Albuquerque citizen., 1908-06-09
SANTA f HAS
FINISHED
Tunnel
Second Hole Through Ration
Mountain Is In USe-.COSt
About a Half Million.

The Atchson, Topeka & Santa Fe
railroad now has two tunnels through
Ration pass. The second was COM
pleted last week.
The floor of the new tunnel lies
7.54S feet above sea level. The sum-
NIT of the mountain is 7,776 feet
above sea level. The tunnel runs east
and west and is 2,7S6 feet long from
portal to portal. 1t is twenty-six feet
high, seventeen feet wide and Is lined
with concrete In the roof the con-
crete walls are twelve to twenty-four
inches thick, and in the sides vary
from eighteen to twenty-four inches.
Penetrating the roof of the tunnel
from the summit of the mountain are
two air shafts, which also are con-
crete lined. The west end Is thirty
six feet lower than the old tunnel and
the east end twelve feet lower. The
old tunnel will be repaired and used
with the new as a double track.
In the construction of the great
tunnel the work was expedited by
working from both ends and from
two places between. To work from
the middle two shafts were sunk
1000 feet apart, and by pumping in
air two gangs of workmen were en-
ployed in each. This made room for
six gangs of men to work day and
night. a remarkable feature of the
work is that the mountain was
pierced almost exactly on the line of
survey, the greatest difference being
only about an inch. The workmen
encountered shale, sandstone and coal.
The strata of coal penetrated was
from few inches to three and one
half feet in thickness. 1t was of the
best quality and enough was taken
out to have made steam for the con-
struction plant had there been any
practical method for cheaply separ-
ating the coal from the waste. Such
means lacking, the coal went into
the waste heap.
From the tunnel between portals
5000 cubic yards of shale, sand
stone and coal were removed, and
from the approaches 10000 cubic
yards. The portals are constructed of
concrete walls, reinforced with but
tresses six feet apart.
Since the work was begun 5000
different workmen have been en-
ployed. The average daily force was
25O men. The constructing company
has paid for labor about $230,O0O, the
laborers receiving from $1.75 to $3.50
day. In the construction 1850
barrels of cement and 2 million feet
of lumber were used. The entire cost
was 100000.
The old tunnel Was bored thirty
years ago. 1t will be repaired imme-
diately for temporary use, and later
1t will be made larger and lined with
concrete. 1t is now 2,030 feet long,
but will be made longer by the pro-
posed changes.
The two tunnels lie Immediately be-
low the old Santa Fe trail, and they
succeed as the highway of commerce
the old toll road maintained by Uncle
DICK WoottOn, famous character who
owned the pass and the land adjacent
TO 1t. He was on the ground in the
old days when oxen and mules were
the only means of transportation over
the mountains. Uncle Dick" made a
good revenue from his toll road. Then
came the Santa Fe railroad and the
old man sold to il the right of way
over the mountain. "Uncle Dick"
died about fifteen years ago. A santa
Fe station on the mountain side at
the east end of the tunnel is named
Woutton in his memory.