We may be in for a depression which will make 1929 seem like a Sunday school picnic. So, in order to divert attention from that, and cheer everyone up, this will be about Hoosac. Hoosac is not from outer space, nor is it a shady affiliation which Obama has had in the past, although he has had plenty. It is about a spectacular engineering achievement, which is still in use, even though it is close to 150 years old. It is about a tunnel!
The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. It connected the Erie Canal with the Hudson River, and was responsible for New York becoming what it has become. The Erie Canal connected New York with America’s interior, leaving out New England, and they were rather upset about that situation. Railroads had come upon the scene, and were proving to be a much faster mode of transport than slow canal boats. There was Boston, which could not connect with northern New York and other interior communities in Vermont and places further west by rail. Why? Because of those infernal Berkshire Hills, which are a northern part of the Appalachians. How to get across those mountains was the problem. Tunneling was the answer, but what a tunnel it would have to be.
After several surveys, it was determined that the best way to cross the mountains, would be to tunnel through Hoosac Mountain. Previous tunnels had been less than a mile in length, but this tunnel would be 25,081 feet in length, or almost five miles long. A project never even considered in past history. Money was scarce, and bidders for the job were totally inexperienced. Americans, even then, would tackle anything and stick their necks out to achieve the impossible. Cost estimates ran from $3.5 million, down to $1.9 million, which could be translated into billions in today’s dollars. Estimates were that it would take about four years to complete. The only technology available then, were hand-drilling holes, filling them with black powder, blasting, and then removing the rubble. Work started in October 1850. The search began for a drilling machine, which would speed the work. The “Wilson’s Patented Stone-Cutting Machine” cut about 12 feet before it was declared a failure. Meantime, much bargaining and shuffling of bonds, loans, promises, and lobbying were going on, without much drilling being done.
Herman Haupt graduated from West Point in 1835, and had written a book titled “General Theory of Bridge Construction.” He had signed on with the Pennsylvania Railroad as chief engineer in 1847, and had built the Gallitzin Tunnels, Horseshoe Curve, and most of the main line to Pittsburgh. Work on the tunnel had stopped, because of the lack of success and wrangling. In 1856 Haupt arrived, took over, and work began again, trying another drilling machine, which weighed in at 40 tons. After drilling 80 feet, the contraption was abandoned. Haupt decided to drill a vertical shaft, giving four faces to work with, even though it required an elevator to go down over a thousand feet to access the new faces. Otis built such an elevator, and it worked. Black powder, which had been in use for hundreds of years, consisted of a finely ground mixture of 75% saltpeter (potassium nitrate), and the rest equal parts of charcoal and sulfur. Not only was black powder slow and virtually useless for tunneling, but the drilling machines were not of much use either.
In 1861, a German by the name of Mont Cenis developed a compressed air drilling machine, which doubled the drilling rate, but which was still too slow. Massachusetts then fired Haupt, just as he was about to make a success of the project. You know how it is with governments. Haupt had drilled and opened 4250 feet of tunnel in seven years, and when he was fired, work stopped. The next man in charge was Thomas Doane, who actually stayed with the project till its completion, and would also adopt construction practices which made the tunnel’s completion possible. More drilling machines were tried, and all ended up on the scrap heap. Charles Burleigh developed a drilling machine which actually worked, and worked well. A compressed air drill was hammered against rock at 300 strokes a minute, and the drill was rotated slightly with each stroke. This is still a common type of drill used today in hard rock, underground mines.
On the heels of the new Burleigh drilling machine, came the discovery of Alfred Nobel’s nitroglycerine. Thomas Doanne was the first to use the new explosive, and it soon replaced black powder. The number of holes needed to be drilled was reduced by a third, so strong was ’nitro.’ The holes drilled were 42 inches deep with nitro, as opposed to 30 inches with black powder. Nobel then discovered that by combining nitroglycerine with diatomaceous earth, he had something even more useful, and he called it ’dynamite.’ After 18 years, only a third of the tunnel had been completed, and had cost over $4 million that far. Rather than killing the project, Benjamin Latrobe, a consulting engineer, persuaded the state to bring in an experienced general contractor, which they did. Shanly Brothers of Montreal, bid $4,594.268 to complete the project. Bid accepted, the Shanly Brothers began in March, 1869. They hired 700 men from all over the world, mounted drills on rails for ease of movement, and removed material from the drill site by rail also, saving much time and effort. By the end of 1869, they had drilled and opened 1688 additional feet, a new record. In 1870, an additional 2864 feet had been completed. In 1871, the progress totaled an additional 3553 feet, and 1872, another 4456 feet. The two portals met on Thanksgiving day, November 27th, 1873 and came together within a fraction of an inch of where they were supposed to meet.
The total cost, in 1870 dollars, was $17,322,019, and America had its longest tunnel at 4.75 miles in length. The first train went through on February 9, 1875, and trains have been going through it ever since. By 1900, 85-90 trains were going through Hoosac every day, and Massachusetts had its low grade rail line to the west. Smoke from steam locomotives was a problem, and the tunnel was electrified in 1911. Electric locomotives pulled trains through the tunnel till 1946, when ventilating shafts and fans made diesels practical. Today, several trains go through Hoosac daily, and the tunnel is just as sound as the day it was completed. Want to see it? It’s near North Adams, Massachusetts.
If that didn’t make you take your mind off of the godawful condition in the world, here’s a quote from the October 21, 1899 Gladstone Kibosh. (Gladstone, is a ghost town, about 18 miles northwest of Silverton Colorado). “Wanted: A girl for general house work. Must be cross-eyed and have warts on her face. Apply during daytime to Mrs. John Oberson.” Next line. “Wanted: A girl for general house work. Must be young and good looking, blonde preferred. Apply at office of the Gold Catchsucker Co. – John Oberson.” Maybe by Next Tuesday, when the next column is due, I’ll postpone it till Wednesday…after the election! Keep the faith and congratulations to the Phillies!