Show BORING THE MOFFAT TUNNEL When will wilt the MOffat tunnel be completed Railroad men men In th region are arc asking that ques ques- question ques- ques question question tion as It has a h hr n n on- on the railroad situation finish finish- finished td ed d the tunnel willII will II a horter route from Denver Deher yes west westward ward and ancl there thre Is talk of ot the Denver Rio Grande Western connecting with the Moffat tunnel sine fine to cut Ita its mileage tor difficulties hav have been een met with and nearly a mile separates the east and soil west heads logs ings of ol the bore The president o ot of the compa company y in his bis annual report ny says Hya The conditions encountered since my January report have been heen very nry grave The water at atthe atthe atthe the east cast portal and the soft sort ground at the west portal have continued to delay progress nd greatly Increased Costs Costa The Th Tb ad od cost of o limbering alone by the soft rock amounts mounts to about The lint of ot bad ground gro ll 1 made by engineers and geologists was own wase e oo feet This later was Wal In Increased creased creased to feet leet Our present estimate Is that when ihen the tunnel tunnel's s Is completed we will have nearly I three and a fourth miles of o tim Um timbered ered tunnel The- The water encountered ered which baa has been continuous Ilas made It necessary to 10 pumps and build buld concrete gut gut- gutters lers Jers the latter at an estimated cost of some This Item was wu not Included In any previous estimates of tunnel costs Conditions have hue been so serious that hat only by utmost skill and In under difficulties that were all but overwhelming has hac I the work been pushed on to what we are determined will willbe wl 11 be ultimate success Ground so soft that pressure from from the sides has caused tho floor of ot the borto bore boreto te to bulge up 21 Inches has bee been encountered In the pl pioneer tunnel from the west portal portal Ortal Engineers estimate that the next SOO feet of railroad tunnel on the U-e west side aide will ha ba haie e to be lined with lith steel and concrete at a cost coat of ot 00 a afoot afoot foot Twelve by 12 wooden tim Um- Umbers timbers bers were found to be unequal to tj the stra strain and Inch timbers upon Inch 16 steel I ji beams set setIn setin seIn In concrete will be ho used In the th bad baa bad ground It will be months before the tunnel penetrates the t e mountain As to when It will 1 be ready for service no one has made a fore fore- forecast forecast forecast cast Eventually the bore will be bused used as a S connecting link in a line 00 oo- oo |