El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-21
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Washington, D. C., June 21.-.HoIed
through today"
This was the laconic message relayed
by telephone from Camp Quinton in the
Wasatch mountains, Utah, and flashed
by wire today to the reclamation serv-
Ice mere. It marked the completion Of
the Strawberry tunnel, one OF the
largest and most difficult pieces OF en-
SIneerlng work the reclamation service
ever has been called upon TO UNDER
With one exception this underground
waterway tunnel is the largest in the
world Many hard engineering DrOb-
lens mad to be overcome in planning
IT, ana great physical endurance was
required Of the men who carried out
the work.
Carries River Under Mountain.
Inc tunnel pierces the solid rock OF
one of the highest peaks of tbe
Masatch mountains at a point where
nose eternal hills are more than 30 OO0
s si5ed 's I+oe II viii move good
from one drainage basin to another As
miles away. Only 1000 feet below the
snow si capped crest Of the mountains
the tunnel mas pierced its rocky gyay
10 the south and east of Utah lake
IN one Of the most beautiful vaIIavg IN
the west, are $4,000 acres OF exceed
productive for lack OF water. To trans
form this valley 10 a rural Settlement
ooIted with thriving towns and villages
ana barred with long rows OF fruit
trees, the government engineers have
overcome almost unheard of Obstacles
Tunnel Four Miles Long.
Beyond the Wasatch range which
rims the valleys eastern border. Straw
Derry river, for centuries bank fIIT
perhaps, has run uselessiy bv IFS Va
ters nnally reaching the Gulf of Call
d Ijl tRrough the Colorado river. To
9Iverl TINS water from the Colorado
GralnaSe basin and turn it into the
Ctan valley, the enormous Strawberry
tunnel nearly four miles long has ~,
Dored through the Wasatch mountains
Us cross section measures more than
% square feet. It is walled and but
lressed with timber and lined with ce-
Before construction could bagi,
thousands OF square miles Of valley and
FouSh mountain country were SURVEYED
ana mapped and tunnel and canal lines
Iharked out A telephone line 50 miles
long, extending from Spanish Fork to
DOth portals Of the tunnel was con-
structed, and wagon road from Dia-
mond switch, the shipping point on the
Denver q Rio Grande railroad to bOfb
portals % miles long was made. Down
IN the foothills a diversion dam was
thrown across Spanish Fork river and
water turned into a power canal three
ana one-half miles long, which droDped
them through huge pipes on the bie
IurDlhes 1UO 1eet below. Power thus
generated was transmitted electrical
" 10 the tunnel site, where il was
used to turn the diamond drills in +6s
Lock, 10 light the camps and run the
sold TO towns in the valley for munici-
pal and commercial purposes
High Up in Mountains.
The camps are located a mile and a
half above sea level, and durine sev
eral months each winter have prac-
tlcaIly been isolated from the world
Ihe roads blocked by masses Of snow
and Ice For more than two years the
work has gone on without ceasinc-
three SHIFTS of men alternating during
Ine "A hours OF the day and night.
Gus gases, and swelling ground have
made the work difficult and dangerous-
Inc men fled for their lives on several
occasions.
In 1910 the work Of placing the con
crete ming was begun and since has
Deen carried on simultaneously with
tne excavation of the heading. This
required SWll1ul handling Of men and
material TO avoid delay in either fea-
ture OF the work Notwithstanding the
66lIIIeuItles Of the undertaking it has
loss of a single life
Reservoir to Hold Diver.
beyond the tunnel, in the shadow of
Sne granite peaks, a great Ssservoir is
Delng built \ retaining dam of rock
cement and steel is being built so deeD
InaI q six story building might he
hidden behind it Fed by meltinS
SHOWS, the waters Will rise behind this
structure covering $500 acres with Us
600 acre feet of water.
The valley to be irrigated is especis1-
" interesting because it is the scene az
the earliest irrigation by Anglo Saxo0s
IN the west Settled by Brigham Youno-
and his followers in 1S47, after Their
march through more than a thousand
miles of unknown territory peopIed nv
it is the oldest example 81
community farming by an English
speaking people in the west. For pro-
lection against the indians the farmers
-lEed IN little towns thrOughOut The
i alley their houses built close to-
setner and facing common street or
square, thus practically forming forts
some OF these old community houses
ire st1u standing The original farms
we're lot the most part not more than
10 or 90 acres in size. which NAV So
,ount TO some extent for the early s11c
,ess Of agriculture under extreme dir
lcult conditions
men the storage and distribution
system is finished and an ample yTste-
supply assured for all time. the vaIisy
VIII support more than a thoussDd
arm MONIES Salt Lake CITY ana ~
learoy mining camps will furnish q
lone market for many of the prOd1Ic+S
ND three railroad lines which traverSo
ne lrrlSaoIe area, will furnish unusual
world. ONNs-os