Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13

A FTER winding all day through the most
rugged section Of the Rocky Mountains.
our train, consisting Of two coaches drawn by
five locomotives, finally managed to crawl over
the summit Of Mount Corona and start down
the west slope Of the Continental Divide. Then
began to understand why the Moffat Tunnel
was necessary One of the epics of American
railroad building had been the construction of
the Moffat line across the snowy backbone Of
the continent 80 years before.
Unbelievable feats Of engineering skill were
accomplished in putting the tracks over frigid
granite peaks $4,000 feet high, among a sea Of
cloud-wreathed cragS, where even the whistle Of
q locomotive was enough to start an avalanche.
When Moffat had completed his road, however.
he found that it would not pay, in spite Of the
fact that it opened up one of the richest regions
In America and passed through territory unsur-
passed for scenery anywhere in the world. A
railroad that requires f1ve engines TO draw two
coaches cannot prosper, and 50 this one went
into bankruptcy
And now the MofIat Tunnel over six miles
long was being built at an altitude of 5000
feet-almost 5000 feet below the highest point
Of the railroad. It was to open up for settle
ment and profitable development huge moun-
tain-locked region OF remarkable fertility. Un-
doubleday it was one of the greatest engineering
feats Of its kind ever attempted After six
years of heart-breaking difficulties, the tunnel
was finally completed, at cost Of $4,000 900.
and trains running on regular schedules now
roar through the granite arches half mile
beneath the bald summit Of old Corona.
Snow lay six feet deep in camp when ar.
rived, and rushing mountain stream was COM
pletely arched over by the drifts I was as
signed to bunk house which was shared by
laborerS Of every European nationality. My
buddy" was a huge Austrian named Joe, who
had been wounded fighting the Russians, had
lost his home to profiteers and seen his two
children Starve to death. He had come to
America to start life all over again.
One exciting event happened while was
working at the tunnel Lightning striking
dead pine tree in the Arapahoe National Forest.
started a fire and for time 1t looked as though
the entire western half Of Colorado vast
area of spruce and balsam, covering thousands
Of square miIes-might be burned
Joe and were detailed to work together in
an effort to check the flames that were sweep
ing up a narrow, heavily wooded canyon. Set
ting out back fires" ahead Of the line Of flame.
we began chopping down trees, sometimes all
most surrounded by walls of fire. A'heavy pail
Of black smoke settled over the country OBJ
Scuring the sun. The fire, reaching new trees.
would wrap around their trunks and dashed
by the wind, leap upward to their tops in torch
like pillars Of flame, glowing red against the
blackened sky
THE swapping of branches and the explosions
of pitch-filled logs sounded like artillery
fire mingled with a machine gun barrage.
Showers of sparks, carried hundreds of feet into
the air, were continually falling behind us,
starting new CONGREGATIONS that threatened to
cut us off. Animals OF various kinds fled down
the canyon, crazed With fear, sometimes almost
colliding with us. Joe pointed once as the
wind lifted the smoke pail, and I glimpsed
huge gray wolf Looping along beside a fawn,
neither, apparently, aware of the others
presence.
We struggled for 30 hours without food or
relief Sparks settling our backs burned
holes through our shirts, raising bsters
large as a mans hand; the soles disappeared
from our Shoes and our eyebrows were snged
away. When the fire was finally brought under
control was swinging my axe automatically.