The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-26
BRAVE MEN ARE
REPAIRING TUNNEL
Dangerous Work Being Done in
Ontario Tunnel at Park
City.
d. NEARLY THREE MILES
INTO THE DIVIDE
Thousands of Gallons of Water
Constantly Harrass the
Mems Work.

FernapS IN no other portion Of the
West Is human endeavor waging q more
relentless war with complicated, stub
born nature than that carried on by
the Ontario Mining company in the at
tempt to repair their long drain tun-
mel at Park City. The company finds
Itself surrounded by numerous great
dihloulties, any one OF which ordinarily
is considered sufficient excuse to abandon
any mining work. The story OF the cave
In and the ruin wrought by tho water
year ago at tho drain tunnel Is not
known or appreciated
When It became possible for the min
ers employed by the Ontario company
TO enter the tunnel after the cave and
noode, they found evidences on all sides
of tho tremendous forces which had
peen confined to such O small compass
as this tunnel. They saw large iron
pipes broken and twisted by tho force
Oh tho water. the rails OF the car tracks
were bent and doubled, while over 1900
feet OF tunnel was filled with debris.
water and displaced tlmOers.
Each moment these men spent In fac
Ing such conditions was snecr in the
face or death, and when one enters this
Same tunnel today and proceeds through
1t 10 the point $4,000 feet from the only
outlet, he can hardly conquer desire
TO ack-track" as quickly as possible
TO sunlight. AT this point, $4,000 feet
from the mouth OF the tunnel, tho On
tario company has three shrifts at work
running u drift parallel with the main
tunnel In order to get around the worst
portion of the ruin. Here for about
,oo leet the tunnel Is temporarily aban-
ooned, tho elements held in check by
means OF huge bul1head while for
the same distance the company must
drive their drift
Up to the present time about 400 feet
have been driven in this drift. there
oeing a bit less than 800 feet yet TO
go To appreciate what task this work
is one must see for himself, for moth
Ing can describe the feelings of a man
at work or confined temporarily where
a candle, will not burn a great portion
OF tho time, where O match goes out
provokingly; where from eight to ten
Thousand gallons Of water q minute pour
Gown upon the men at work IN the face
OF Ihis drift, and where any moment may
descend with overwhelming force the
same ruin that caused the trouble orig
lnally In operating the air drills in
THIS working one interesting thing has
oeen disclosed, and that Is that the re-
sistance due to friction is so great at
the race of the drift that II requires n
pressure OF seventy pounds to the SQUARE
inch at the compressor In order to So
cure any available or appreciabIe pres
sure at all
AT point 1000 feet from the mouth n,
the tunnel the company was forced to
orlve circle drift 270 feet before the
tunnel could be cleaned. AS has been
stated, the company was forced 10 cIeen
up retimoer and repair fully 1900 feet
OF this great avenue into the mountsIns
ihey nave lost no time; they are doing
the most that human agency could ac
cofnpish under such trying conditions
aho IN the year that the effort has been |
unoer way TO reclaim the tunnel one |
life only has been sacrificed.
pui!y three months Will be required
TOT the completion OF this work and |
upon Its successful ACCOMPLISHMENT |
many great properties now partiaIIy |
paraiyzeo VIII be enabled to reach their |
present inaccessible depths, the import
ance OF the work can be realized onIv
%hen the number Of big producers y, !
i rark CITY now practically idle is taken
into consideration. Such a disaster no
the Ontario company has experience5
wouia nave placed any ordinary mining
alslrlct oack nifty years, but Park civ
10 not IN ordinary district. It's tre
mendous resources could NOT ha rnoro
eioquently illustrated than by tho fact
mat the orc shipments from the dis
trlct today are greater than at anv tIrna
In the history of the camp.
me ontario mine. whose low leve1a
nave oeen hlled with water since rho
Drain tunnel trouble, Is already sooins
hope in sight, as the water is recedins
stehdliy, varying not far from sly incbns
aay. BY the time the drift taps the
tunnel IT is hoped that all this accuuuo
lated water will have passed througb
the tunnel. thus avoiding a wild out-
pouring at the risk Of the men employed
Ihose whom duty calls into this wild
region are deserving OF every praise
they are accomplishing a hercuiean tosI
Dut Drave as they nre there Ia not ono
among them but will give a sigh Of reo
lei. no doubt, when his work ia dona
and the danger over. ''ne