Gunnison news-champion., 1920-11-19
INTEREST WAS TAKEN
TRI-TI NNEL AMENDMENT

ton. because Of the tremendous en-
gllerTlnE problem involved and the
importance Of the project from . na-
t4guz. transportation standpoint, re-
c.rsrt considerable attention IN Fast
sTn publications.
Les4s's N Neekly, always ksenly alive
20 tie Big national issues Of the day,
i-a printed : vuloglstic story about
the Initiated amendment. which con-
C.-4ua sIth these striking words at
would DC rather almost
an Indictment Of the people IL Colo
r4GJ tals in its present pporTunity." :"
Motor Lie Magazine Of New York,
one OK the largest and most Influential
automobile magazines in the United
States. used the tr-tunnel story a. a
lealEng article IN the July number
On SGnlay, October II the Chicago
Tribune and the New York Times each
published stories upon the tri-tunnel
proposition, in which tins Colorado
project Was treated as one Of the great
transportation enterprises in the Unit
ei States today.
The Chicago Tribune described It as
only aecond 10 the Panama Canal IN
importance.
The New York Times said: "Of all
the issues TO BE- decided on at the Nov
enber polls perhaps no single ques-
ton ls 80 Olg with possibilities as the
tunnel project Of Colorado. Then will
Be- decided whether or not will be
built tine greatest tunnels in the world:
opening ~ a new empire as large as
the New England states, containing
OIL and coal enough to supply the
country FOR the next hundred years:
timber by billions of feet, fertilizer
enough TO enrich every farm IN
the Mississippi valley. cattle enough
20 give high meat prices a knockout
p-UW ana minerals worth billions Of
dollars.
II carried thru the project will be
serUDd only 20 the Panama canal in
srEc and Importance and will carry
future trayelerg under the Rockies in
aiean Of over, provide an auto road
under the highest peaks and give the
nation the shortest unobstructed year
around military road from coast TO
coast.
Incidentally it will bring Colorado
from position Of comparative OBJ
,cuuty 20 one Of the most important
Industrial and transportation sites in
the Union.
The tunnel question has been con-
s.aercd-without definite aetion-in
Colorado for many years. The need
has been obvious.
The entire United States is split
from Canada TO Maine BY the high
ridge Of the Rocky Mountains. Trans
continental railroads and auto roads
must cross thru passes at high alti-
tudc and in the winter time these are
blocked with ice and snow. Also the
steep grades and sharp curves make
transportation costs prohibitive. Colo
rildO was probably the first state to
see the great benefits of tunnels to re-
hcye these obstacles, because in add
on to the resultant good of diyerting
transcontinental traffic across her
borders she found that the whole
western half of the state was n store
house Of treasure such as the world
has never known, but locked up be-
cause OF the transcontinental problem.
50 she proposed TO build three great
tunnel On the north the Moffat
tunnel the largest in the world. will
cut of hundreds of miles of distance
and hours in time between Denver ard
the coast The Monarch tunnel six
miles long will cut the center of the
ridge, ana the San Juan bore, Az miles
long, VIII pierce the south.
For the first time in Americas
history, an automibile driveway will
be Included with railroad bed The
tunnels will really be dual and will be
constructed in a move way.
What is called pioneer bore By
8 feet Will be dug first. At every 2OOO
feet a cross cut fifty feet ong wIh be
drilled in the site of the railroad tun-
mel and il will be excavated thru the
smaller opening. Finally the pioneer
tunnel will be enlarged to l3 by 90 feet
to form the auto tunnel.
This will take care of the largest
army transport, 30 that in case of war
whole armies can be transported with
out interruption at any time of the
year. There has been a great deal of
agitation for a coast to cost militry
highway and this will probably be the
hrst link to great system to cover
the continent
Probably of prime importance to
this country right now are the raw
materials which will be opened up
materials which just now are a source
Of worry and doubt to the future Of
the industrial world.
For some time concern has been in
progress as to whether our coal and
gasoline supplies would hold out. Yet
in this region mostly on public lands,
are over three hundred billion tons of
coal. enough to keep the whole United
States going for the next hundred
years.
Beyond the Moffat tunnel are 1000
square miles of oil shale containing
fifty billion barrels of oil; many times
more than ever has been pumped out
ct the ground.
A by-product sof this soil is three
hundred million tons Of sulphate Of
ammonia enough to fertilize every
farm in the Mississippi valley.
Il, Over ten billion feet of timber is
now standing on these mountain slopes
and gold, silver. lead, tungsten, cop
per. gypsum, asphalt and many other
minerals of that region will aggregate
= value running into billions Of dol
lars. te