The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-25
a GREAT TUNNEL FIRE.
In JohnsOn's Tunnel Through Bill
MiIlinms MOmntnin.


Los Angeles Letter in Chicago Record.
One of the most exciting stories 1 have
heard out here is about the fire in John
sons tunnel, down on the Santa Fe line,
where it pierces Bill Williams mountain.
Bill Williams was an old-timer, one Of
the first settlers of Arizona. and great
man in his way. A monument has been
erected to his memory on the side OF the
mountain that bears his name He discov-
ers the best pass over the Rockies in this
zone, and the results of his enterprise and
intelligence are seen in every direction
There is Bill Williams river, as well as
a Bill Williams mountain, and a Bill
Williams town.
Johnson was one of the engineers who
laid out the original right of way for the
Atlantic and Pacific Railway. which is
now the Santa B'e, ana in running a line
through the Bill Williams canyon he
struck a place where the mountain pro
Jeeted over il so that it could not be cur
away, and it was impossible to build a
bridge. So Johnson bored tunnel 326
! feet long through the solid granite, ana
built it up inside with timbers covered
with sheet iron. 1t happened to be, how
ever, a limestone formation and the
limewater that trlckled down from the
rocks ate away the iron sheetng in Spots.
The matter was reported several times at
headquarters, and the superintendent az
Albuquerque sent up the material for a
new lining, which was extra galvanized.
so as 20 be rust proof 1t happened that
at just about that time there was a ire
mendous lot of traffic. and the Santa Fe
Company had TO borrow several engines
TO help haul its freight. The extra engines
burned soft coal and coughed up lots of
| sparks. one of which managed to creep
through a hole that the limewater had
eaten in the lining of the tunnel and set
the wood that was under it on fire.
1t must have been smolderiug a week or
| two before il was discovered. The engI-
neers reported that there was good deal
of smoke in the tunnel. but il was not
/ considered a matter of any Importance IN
til the iron sheeting got so hot that il
! could be noticed by the people in the
/ trains that ran through. Then an exam
/ nation was made, and at the request of
/ the section boss they hauled up a lot OF
! water in tanks, from the nearest supply
| point, which was twelve miles away. But
/ when this water was thrown on it slaked
| the lime and made the fire worse than
ever All traffic was stopped for week.
on the whole length of the road, and the
/ superintendent ana all the Olilti DIX llltH
of the road were up there to fix+things.
AS soon as the tunnel was cool enough
! they sent in every man who could be hired
/ to work there. They tore out all the old
lining and replaced IL with new wood
panking and galvanized sheets of iron
4 The job was rapidly done and nicely fin
4 ished. The laborers were all sent away
/ the debris was all cleaned up and dis
/ posed Of, and the trains had resumed their
schedule time about one day, when the
| operator sent a telegram to overtake the
superintendent. who was on his way home
and told him that the tunnel was on fire
again. il had caught before his specia
/ train was out of sight.
Perhaps one of the old timers was care
lessly left smoldering; perhaps the new
/ timbers ignted from the shaking lime, bu
however it happened, it was burning Q
week before the men could get back int
the tunnel again, and ii took TWO weeks
TO clear il out and put in a lining tina
was fireproof. The workmen demanded 81
a day wages, so great was the danger from
gas and lime and falling rocks, and :,
intense was the heat. The superintendent
of construction was killed by a falling
rock while the repairs were going on. Sew
eral other men We're permanently disabled
by similar accidents, and the cost of re
pairs was several hundred thousand dol
lars to say nothing of the earnings tina
were lost by the suspension of traffic whil
the johnson tunnel was on fire.