New Britain herald., 1925-02-13
ALL HOPE OF NEW
 TUNNEL ID CAVE
 NOW IS GIVEN UP
(Continued from First Pagc)

It's use was rendered to the mili- tary authorities although representa- tives Of the newspapers planned to use the radio as one of their meth ods of sending the news of Collins rescue to their papers.
 The last barometer readings last Friday showed a depth of 35 feet. From descriptions of these who had reached Collins before the tunnel -caved in 1t was estimated that he was 25 feet lower or 60 feet below the surface, but the engineers now believe that these estimates may be too high and that he likely is not so | far down.
 Cave City was deserted at 11:s0 o'clock when reports that Collins might be located at any minute were received. Thepe was steady pilgrimage to Sand Cave. At noon dirt and stone was be- ing hoisted out of rhe shaft indicat- ing that the mouth of the new tunnel was being braced for the ex- ploring party.
 A tunnel which the rescuers hope may lead to the cavern behind Floyd Collins was discovered on the left or northwest side of the Sand Cave rescue shaft early today. Timbering was rushed on the fifteenth section and preparations made to drive pill ing into the side wall, around and above the tunnel hole, so a rescue party could enter t with safety.
 The hole was unmistakably a pas sageway leading down into lime stone cave and miners brought un pieces of cave rock to exhibit 10 II. Carmichael, the medical staff and other officials who were hurricdly awakened,
 Draft Very Strong
 While the miners felt that 1t might be several hours before res cue party would be permitted to ex- plore this tunnel, there was already keen competition among the diggers for the honor of going down on the next shift. The down draft in the shaft was so strong that the miners lamps were blown out when they looked down the tunnel.
 The hole was first discovered about 1880 a, m. and Carmichael, in charge of the shaft, and doctor, were awakened. Meanwhile the dig gers had uncovered hole which seemed two or three feet high eX- tending downward at rather sharp slope. Their lamps were blown out by the downdraft when they looked down the hole. The bottom of the shaft was l1urriedy cleared for the sixteenth section of timbering so short pile could be driven In the side wall parallel to the new tun- nel.
 Discovery Is Guarded
 The discovery of the new tunnel was closely guarded, the miners re- fusing to talk about 1t. But looking down the mouth of the shaft, the shadow of the hole was clearly evil dent. The downdraft had cleared out the shaft of the thin fog which has filled the shaft since the cold snap, caused by the miners breathing and the warmth of their bodies and the hole in the flickering light of the miners lamps, appeared to extend nearly half way across one a;J aF ei c11aft
 The hole was found in the side wall at about the 50-foot mark, measuring from the low side. or forty-five feet measuring from the high side of the shaft away from the mouth of Sand Cave. In the original exploration of the diamond core drill few feet distant from the shaft, soft spot was indicated at 51 feet, and another such soft spot was shown last night, followed by at least ten feet of limestone. The drill was boring further into this, early this morning, whcn the top of the 1 tunnel was uncovered. Drilling was at once stopped, 10 concentrate on clearing out this tunnel.
 The engineering staff made i'm mediate preparations to timber around and down into the new tun- nel, and finish the sixteenth section | of shaft timbering only sufficiently l to prevent serious cave-ins on the wall opposite the new tunnel.
 Carmichael explored the mouth Of | the new tunnel at daybreak and said he hoped they would have Collins | out by noon.
 The new tunnel as the mouth of | it was further cleared away, was easily large enough to accommodate a good sized man. and as far as they could peer down into it, ran straight | away from the northwest corner Of the shaft, diagonally to the left to- ward the mouth Of Sand Cave,
 The tunnel was discovered just beneath a thick limestone ledge, giv- ing the officials hope the new trunnel was part of the same honeycomb Tn which Collins is trapped.
 Preliminary exploration of the new found tunnel was the determin- ation of the fresh shift which went down in shaft at 9 o'clock, one de- termined digger voWing that "orders or no orders" he proposed 10 eN- plore the tunnel a ways"
 Carmichael admitted conservative y that "a lead had been found with a strong down draft Of air which we hone will lead to somCthing."