The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-03
Bismarck Medicos Prominent in State Association Meeting
FIRST n. P. Tunnel
THROUGH CASCADES
NOW OPEN Il YEARS
Veteran Of Service Recalls
Building Of Bore and Pas.
sage Of Pioneer Train

st. Paul, June 3.-Forty.one year.
ago. May n. 1858. the first Northern
Pacific train passed through the frs
tunnel through the Cascade noun.
tains. marking the completion Of Al
engineering feat accomplished despite
almost insurmountable obstacles.
Andrew Gibson. superintendent Of
t~ie.treating and timber preservation
plants OH the Northern Pacific system
today recalled the completion Of thi.
tunnel. known as the Stampede tun.
mel. It Is located In the Cascade
mountains about Is miles east Of Sc.
attic and has q length Of 0,044 feet.
The contract for driving this bore was
awarded to Nelson Bennett. of Ia
coma. January 81. 1886. and the work
was commenced on February Is, the
same year. The headings met May
3, 1883. and the breasts q week later.
A remarkable feature was the ac-
curacy with which the engineers
worked from the cast and the west
headings. The alignment. grade, and
distance checked almost to the inch.
Engineers Were Tested BY Job.
Mr.. Gibson was transit n on the
west end during the entire time the
tunnel was under construction.
lat the time the original location
was made for the tunnel" Mr.. Glib
son said. there was virtually no clear
ground anywhere in the neighbor-
hood. The mountains were all thickly
covered with heavy timber and UNDER
brush. The work of building trails
and making surveys required extreme
skill and perseverance On the part Of
engineers. members Of their parties,
and trail builders. When the construc-
ton vas started. there was no rail.
road nearer than the first crossing Of
the Yakima river. about 90 miles east
of the tunnel, and Eagle gorge. about
% miles west. Machinery at the be-
ginning was hauled on crude tobog-
gans made Of small logs. On the west
side Of the mountains at that time
was only Z pack train trail. Yet,
despite all Of these handicaps, the
tunnel was completed in little more
than two years.
The Northern Pacific railway, be-
ing the first to reach the Pacific
coast. found It necessary, Of course. to
build roads and work under the most
severe difficulties to accomplish this
tunnel construction, which we regard
as the best route through the Cas-
cades. The railway has had no snow
trouble Of any consequence In the II
years the route has been operated.
There Is only about nine miles Of
mountain grade on the west side OF
the divide and only six miles on the
east side, and the physical conditions
are such that even these compar-
atively short helper grades could be
eliminated by the construction Of 4
tunnel five and M half miles in
length. The grade In the tunnel on
the east side OF the summit is OF, and
west Of the summit, .O74. The entire
tunnel Is on q tangent"
Name Makes Workers Strike
Mr. Gibson said that Stampede pass,
originally called Garfield pass. was
discovered on March 10, 1881. by v.
G. Bogue. at that time principal as
siStant engineer Of the Northern Pa
cific. with offices At Portland. He
told an interesting story Of how the
name Stampede pass originated.
After Nh. Bogue's discovery Of the
pass, he had two parties assigned to
build trails In order to get supplies to
the surveying party who were to To-
cate the tunnel and approaches" Mr..
Gibson continued. Being dissatis-
fled with the progress made by these
trail builders, Mr.. Bogue decided to
consolidate the parties and sent 1
foreman who was considered 4 hard
worker to take charge Of the trail
party. This move did not meet With
the approval Of the trail builders and
they left In q body.
Shortly after the occurrence q sur.
veying party camped where the trail
party stampeded and the draftsman
blazed one side Of q large tree IN
front Of the camp and marked it
Stampede camp from which q small
lake in that vicinity took its name
and afterwards the pass and tunnel"