Gilpin observer., 1902-02-20
THE SAN BIAS TUNNEL.
Details Of the Audacious Scheme to
to Tunnel the lsthmus.

George II. Haskell, formerly a stu
dent of the State School OF Mines, but
Tor the last three years engaged in min
ing near AntiOquia, Colombia, reached
the city yesterday and registered at the
Albany, says the Denver Republican.
He is. on his way to Montana, where
he will stay Until the revolution in Co
l0mbia has Gained down. On his way
out of the country Mr.. Haskell spent
some weeks with the engineering party
of the San Bias Tunnel Company.
which purposes to build ship tunnel
five miles long, through the Cordilleras
uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
by waterway only fifteen miles long,
through which ships may proceed in
four hours from deep water to deep
water.
II thought the thing was a joke
when first heard of It," said Mr. Has
kell. 1.-THE idea of tunnel 200 feet
wide and 40 feet high, through solid
rock, seems stupendous upon first
thought. But the more looked over
the field, the character of the noun
tains. and the opportunities for work.
Ing, the more favorably it impressed
me, until now l am firmly convinced
that this Is the only practicable method
Of building the ship canal to connect
the Atlantic and the Pacific.
I'm digging the San Bias canal there
would be less than one-fourth the act
ual rock work that must be done on
the Panama route, and one third of
that on the Nicaragua. With modern
machinery, the taking out OF the rock
Is small item. The tunnel will Oc-
cupy six miles of the thirteen miles of
the canal. There will be one lock at
each end. There is an abundant water
supply for the canal. so far as it runs
above sea level, and no complications
at all from mountain torrents, as
there are on both other routes. There
is a magnificent harbor at each end of
the route, and the granite taken from
the tunnel could be lowed out in scows
and dumped to make breakwaters
which would give n haven for boats of
all kinds and sizes.
'"The rock OF the Cordilleras at this
point Is very peculiar hard granite.
There are no sand pockets in it, and
nothing which would be likely to
cause slides or pinches in the tunnel.
1t Is a fact well known to all mining
engineers that 1t is harder TO keep
small tunnel open than large one.
The mountains move on n large scale,
and while all around a tunnel the rock
Is broken and sliding. at point 80 or
200 feet above the rock will be found
s0lidly locked together. The direction
of the trend of the mountains is such
that there would not be the direct
downward pressure which might crush
in the bore.
II believe that the most audacious
project, seemingly, is really the most
conservative. The difficulties of the
San Bias route are all right in sight
and In reach. The difficulties on the
other routes cannot even be estimated.
On the Panama canal you must under
take to handle a river which ut times
becomes Il torrent of almost inconceiv
able size and force. On the Nicaragua
route you have a lake which is dotted
with VOLCANOES. and whose shores show
n vast range of fiuctuations>in its
depth: you have constant earthquakes
to destroy your locks. and you have n
long and circuitous route so expensive
to sailing ships that they would better
go round the Horn and save money"