Evening journal., 1913-08-29
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
An Early Opinion on the
Panama Canal
BY Holland.

In a conversation which I had with
General Edward l.. Serrell two or
three years before his death, in 1903,
he described to me some Of the very
interesting and romantic experiences
he met with while he was chief enei-
neer appointed by the State OF Massa-
chusetts to cut a tunnel through
Hoosac mountain in the northwestern
part of that State
General Serrell was in his time as
eminent a civil engineer as was to
be found in the United States. He as
sisted Professor Morse in the building
OF the first telegraph line He was
one of those who surveyed the route
Of the Panama railroad in the early
ffties. He was the engineer in
charge of the construction of the first
suspension bridge across the Niagara
river, and he designed and carried
out the plans for the famous tunnel
through Hoosac mountain. Some of
his achievements of Civil War days
have become historic. notably the
placing of the famous swamp angel"
gun upon Morris island in the har-
Dor of Charleston.
General Serrell had said to me IN
the course of a conversation relating
TO canal construction across the 18TH
mus of Panama that his experience
i'm cutting one of the worlds great
tunnels under and through the HoOsac
mountain had persuaded him that Il
would be commercially feasible. and
from the point Of view of science
even more practicable. TO cut a great
tunnel through a mountain situated
some hundred miles south of the 18TH
mus of Panama, high enough and deep
enough TO permit the passage of
vessel Of any size, and If this we're
done there could be a sea level canal
only about twenty-five miles in length
easily constructed connecting the At
lantic with the Pacific.
THE Hoosac tunnel proposition.
when | took hold of it," said General
Serrell, was already venerable.
About as soon as railroad construc-
ton began In Massachusetts, the peo-
pie Of the State decided that IL a tun-
mel could be cut through the Hoosac
mountain it would he possible to build
railroad at no excessive cost con-
Meeting Boston with the Hudson
river at Troy, n. Y.
We'll, there was nothing but talk
about this plan for a good while.
Ihere mad been some attempts made
10 survey practicable tunnel
through Hoosac mountain; but the
cost of excavation at that time was
very great. II had to be done by
hand labor, and as the tunnel would
be nearly five miles in length and
situated at the bottom Of the mountain
IL was plain that the work of exca-
waiting would take a very long time
by hand work and would be very ex-
pensive
When | was called into consulta-
uon | looked the field over and / was
only a short time in deciding that the
people Of Massachusetts, we're right
IN saying that the ideal railroad route
from Boston to the Hudson river al
Troy would be secured by the con
struction of a tunnel through Hoosac
mountain.
II worked out my plans. made nv
computations and I was glad to be
able TO report that the cost Of exca-
walton would be very greatly reduced
and the time required would be much
lessened because modern invention
mad given to the world the compress
ed air rock drill
"A great central shaft from the
top of The mountain nearly half
mile i'm depth was sunk. Then the
question for me was to so calculate
that the two headings. one represent
ing the approaches from the west
and the other the approaches from
the east, would be so accurately cal
culated that at the time OF meeting
nF fhnna haaIfrr~~
together 70 use a phrase which you
can understand, exactly head-on.
This involved cutting rock, some of
It very hard. about two and a half
miles from the east with such accur-
aoy that, when the cuttings Joined,
the axis, so TO speak. would be ex-
actly true I'm each case.
"Of course, 7 was tremendously in
terested and much excited when the
time came for the final blasts which
would open The tunnel clear through.
] was pretty sure that the two head
ings would meet perfectly, but of
course no cne could say before hand
what possible mistakes might have
been made. At last, when the final
blast was made and the opening be-
tween the two headings removed. II
was found that they had approached
one another with only a trihing dew
iation.
so I now say that II work Of that
kind could have been done through
and under Hoosac mountain It could
be done through and under the soli-
tary mountain which stands midway
between the Atlantic and the Pacific
on the lower Central American 18TH
mus"
Copyright. 1913. by f. ]. Edwards.
All rights reserved).
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell of
The Prediction of the Builder of the
Hoosac Tunnel"