Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-12
MOUNTAIN TUNNEL ATTIRE
A Vast Deposit of Lime Stacking With
Intense Heat.
The Santa Fee Railroad IL Barred by
Peculiar Accident From Use
Of One of It's Lines.

From the Los Angeles Times.
The Santa Fee has set mountain on
fire in Arizona and Is in the most perplex-
ing situation that any railroad has ever
faced. In fact SO serious is the problem
that the company has summoned all the
best engineers into consultation as to
means and methods to be used to make the
read available again for traffic. for, as 1t
is now. all Of the company's trains have
to be operated on the Southern Pacific
Company's tracks between Maricopa ana
Deming. or between Cotton and Deming.
the former route being used for freight
trains and the latter for passenger tratiic.
The trouble Is with the tunnel through
the mountain at Johnson's canyon. near
Williams in Arizona. This caught fire
some ten days ago. and, as has been
stated, the company has been put to the
greatest exI ense in fighting the blaze, OPP
Grating Its trains meanwhile over the
Southern Pacific road.
Thursday 1t was announced at the gen.
eral offices here that the tunnel fire was
eAtinguished. the woodwork replaced and
that trains would be operated through II
from that day on Thursday evening how
ever. a few minutes before the time for
the first train to arrive at the mouth OF
the tunnel, the operator at the station there
thought that he had better take a look
at the place. and, on walking to the en-
trance, found to his amazement that the
interior was nothing but a roaring furnace.
the new woodwork being ablaze and while
he watched, in a space Of not two minutes.
1t became evident that the entire work
that had been done was thrown away. In
half an hour the heat from the fire was
so intense that no one could approach
within quarter of mile Of the opening,
the flames and gases spouting out for many
feet at each end.
Investigation showed conclusively that the
new fire was a case of spontaneous COM
bustion. In short, the tunnel is now MOTH
ing but the f1ue for an immense limekiln,
the largest perhaps, that the world has
ever known, for it Is really q mountain
that is being burned.
The geological formation Of the mountain
through which the tunnel passes Is chiefly
limestone of high degree of purity. The
lime Is part of a series of strata; lime. lava
and volcanic ashes succeeding each other.
The fire of the past week, together with the
natural moisture of the soil and the water
which had beeen used to extinguish the
former blaze-all these things together have
resulted in starting the lime in the noun
tain to Stacking This would not have
been so bad If the casing of the tunnel had
not been put in place in alright shape.
This served to conflne the gases from the
Stacking lime. and finally they broke out
end flaming up, set fire to the casing
again. But this Is only portion of the
difficulty. The lime, it is Stacked" is
dissolved into gas, liquid and ash, which,
falling out of place, releases the stratum ad-
joining of volcanic ash and lava. These fall
down. catch on fire and add to the con-
flagration.
The railway people fear that they may
have to abandon the tunnel, and there does
not seem to be any way by which they can
avoid its use-at least, without an expense
that would mean almost financial disaster.
The whole mountain is made up of this
limestone. and there is no reason to believe
that 1t will stop it's Stacking operation
until it Is exhausted; meanwhile the caving
process is continued. There does not seem
to be any way by which the fire can be
stopped. The caving in will continue so
Icing as the lime is on fire. The heat is too
intense to allow of the approach of man or
apparatus within working distance from the
place. and SO the company's engineers are
nonplussed. AS stated, they have called In
all the noted mining and consulting engin-
GERS in Arizona and New Mexico to study
the situation. AS things look now, their
only hope seems to be to wait until the
mountain is consumed and then build their
track on the surface. The matter Of a
tremendous daily mileage bill from the
Southern Pacific company. however, Is not
pleasing to the general officers.