Show GREAT GUNNISON TUNNEL IS OPENED BY PRESIDENT chief executive of the nation swings wide the gates of the west portal impressive ceremonies mark the completion of the immense government reclamation project by which the waters of a big river are turned into uncompahgre montrose col sept 23 just at 4 30 clock this afternoon batteries of cannon captured from the spanish at manila by colorado troops boomed it a salute rev john J Sh ingley apol e a few words of invocation and wh ie thousands of spectators tood m silent awe pres dent ill am H ft stretched forth 1 is hand and opened the gates of the great gunni son river tunnel As the waters from the b g r ver six eluded with remarks by senator charles J hughes and gov john at four clock trains start ed for the west portal of the tunnel where president taft opened the gates and speeches were made by I 1 W mcconnell consulting engineer ot the reclamation service and senator horace delong of grand junction after the return to montrose there vas a reception to president taft and athers and this evening speeches were west portal of gunn son tunnel miles away rushed out from the im mense bore and 1 curried on their wa to make glad the beautiful valley a mighty cheer broke forth horn the multitude that for a moment drowned the exultant strains of patriotic music by the band M gaty project co thus was fittingly the completion of the gunelson Gunn lson river tun nel the first project undertaken by the united states government re cla servi e work on the pro eject was begun four and a half years ago and had progressed steadily ever since together with its main and distributing canals the tunnel will ir agate acres of land in a val ley naturally one of the most fertile in colorado but which has been semi arid because of tl e annual summer droughts and the inadequacy of the uncompahgre river this day of the opening of the tun nel was made the chief day of the western slope fair no v being held here all the morning special trains kept coming in from various parts of the state and at 10 30 there was a parade of the visitors eaily in the afternoon the explosion of a bomb told the people that the special train bearing president tatt and other gov officials had entered the city limits A second bomb announced his debarkation at the station and a third was sent up as the distinguished guest escorted by a great procession started for elks park pres dent taft welcomed at the park after introductory re marks by F D catlan chairman of the gunnison tunnel opening commit del vered by a number of well known Colora doans the celebration winding up with an illuminated parade and py display story of the great tunnel first of the big government recia mation pro acts to be undertaken the gundson river tunnel has been one of along the south canal the most difficult to carry through the ample waters of the gunnison flow through narrow valleys ed to agriculture or through deep rocky canyons while only a few one of the concrete drops on south canal tee mayor J Q alien tinned the key of the city over to the guests then john bell delivered the formal address of welcome to wh ch dent tatt responded briefly and happily the exercises here con ml es to the west the lovely buncom valley has been for water the gunn son descending in ever deepen ng gorges finally plunges into the black canyon one of the most magnificent mounta n gorges in the world this unpromising spot was se lecter as the starting point of the tunnel brave engineers lowered themselves into the black canyon at points where the granite walls rise almost perpendicularly hundreds of feet and after their surveys were corn plated active work was started on the immense project at great expense and under enor difficulties a wagon road was pres dent taft bu it to the east portal of the tun nel it is 15 miles long and climb ing the granite ridge between the canyon and the uncompahgre valley descends the rocky wall on shelf work bore built for all time simultaneously work was begun at each end of the tunnel and at a point several thousand feet from the west end where a shaft was sunk As fast as the tunnel was driven through the shale and sol d rock it was timbered and then the heavy timbers were with impervious cement this gives a tunnel of solid concrete built to withstand the wear of ages all the flumes culverts division gates drops and other work along the lines of the main canals are built of steel and concrete there is no dam across the black canyon at the point where the river Is turned into the tunnel instead of this the tunnel itself taps the river from beneath its granite bed by this plan neither floods nor slack wa ter can prevent the tunnel taking from the river all the water needed has immense capacity A few statistics of this tremendous project are worth setting forth the is 30 feet long and 11 by 13 feet inside measurement the main canal Is 30 feet wide at the bottom and 83 feet wide at the top and the average depth of the water is ten feet the capacity is 1 cubic feet of water a second after the water leaves the west portal of the tunnel it is conducted through 12 miles 0 canal to the uncompahgre there Is a drop of feet in this distance and this great tall will be utilized tor ere abing power A series of concrete drops has been constructed and the immense body of water rushing ov them is capable of generating at least 10 horse power which will be util iced in lighting the entire gre valley by electricity the cost of the tunnel and canals is over 5 buo ouo and perpetual water rights will be sold to actual settlers at about 35 an acre |