Year: 1865

On the 10th Of August | was in Chicago,
and thought | ought to visit the tunnel
was told that | could see the shore shaft,
but they would not let anybody 60 down.
| did go down, and | saw the whole thing.
For this privilege | am indebted to one of
the board During my journey there were
times when doubted about its being much
Of privilege. Mr.. Rose took me to a
shaft near nine o'clock at night a sort of
elevator filled it. and it is worked by an en-
gine, with strong wire-rope They had
been bringing up dirt, which is sold at ten
cents load


The two miners stepped on the platform
work for the city and examines every brick
The city keeps at least one man in the tun.
mel every moment to watch the progress,
and to guard against bad work and danger.
For there is danger. OF course there is =
1t is in case they come to quicksand, or
springs which rise up to the bottom of the
lake At that time they had advanced
about three-quarters of a mile The waves
of Lake Michigan are over them. When
steamboats, pass, they plainly hear the
working Of the engine and paddlewheels


The miners told me they were ready, and
pointed to the place on the platform where
was to stand. 1t was something like the
platform where they hang folks. and a rope
was over head, but for another purpose
Then we started The motion was swift
and easy. 1t was II feet to the bottom


and we soon reached it. The tunnel was
before me, and not much larger than good
sized brick oven. 1t was profoundly dark
within Out of it came cold, damp air
Leading into the tunnel is a railroad track


and there stood one of the cars on which
they haul brick, lime and dirt Usually
they have mule, but there was none down
at the time. One miner sat on the front of
the car with his lamp in his hand. They
gave me a little board to sit on | partly
sat and squatted on the middle of the car.
The arch above was SO low | had to stoop,
or my head would have touched. The 9TH
er miner was to walk He bent forward
and pushed the car.


Then we started. Immediately a cold
blast came out of the tunnel. | almost re-
GREETED | had come, but | knew there was
fun ahead, and | would not be frightened
After we had gone a few rods one Of the
men said we were under the lake. asked
him how far it was to the water He said it
was about 40 feet The lamps fared in the
blast, and almost went out The car rat
tied, and its echoes rolled thro' the tunnel
like a constant peal of thunder On the
right side of the wall every five feet, the
distance was marked in black figures At
the upper turn Of the arch extended a black
six-inch pipe, made of sheet iron, through
which the engine draws the bad air out of
the tunnel Not only is there bad air, but
+h f,,l iJflo
fire there was a great light through the
tunnel and one man was badly burned, but
he still lives There seemed no end to this
black pipe to the black figures, nor to the
tunnel as we rolled through the chilly and
damp air. 1t was the blackness of dark
ness before and the same behind The
scene was like that in a sick dream, like a
nightmare in which there is no relief and
no change. Unless a mans duty lead him
he can have no business here Had | not
wanted to describe the place | would not
have went down. One can visit no other
} place in the world where SO suddenly he
may be cut off from human help. Should
they strike vein Of quicksand the wa
ters rush in; Immediately they roar through
the tunnel, they pass beyond one, they rise
beyond one, they rise in the land shaft, and
he will be seen no more. Some say that if
one can swim well he may be saved. He
, will swim with the advancing waters, and
, he will rise in the shaft but such will be
the pressure Of the water of the lake, that
he will be propelled with the velocity Of a
, cannon ball. and he will be thrown out OF
the shaft i'll a monstrous jet Of water and
+ foam. Should he escape here, the chances
2 are that he will be torn to pieces by strik-
ing against the sides of the tunnel, or be


fattened into a mass against the sides Of
! the shaft, or be rent asunder III the whirl
l pool made by the reaction


+ | confess that felt solemn 1t was cold
t Naturally one would tremble. 1t was
y good place to pray. A short. fervent pray
b er can be said as one rides along, even as


one talks. 1t seemed to me like standing
r on the brink Of eternity like preparing
, ones self for taking a long farewell of thu
o astars and the sun, Of the world, of wife
y children and friends.


o After long time, we came to chambe
t dug out on each side, braced with timbers
t and plank; here mortar had been mad
= and brick deposited We did not STOP
l. The figures on the wall showed that w


were 1000 feet under the lake, and still


the black pipe was overhead Still the tm
e mel echoed with thunder | looked bacl
It whence we came There was no returning
d Again we passed another chamber, and tn
l. figures showed we were 1000 feet from th
II shore. 1t was 40 feet to the water, and tn
1t water is 40 feet deep. We have wondcre
n at the stores of enchantment in the Arabia
=, Nights. 1t has no such stories as this.
The cold, nightmare scene was unchang
e ed ; and still under the waves we rolled OF
p After long time the car went slower.


few words were spoken, and we saw light
- ahead. We approached, and found men i
chamber making mortar Everybod


was busy A man brought broken he
II to one of the miners who came with me


it was his hoe He swore never wa