Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-11-19
Nermont's Engineering Problem.

NcfmOnts engineering problem.
While many people have been wonder
ing whether the mountain line would be-
gin to show any material depression in the
vicinity of Rutland. other people have
been going up and down the State to see
whether a gap might not be discovered
in the mountain barrier in some other sec
ton. Some years ago certain individuals
in Rutland persistently claimed that
killngton dome alias Pico was higher
than Mount Mansfield, thelmost altitudnous
of the Green Mountains, and they so ee-
waited the mountain line between Rutland
and Windsor counties that 1t is extremely
difficult to get over. One might use a
dirigible airship and thus cross the noun
tain line there directly; but the difficulty
with these new tangled flying machines
is that you never know where you will
land. An amateur who has taken one tum-
bic is likely to be careful how he again
essays to become an aeronaut At least
history does not record that Darius Green
ever repeated his famous bird expert
ment.
The most serious feature of the prob
lon is how TO overcome the mountain line
without tho use Of money. Looked ut
from this point of view the underground
system would have marked advantages
In these days of suhways in cities and
railroad tunnels under mountains and
rivers it would he absolutely feasible
from an engineering standpoint, to over
come the obstacle presented by the noun
tain line by digging hole under the
thing and crawling through. Moreover
it could never be shown absolutely that
any money went into the hole. People
would see vast quantities of earth and
stone and rubbish coming out in various
kinds of receptacles and vehicles, hut that
would prove nothing as to the pouring
Of filthy lucre into the tunnel Indeed
the pouring might be simply of water"
| As a matter of fact it would not be nee
essary to use a cent of money in tunnel
Ing the mountain lne-that is not neces-
sary for the promoters. This is an age
Of underwriting and Of Interpretations
and Of construction companies. To prop
erly finance the mountain line tunnel in
the most modern way the person or the
corporation or the machine to use the
thing would naturally persuade capitalists
to form n corporation to do the work as
a construction company. The stock
would be held hy the promoters. and
bonds could b issued to pay for the
work, the latter being distributed among
confding friends and others. When the
work was done it could be shown that
the constructors took too much earth out
IN digging the tunnel or that il was not
completed in time to be of use so that the
! diggers would he owing the promoters
actual damages. There is your tunnel
and it has not cost the promoter a cent.
| although the same may not bc true of
some of the friends and other mourners
| a much more safe and practical way
of overcoming the mountain line and one
/ that would be on the surface Of things
would be to induce the State to build
roads across the thing. This would be d
| perfectly straightforward transaction.
open and above board. without any ute
ror purpose and in fact thing to be
commended The taxpayers would ult-
mately pay the freight to be sure. but
would they not use these roads them
selves whenever they too wanted to sea lc
the mountain line and incidentally be nm
der a debt OF gratitude to the engineer
who laid out these public improvements ?
1t would not be impossible to blow up
the mountain line with dynamite be-
ginning whore it has already been blown
up by pneumatic press; and this proce s.;
would have widespread advantages The
levelng Of our mountains would lay bare
an untold wealth OF mineral resources
and pave the way for iunumerable in
dustries where the mountain line for
merry lay in fancied security. Politicians
could wander back and forth with utter
abandon between the ccrulean ChamDlalr
and the Granite State s more active and
pellucid Connecticut ana this vast en-.
cheering problem would be solved for.
| ever.
The UNDERGROUND method seems to be-
|