The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-05-07
ANOTHER TUNNEL
THROUGH HOOSAC
MOUNTAIN
Story of Second Bore Again
Revived
PLANS MADE TWO YEARS AGO
Electrifyina Railroad Through Tunnel
Would Remove Pressing Neces-
sity for Additional Facilities

The Christian Science Monitor, the
new Christian Science paper. pub
lished in Boston, hears again per,
sistant rumor that the capacity OF
the Hoosac Tunnel is to be doubled
with a second bore which wouid give
the tunnel two more tracks.
The fact that for over two years
blue prints of the proposed undertake
ing have been in existence Is EVIDENT
Nv unknown to the Boston paper which
based it's story on the revival of the
old rumor in the light of new condit-
ions giving a tinge of probability
Needless to say the cost or the
much to be desired Improvement OF
the tunnel has precluded the Boston
e. Maine company from doing any
thing more than look at the plans and
talk occasionally of the advantages
which would accrue to the railroad
and to New England If the money
could be secured and the tunnel doub-
led in size.
With "the wish father to the
thought" the whole story is now re-
vived with the evident purpose of re-
moving the present objection against
the proposed Buffalo, Rochester and
Eastern railroad company that 1t
would not have proper eastern con
nections and reopening hearings in
behalf of that enterprise, says the
North Adams, Transcript.
With the revival there is also the
probability. Ralph d. Gillett, the
chief operator of the Buffalo, Roches-
ter and Eastern road is desirous' of
reopening the hearing before the rail
road commission of New York which
turned down the application of the
railroad for franchise after many
long and exhaustive hearings with
Commissioner Osborne dissenting
from the decision of the majority OF
the commission. Something tangible
may yet come out of it as the New
York. New Haven & Hartford railroad
company, which can borrow money
easier than any other corporation in
New England. is supposed to be back
OF Mr.. Gillett in his efforts TO secure
the franchise for the Troy'Buffalc
line
For years 1t has also been the
dream of the Boston & Maine to be
able to handle the tunnel trains with
electric engines but to do this invol
we'd the expense of millions although
it is true that on all sides of HoOsat
mountain there is abundant water
power wasting which would furnish
all the power needed for the change
TO electricity.
The plans for the new bore have al
ways called for a separate bore which
would be later connected with the
present tunnel There is not the
slightest doubt, however, that If the
present tunnel was equipped with cleo
trio engines doing away with all the
danger of noXious gases in the tun
mel, and of the smoke and dirt nuts
ances, no new bore would be bull
for many years to come as electrical
equipment would allow the capacit,
of the tunnel to be tripled without /;
second bore.
At present, however, operation b,
electricity is much more expensiy,
than operation by steam which ha
again brought forth the rumor con
corning the building of the new bor
which would probably be placed OF
the right side of the present tunnel
The new bore would be of the SAM
length as the present tunnel, Az
miles, and it would require, it is es
timated, about four years to build il