Evening star., 1898-04-22
UNDERTAKERS
THE HOOSAC TUNNEL.
Some Interesting Facts About 1t and
How II II Measured.

Some Interesting Facts About 1t and
How II II Measured.
From the Brooklyn Citizen.
The American tourist finds no more abb
sGrbingly interesting scenes anywhere thar
in his own country. Situated at North
Aoams. Mass, is the Hoosac tunnel the
second longest tunEel in the world and the
longest on the American continent. 1t is
shaft four and three-quarter miles long,
an average of tM enty-six feet wide. with
an arch twenty five feet high, lighted
throughout by 1,2J0 electric lights. The
tunnel was first conceived as early as 1915
ard it was proposed to use it as a canal
and the survey with that end in view was
made in 1896. The piece of engineering
work was actually commenced in 1851, and
the estimated cost originally was less than
S2,000,0U0. The work languished many
years by reason of the enormous amounts
of money being expended. and was finally
completed in 1874, the first train of cars
passing through on February o, 1917. The
actual cost Of the tunnel was s2o.24l SI2.3l.
Today the Hoosac tunnel is called the
western gateway and this is an appro
pirate appellation, for it is in truth d gate
opening through an impenetrable range oil
mountains for all that commerce of north
ern and eastern New England to the great
middle and western territory. This tri-
umph of man, however. over the power of
nature needs no introduction to the Amer
ican travelling public. Those who pass
through Ii IL well-lighted coaches and look
into the cutter darkness, illumined by
myriads of electric lights that seem like
so many tirefiies, little realize what years
OF toll, what expenditures of money and
life were made to accomplish this gigantic
undertaking. By reason of fire damp.
gases, explosions and fires, 1872 human lives
were sacrificed that the Hoosac tunnel
might be.
Three-quarters Of the tunnel ponetrates
the native rock, thus requiring only about
one-quarter of the shaft to be arched over
with brick The constant rumble and jar
of the heavily laden trains passing through
are, however, continually ioosening por-
tions of the rock making it necessary for
the present management TO have a gang of
miners on patrol day ard night who re-
move the rock the moment IL seems to be
cleaNing.
A rare privilege it is to be permitted to
make the periodical tour of inspection and
measurement. The contrivance for taking
the measurements of the mammoth hole is
decidedly ingenious. Upon float observa-
ton car Is erected a PLATFORM and above
this an upright fiat surface about the size
of school blackboard. Radiating from
the top and one side of this standard are
several long arms, the standard serving as
fulcrum. To the short end of the arm is
attached strong spiral spring, which is
fastened to the structure and throws the
long end of the arm against the top or
side of the arch of the tunnel. At each
variation In nelght and width of the tun-
nel the arm moves up or down or out or
back, registering with a pencil attached
Lear the fuicrum the measurements on a
large sheet prepared on the blackboard by
the engineers for recording them. The
gliding of the fingers along the walls is al
most noiseless, wherever the arch is
bricked. but when they drag over the
rough-hewn native rock the arms clatter
with a sound resembling boiler factory.
Not only do these measuring fingers serve
in measuring the height and width of the
tunnel but also serve the purpose of tun-
mel sweepers. They send down upon the
heads Of the party in the open observation
car a constant rain of SCOT. At the end of
the interesting tour every member of the
party can easily be mistaken for a chim-
ney sweep. These inspection tours are
taken every four or five years, and the
records carefully preserved. The tunnel is
constantly enlarging. by reason Of the TAX
ing out of the rock.