Show T D' D 1 ing Story of Moffat ff r Tunnel In the November Popular Science Monthly appeared the following a ar article arI ar- I I title Ucle entitled How Americas America's Lon Longest Longest Long Long- LongI est Tun Tunnel el Will wm Pierce Half a mile below the snow C t summit of of James peak peak peak-a a 1328 foot Rocky mountain barrier I ir in northern Colorado work Colorado work will soon soc start on the longest and from an si engineering en en- standpoint the most r re remarkable remarkable re- re tunnel In the Western Wester hemisphere hemisphere-a a six mile bore through the granite backbone of the Continental Continental Conti Conti- divide at a point 50 miles milE west of Denver Colo on the line c ol of the Denver Deaver Salt Lake railroad Comparable in magnitude only with the the famous mile 12 tunnel through the Alps AlpS' the great grea piercing mountain-piercing tube when completed com coin promises not only an important import import- V ant time-saving time ad advance vance In transcontinental transcontinental i V transportation but the openIng opening open open- ing to the world of vast treasures oV o ol V V ore coal and timber Umber Denver's Place in the Sunn Sun n Considered merely as a local enterprise enterprise enterprise en en- the James peak tunnel wilmark will wil mark they the final chapter in Denver Denver's year 60 struggle lor for recognition as ab asa a aa aba a transcontinental railroad center It Is expected to result quickly in a 30 per cent increase in the city city's population as well as an enormous increase in its prosperity But from iron froma irona a national standpoint completion o othe orthe or ot the tunnel tunnel probably probably within th the next 3 years years will will bring dus public advantages of which the following from the estimates of o engineers and geologists are the thi most outstanding Eight hours of railroad running time represented in a a. distance distance- o of L miles between Denver and the Pacific coast will be saved The present shortest traveling distance distance distance dis dis- tance across the continent will wUl be shortened 73 miles and four hours hour will be saved in transcontinental trips Maximum grades will be reduced reduces from eight to two per cent Rich coalfields estimated to contain contain con con- tain lain more than tons enough to fo keep the the whole United Unites States supplied for years years years-wIl will willbe be made available to world markets markel There will also be opened more than 2500 square miles mUe of oil shale with an oil producing capacity o o. o r barrels and as a byproduct byproduct by lJ- product tons tons' of sul sul- sulphate sulphate phate of ammonia enough ammonia enough to fertilize fertil fertilize ize every farm in the Mississippi valley More than feet of f timber will bo be mado made available for or use Tunnel May Ia Pa Pay for Itself Itsell Indeed the cost of boring may have been met by unearthed trea trea- Other natural resources that according according according ac ac- cording to these estimates will wUl be- be Bures long before the first train passes the tunnels tunnel's portal The passage of that first train willbe will willbe be the climax of a dramatic battle to conquer a grim continental barrier bar b r- r Tier rier begun 54 years ago when David H. H Moffat the grand old man or of Denver then 60 years old threw his entire fortune and ability into I Ithe the construction of the Denver Rio Grande railroad I bar bar- barrier barrier Faced by the unconquerable rier nor of the which are at their highest opposite Denver Denver the the foothills being only 14 miles away away away- the city had seemed for many marly years k to be hopelessly cut off sit from any di dl direct dl- dl r route farther west and was shunned by trans transcontinental railroads railroads rail rail- f roads that selected other routes over the Rocky mountains It was In 1868 tb that t energetic citizens pledged ed their money to build the Denver Denver Denver Den Den- ver Rio Grande This railroad gave Denver Its first transcontinental t t tal l connection but the circuitous route which It followed proved to bea be bea a a. serious drawback Dipping south southward ward from Denver the railroad that was supposed to connect Colorado capital with the Pacific coast mEandered meandered mean meandered dered miles without a advancing an inch toward its ocean terminus w wf while bile it sought an opening in the f through the Grand canyon ol or orthe the Arkansas and the Royal gorge The Santa Fe road also had its yes eyes t tv ti v on this route and the race rate to the i gorge became a stirring contest ol or engineering skill The Rio Grand Grandi rat railway rail rail- won and for years was the only way gay line to the west from Denver Irritated by this waste In tn time and ani Moffat seized a ruler antnay om on nay flay in ru 1903 and placing It across a map wap of or Colorado east and aud west cx claimed I am going to build a along the line of at that ruler west from Denvor D to Salt Sail It Lakel LaIca Work started Immediately on tits tin OJ Moffat Line out o of Denver to SaIl Bal Lake City straight as tho croW cro flics mm over the Great divide Obstacles Obstacle were we e met and conquered but Moffat's fats fat's rat s millions dwindled r ed to raise tho the money for the th completion com coin of his railroad Moffat went to New York where burdened with financial worries he died In J. J 1911 He lived long enough to see the road completed as far as Steamboat Springs about miles northwest of Denver Only one thing had made him deviate from his original I straight line Une project That one obstacle obstacle obstacle ob ob- ob- ob stacle was James peak The original Moffat road reached the slope of the peak at an elevation of feet From there on in II a distance of 24 miles the track rose roseto rosean roseto to an elevation of feet feel Trains made their way slowly over oyer this tremendous grade and then only only on ly by looping back and forth on successive suc sue shelves Twitted about this defect h In the of his road Moffat answered In his characteristic manner I intend to go through that mountain After Arter his death work on the Moffat Moffat Moffat fat tunnel was considered frequently frequent ly but no real progress was made until early this year when the Colorado Colo Cob rado legislature set aside for completion of the tho project The plan of or construction calls for two bores bores bores-a a small preliminary or pioneer bore eight b by 10 feet tr tc be driven n first and the main tunnel to be 16 feet wide with a clearance of 24 4 feet Rock from the main tunnel will be removed through galleys galleys galleys gal gal- leys connecting with the pIoneer bore Work will be started at both portals portals por per of or each tunnel simultaneously When the main tunnel is completed electric locomotives supplied with power from specially specially- built generatIng generatIng generating ing stations will haul not only I trains but motoring parties In their automobiles and motor trucks o 0 oz tint flat cars through th the tho o great tube Eventually the small pioneer tunnel tun- tun nel net designed primarily to aid lu iu constructing the main tunnel will willbo willbo bo used for Cor power transmission lines telephone telegraph and light wires while carrying also compressed compress compress- ed air lines linea to ventilate tho traffic tube through ducts connecting con con con- the two tunnels r |