The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-05-24
TUNNEL IN CITY
CREEK COLLAPSES
CAVERN Caused by Timbsrs Be-
ing Weakened by Rains.
DAMAGE CAN'T BE ESTIMATED
SIDE OF MOUNTAIN SLIDES INTO
THE HOLE.

| TUNNEL No. 1 in City creek cam
yon is a total wreck. One hun
dred and sixty feet of it caved in
yesterday morning at s o'clock. Only
twenty feet of the timbering, which was
$50 feet in length, remains intact. The
damage that has been done can not be
estimated at this time. Neither can il
be stated when il viii be possible 20
repair the work Of the landslide which
caused the temporary damaging of City
creek.
Had the accident occurred during the
summer, when the flow of the creek is
! not very great and the water in other
streams is low, Salt Lake might have
Suffered a water famine. But happen
/ ing at this time. when water is plenti-
full N all streams. the daily supply Of
the city viii not be affected.
Rains Caused Landslide.
/ The demolition Of the tunnel was
/ due to a landslide which carried down
thousands Of tons of rock and earth.
( The side of the fOOthill through which
! the tunnel is cut broke away from its
natural holdings, more than 100 feet
above the creek. and with a low rumble
/ slid down the side of the hill, filing UP
! the tunnel for about 100 feet. The dirt
/ and rocks are packed 50 sOldly in. the
/ tunnel that it VIII be almost as hard 20
/ drill the tunnel again as though q bore
/ had never been made through the foot
/ hill
/ The immediate cause Of the landslide
\ was the recent heavy rains. The eX-
/ ceedinSly heavy precipitation has thor
/ oughly soaked the ground UP in the
/ mountains. The perculatiOn Of the Wa
/ ter undermined or weakened the tim
( behring's in the tunnel, and without
warning yesterday morning they col
: T1~,
heard for a mile The giving way of
/ the timbers in the tunnel let the dirt
/ Immediately overhead drop down 1t
brought with it rocks further up in the
roof When they came down the top
/ of the tunnel was so weakened. that II
could not withstand the pressure of the
1 tons of earth constituting the side of
I the foOthfu through which the bore
! was made, and general break &C
+ CURED.
Cave-in Has Drained Creek
/ More than $50 feet of the small noun
tain slid down, filling UP the excavation
made by the digging Of the tunnel.
J The earth broke away from its flrmer
! fastenings with a clear line or denmark
alton. carrying all kinds Of vegetation
with it.
The eaving in Of the tunnel has
/, damned the creek above that point,
H
! Eagle Gate The water IS rapidly RISING
the other side of the dam. and viii con-
tinue to do so until the water finds an
outlet through the temporary barrier
That viii probably not be d1fncult 10
5 find as the earth is soft, and the sSep-
I age viii soon make an opening, Wnlch
will be enlarged as the water works
its way through. Should the water rise
I too fast for that slow process OF escape,
il viii not be many hours before IL Will
! have risen above the dam, and Will
/! flow over 1t, provided II does not nnd
a way around it in the meantime
A short time after the collapse of the
! tunnel. City cree went almost dry on
I this side of the barricade, the only
water flowing being that which ran
down the mountain sides. Toward the
middle of the afternoon the creek began
to rise again, showing that the waters
above the cave-in had either found 4
course through or around the cavern
or else the surface water, running down
the niIIsides. a result of the severe rain
storm about o'clock. had been sum
cieDt to make an appreciate showing
in the bed Of the creek.
Damage Can't Be Estimated.
The damage which has been done to
the tunnel can not be estimated at this
time. It is in such condition that an
Investigation is impossible now Not
until the weather clears off, and al
further rainfalls have ceased, viii it he
safe to venture into either end Of the
tunnel Even then work Of clearing
away the rock and earth can not be
upderta ken The caVe-in is still SOL
and treacherOus. Time must be given it
in which to settle. That may require
a few days after the rain ceases 10
fall. or may take d couple of weeks.
When it is safe TO work in the tun-
mel. it viii have to be dug out Owing
to the soft condition of the dirt, the
tunnel Will have to be timbered as fast
as the bore is made. That viii take
time. and considerable money just
how long il WIFI require 20 open the
tunnel is not known; neither can 1t De
stated what the cost viii be. 1t viii
reach up into the thousands OF dollars
For several days past gang OF men
has been at work in the tunnel re-
pairing decayed timbers. For some
time they had been in need of repairs
As luck would have it, no one was IN
the tunnel at the time Of the cavern
had anv of the workmen been there
when if occurred they would have oeeh