Year: 1871

4 correspondent Of the Richmond
Dispatch writes as follows concerning
the progress Of work on the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad:


Recently | paid visit to Lewis tun-
mel to take a look at the works at this
the most difficult undertaking on the
road. We were driven over by Major
Buruham, the courteous member Of the
firm OF Burnham & Gordon, which has
this work in charge. As we rode over,
the Major entertained US with a descrlp.
ton of the work he had charge of on
the Pacific road. Although the bulk
of the work there was oI course greater
than that on this road, he did not meet
with any there that was as heavy as the
work betweek Covington and the White
Sulphur. He thought that the preju,
dice here against Chinese labor was
unfounded. He found them most ex-
cellent laborer5-hard.working, trust
worthy, and strictly obedient to those
in authority. He found the labor he
was using at present, however, (mostly
negroes and convicts, very good, despite
many drawbacks. The MAORI is one Of
the most skilled and energetic contract
ors on the road; and although Lewis
tunnel has been several times abandoned
heretofore, under its present manage
ment it will certainly be constructed in
the course OF the next year. When
we reached the works we were
surprised at their extent. They
comprise quite a village, in which
are large store, church, a
school house Supported by the la
borer-) and all the other appurtenances
of tirst-class hamlet. Passing over
this point on the train one has not time
to notice that there are machine shops
constructed at which locomotive
might lie built; nor can lie realize that
80 feet beneath him are nearly 200
toiers boring through the EARTH
and showing by patient and per
severing labor the triumphs Of man
over seemingly insurmountable obsta-
cles Besides the approaches to the
tunnel, there are three shafts, measur-
ing in depth 20, l2j and l45 feet re-
spectively. One hundred and twenty
men are at work inside constantly,
night and day. The difficulty in work
ing Lewis tunnel, as is doubtless
known, is the almost Unprecedented
hardness O! the material through which
it has to be worked. 1t has the ap-
pearance OF blue granite, and is 80 hard
that it almost ressts the ordinary drill.
Nothing daunted by this, Major Burn
ham has introduced the patent Burleigh
drills, worked by compressed air. There
are twelve OF these drills in operation,
and to supply these three steam boilers,
averaging. thirty.horse power, are
required. The receiver for the com
pressed air is twenty feet in length by
eight feet in diameter. The working OF
these drills is astonishing and intensely
interesting. They are fixed on car
riare-, something after the manner OF
mounting cannon. In fact, the large
carriage IN the centre shaft, with It's
five or six drills mounted and pointing
in different directions and at various
angles, looks very much like large
battery in miniature. The drills are
supplied with air through the means oi
a very strong rubber hose, and the
pressure can be exactly and with won.
dertul facility regulated by means OF a
stop cock attached 10 each drill. When
they begin work they make as much
noise as a locomotive factory, and bore
into the adamantlne surface as though
il were earth Steadily and rapidly
the drills make their way, and dust as
fine as flour comes pouring from the
holes they make. In an hours time
the necessary holes are completed, and
preparations for a blast are commenced.
This would take fully day if worked
BY hand. These drills have been tested
in this hard material, and have bored
three feet in ten minutes but this strain
is not kept up, as it would risk the
breaking OF the drills. l regret that
have not space to give more elaborate
description OF this interesting work.