The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-10-05
Il On the Way to Wealth.


The McGlelland tunnel at Dumont
took 1t { cd in footage among the vari.
Gus tu u.l enterprises during the month
m Sep'em'rr. lug a 'otsl o I45 fee,
to the lrng'h of he big cross cut bore in
AZ workinI shifts.
For u.je he MeCl Hand tunnel WAS
drIveh raight as an arrrw hut III or
der IA reacr the hig Fro md vein ard
the larIr group of properties owned b>
the com any at the most advan ageou
point e erm net by the calcul ,trons
OF Prominent engineer, the heaoine
OF the tunnel, AS originally plrnned,
has b, en- iurn,d mos, due southwesI.
and is making almo stra,gh, Tor q
point Nert cslly unde rueath the Lamar
tine II t shaft. The altitude OF the
p rtal Of th- Mcl l,ll4id tunnel Is
1875 and a, 'he crest Of l.amaline noun
tam it u, 10 $40 feet alb We sea level, SO
that hen the br, as, 7, aches thus point
It will be d a We teal depth Of , 7l5 feet
or more than half nile below the collar
of LaulaIt Ne shat. AS all Of the veins
depths OF from 5000 o ; 500 fee, bt low
their. ptx IN this sect on, max ing the
McCit Land tunneluue of the deepest p
jrc ed mlulng tunnel enle prlses IN the
world
Nurcr Gus veins were intersected in
the hr half mile OF the tunnel. and
althoulh h the tunn owns O. er cent OF
the tent ~ 'r,yersed Claims TO owner
ship were lmmed ately III ,de ny the mi
norit> iutert S S. but he latter never
eviuc 4 f desire 10 work their aims al
such tunes as they could co so without
interfering wth the progress OF
the ,uuurl. The tun, e c III, any, as a
cons, cnce has never att mpl,d to d
any develop nent work on the veins cut
in the tunnel, but has co fined his en-
ergies II the ex ension Oft big tore.
In addition to futn,shirg the cheap
est and mos, direct method for haudling
at gr a, depth. from the Frceland and
nee ION, peh.ps the greatest benefit
otherWiSe will be in the DIR image of that
water soaked r,gi N, where despite the
ocea If water tnat lave b-en hoisted TO
the surface. in the nr,ghborhood of ten
mi..'ons Of dollars have been extracted
isork she ores taken out OF the limited
surface workings
4 The course Of the tunnel after reach
artine will be changed so that when
continued It will unercut the apex o
Saxon mountain and where it could u
tImat.l arrive at point under Georg-
t1wn. and where it c,uld ultimately l'
continued on through the backbone %
the continent, in which event it woult
be one of the most desirable tho on h
fares for a continental railroad yet pro
jectei
The McClelland tunnel is without an,
exception the finest leice of uuderg ou
mining tunnel work of its magi itude i
the world. The timbering in the frs
fzw hundred feet of its portal is recog
nlzed y the most eminen. mining en-
glneers as masterpiece of mine timber
ing. Ii is the only tunnel IN the dl.
trict which is equipped with three track
and switches ard is double track ID near
" the entire first mile In making
the turn it was founl necessary to d
co siderable tinib ring as the counr
rock at that point was brok n and twist
ell with seams in all directions, maxim
AMI driving difficult. Expect,n
tnat better progress could be made b
driving the tunnel single track in widll
Manager George Nc ICELAND drove Sc,
= eral hundred teet OF the tunnel this szt
. The footage made with one drilling Gre
? and with practically the same quanti,
OF powder, however, was only equal t
wnat had been accomplished in drlvn
double track SIZE, and only required Ii
addi ional cost of muck ing.
This week the breast of the tunnt
was again wiiened out t. 10 feet an
the tunnel will be carried that siz
IN the near future. The experimen
having d. monstrated that thee is littl
; If any economy in carrying the tunut
single.track siz- especi lily in the forms
ton OF country ck through winch ia
beading of the tunnel is now passing.
Manager McClelland has just receutl
returned from the east where he wa
successful in arranging for the compile
ton of the tunnel to the western end
lines OF the company's compact group c
over seventy patented claims, covering
practically all Of the principal veins il
the Freeland district.
! The stairway to the second story O