The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-25
SPEED IN TUNNELINe.
Experience at the Newhouse Bore in
Colorado With Two Shifts and One.
Denver Ores and Metals.l

tDenVer Ores and MetalS.)
Speed in tunnel driving. Iik, speed in
running a passenger train. is obtained at
the expense Of greater cost in proportion
to the distance covered. This is brought
out very clearly in comments of $ A.
Knowles. superintendent Of the NeWnOuSe
tunnel at Idaho Springs, upon the record
made in Nay. In addition to his position
as superintendent. Mr.. Knowles holds the
contract for driving the tunnel During
the thIrty-One days Of May the breast OF
the tunnel was carried ahead go feet, an
average of something over SO a day. The
size of the tunnel as now driven is 5xS
feet. When it was being driven 5xfO feet,
in February. 1892. for a double track, a
record Of 267 feet. or an average Of 50
feet daily was made. In March of the
same year, with thirty working days, II
was continued ~ feet dOuble-track size,
or % feet daily
Under the present arrangement the con-
tractor gets so much foot for the work
done regardless Of the amount and 81 eS-
ira for each foot over 200 feet driven in
any one month The bonus in May was
$50, a an incentive TO the men this bonus
IS divided among them and they are paid
partly on the basis OF a day wage and
partly on a fOOtage basis Each shift has
a regular time for going on. but the rule
is not TO quit for the day until the round
is in Because OF the interest the men
have in the amount of work accomplished
they are quite willing TO live up to the
rule The muckers go on about an hour
in advance Of the machine men
Taking the fixed expenses into cOnsid-
Grafton. the expenses that must be met
whatever distance the tunnel is driven
the company can well afford 10 pay
bonus Of 81 a foot for each foot above
POO driven monthly. The fixed expenses
must be figured in with the total cost
and the more rapid the work the less
the amount per foot 10 be added from
this source. From the standpoint of the
contractor. however, the bonus is not
large enough TO cover the extra expense
Working with one shift Of drfli-men. a
rec ord of IL ct
two years ago Comparing this figure
with the go feet accomplished last month
by two shifts Of drill men, it is very clear
that the contractor, in spite of the bonus.
Is making more money with one shift
than he has with two shifts Mr. Knowles
saws that after giving both methods q fair
trial. he has decided TO return to the one
! shift plan.
Electric power will soon be substituted
for steam power in furnishing the COM
pressed air for the tunnel Machinery
for this purpose IS now being put in
place 4 COnSideTa bic reduction i'm ex-
: penSes IL expected TO be the result of the
substitution
Whether or not work on the tunnel will
be continuous from this time on lies prin-
CiDally with the owners of the mines that
! VIII be benefited. There has been an in
+ cHnation on the part Of some of the oD-
orators whose property has been drained
I by the tunnel 70 accept their drainage
and continue to operate from the sur
I face. As the tunnel il dependent for rev
.
[ the general adoption Of this policy on the
+ part of the operators would make it a
losing venture Some Of the mines drained
have not made working connections with
/ the tunnel. and even those that have con-
HeCtiOns are hosting and shipping from
the surface. The tunnel COmDanv's
charge is one and one-haIf cents per Gu
/ bic foot FOR waste and - cents per ton
and up. according to the grade Of the ore
I PrOfiting by experience. the tunnel com
pany is now insisting upon contracts with
( mines in advance Of the work before driv-
/ ing ahead. Whether or not It could Te-
/ gaily collect for drainage has not been
/ passed upon by the courts