New-York tribune., 1922-08-20
BY John A. Chapman

"OLOhADO is preparing to build the
longest railroad tunnel in this coun-
~ try--the first to penetrate the heart
Of the Great Divide of the Rocky
Mountains.
By means of six-mile subway, beneath
one Of the greatest peaks in the Rocky Noun
aa range, the distance by rail between Den
ur and Salt Lake will be shortened by 100 to
80 miles.
Also the tunnel will benefit transcontinental
suaaobile tourists, for Colorado legislators
hare specified that it shall be used for the pur-
Nse of transporting automobiles. The tour
st can Pat his machine on a fatcar at one
end of the tunnel and be whisked under the
main range of the Rockies, instead of climb
ing "a difficult pass nearly 10000 feet high.
A third use to which the tunnel will be put
is the transportation of water. 1t is planned
to pump water through a concrete lined pio-
neer tunnel, beside the tunnel proper, for the
purpose of irrigating lands on the eastern
side of the Great Divide. There is plenty of
water on the western slope of the Rocky
Mountains in Colorado, but comparatively
little on the eastern slope Watersfrom the
Fraser River, one of the headwaters of the
Colorado River, will be pumped through the
great tunnel and will make fertile the plains
on the other side of the mountains.
The tunnel through the Rockies will make
1t easy to secure railroad transportation from
great untouched beds of anthracite hitumi-
nous and Ignite coal-enough to supply the
entire country for 200 years, according to an
estimate made by the Geological Survey. 1t
VIII also serve a country rich in timber and
livestock and in minerals, including gold, sill
yer, copper, zinc, tungsten, asphalt AMI lead.
he peak which will be penetrated by the
ereat tunnel is known TO be heavily mineral
nsc 1t is not out of .he bounds of possibility,
q even probability, that valuable deposits of
ni or some other mineral will be found.
aAesc will go TO the State of Colorado.
The tunnel bill provides for the issuing of
sa720000 in bonds, to be issued against
sannel district and to be retired from the in
eone derived from the tunnel. The s.ate will
lease the tunnel and any railroad may use it
% payment of the specified rental but the
Mst road to do so will be the Denver & Salt
lake Railroad, popularity known as the Moffat
road. The tunnel will be called the Moffat
mnnel in honor of the late David H Moffat,
builder of the Denver & Salt Lake Railroad,
~ Mofat was well known as a banker, mine
operator and railroad builder of early days.
mr.. Moffat was over sixty years old when
g conceived the idea Of building railroad
asfeetiy between Denver and Salt Lake, and
ny only shortening transcontinental railroad
aavel but opening up the greatest empire Of
slsn territory remaining in the West.
sihee early days of railroad construction in
e west this problem Of conquering the high
sssAs OF the main range of the Rockies in
ss0fado has bafled the greatest engineers.
.As difiieulties Of the problem turned back
S'esas Grenville NJ. Dodge when he sought
Tsy over the Rockies for the Union Pacific
= secuted in advance of the railroad builders
sung the front range in Colorado, but
messed himself beaten, owing to the engi-
ssas difficulties he met. Finally. when he