be completed by January /,
1904.
-Wojtip tho rbntopranbor .,-i11 bo