Year: 1878

D'cl0ck last night your reporter, ac-
.ompanied by w. H. Patton, Su-
pertntendent of the Bonanza mines,
and NJ. g. Gillette, Superintendent
of the Savage, went down the Saw
age shaft to witness the making of
the connection of the Sutro tunnel
with the Comstock lode. Reaching
the bottom of the shaft, the party
descended the incline and stopped
at the $40 foot station. Proceeding
along the south drift 270 feet, the
spot was soon reached where the
was to be made-a con-
Meeting drill hole. At the end of
the drift = chamber had been
stopped out about ten feet in
height and about eight feet broad.
On the south side was o small drill
hole, which constituted the first
actual connection between the tun-
nol and the Savage. Through this
hole rush of hot air was coming
up from the tunnel with q sound
which could be heard some dis
tance from the spot. Your report
er placed his hand before the hole,
and found the air current very
strong and hot. The hole went
down diagonally eastward, and
by placing the eye on the proper
range . glow of light could be seen
1t the other end. Presently voice
came up from the tunnel, "How's
everything ?n The reporter yelled
back "First-rate.n The man at the
other end of the hole, which was
i've and half feet distant, how
ever, did not seem to understand,
and the reporter was obliged to yell
again 1t the top of his voice. 1t
was hard to talk against the cur
rent Of air, but every sound came
up from the tunnel with great dis
tinctness. Each man in both par
ties spoke through the hole, and
conversation was carried on fol-
half an hour.


DISPATCHES FROM sUTRO.


Here superintendent Gillette re-
ceived the following dispatch:


SUTRo, July Sth.


To NJ. g. GILLETTE: Should your
men succeed in breaking little
hole through. let them stop and mol
enlarge it until 1 am fully notified
There should be ample time given
for your men and ours to retire, fol
/ am afraid a column Of several
thousand feet IN length of hot, foul
air, suddenly set in molten, might
prove fatal to the men. / shall
telegraph again at $3.50. and give
the report of the shift, which will
then be out. ADoLPH SUTRO.


The next dispatch was as follows
Men report drill holes knocked
through near the north side. Pu
in your blast, and let your men re-
tire to the incline. Will be at tht
header at II o'clock.


ADoLPH SUTRo.


THE FINAL BLAST.


Orders were now given to wal
until 10:40 before blasting, and the
party chatted among themselves
until the hour arrived.


At q little before II o'clock WORD
came up from below that Mr.. Sutro
was coming. The Savage men re.
piled that they were about to blast
and the usual blasting signals were
given by pounding on the rock
They were answered by the tunnel
men, who filled the bottom of the
drill hole with clay. Eight large
large powder cartridges were then
put in, and another signal given
that the blast was to he fired. II
was answered and the men with
drew. B. q. Williams, the fore.
man of the Savage, directed the
operation, and Tom Tengelley fired
the blast. All hands withdrew to
the station, and presently there
was dull roar which shook the
ground. Everybody rushed pell-
nell to the spot to see the connec-
tion. About half way up the drift
they were met by blinding rush
of smoke, and blast of hot air that
seemed to come from Tartarus.
The reporters lantern went out
with the draft, and one after an.
other the rest of the lights sue
cumbed to the tremendous air cur
rent. All groped their way along
the drift, which was as black as
Erebus, and presently came to the
big hole which the blast had
knocked out of the rock. 1t was
five feet square, and through the
gap which had been rent by the
blast the lights of the tunnel
streamed with q cheerful glow, and
at the same time a shower of fine
dust and fragments of quartz shot
from the edge of the opening
in the faces of the men in
the drift. All hands now
stripped TO the buff and with
pick and bars began to enlarge the
opening. AS each fragment ofrock
fell with crash cheer came up
from below, and the Savage men
responded heartily. The heat in
creased quite perceptably, and the
foul air, which had found lis level
in the crevices of the tunnel for
years, was gradually sucked in by
the draft aud found its way into the
Savage drift, together with the
overpowering aroma of perspiring
mules and sweltering men huddled
In the header with the heat at ITO
degrees. The Savage men faced
tie sudden heat ganely, but at
times were compelled to group
around the end Of the compressed
air pipe, aud drink in the refresh-
Ing and cooling currents as thirsty
men gulp down water.


ENTER, ADoLPH sUTRo.


After the hole had been consid-
erably widened, Superintendent
Gillette ordered u ladder brought,
and 1t was let down to the floor of
the tunnel, which was about ten
feet below the drift, and Adolph
Sutro realized his dream of years
by coming up through the hole into
the Savage with his two sons. He
shook hauds with the party, and
went into the l,640 foot station to
oooi 00 a ffar which n q want ha oh