Show INITIAL TRAINS SPEED THROUGH MOFFAT TUNNEL salt lake and denver people celebrate the official opening of the tunnel piercing divide DENVER colo feb 26 AP colorado today officially opened the famous moffat tunnel with formal ceremonies I 1 twenty five hundred persons in a a special train of four our sections se C t I 1 on S made the trip from denver to the east portal ot the tunnel to awit ness the hi historic event to hear speeches commending the work ot or the men who made the tunnel possible and to witness the governor and ex governor of colorado drive a golden spike into a tip tia just at the tae eastern mouth of the tunnel following dedicatory ceremonies and speeches at east portal the tha trains were formed into two sections and steamed through the tunnel the first passenger trains to go through it under the continental divide the special trains then returned back through the tunnel and arrived in denver at nightfall tonight I 1 governor W H adams of colorado and former governor oliver 11 shoup drove the gold spike into the tie amid cheers that made the snow covered slopes of the mountains ring short addresses were made by ex x governor shoup and governor adams mayor john F bowman of salt lake city representing sen ting rg governor dern of utah made a speech in he be told of the interest of the people of utah ia the completion of the tunnel continued on page mine cine i arams through moffat tunnel 0 tinned from page one famous tunnel formally transferred to railroad Kail road W P robison Rob lson head ol of the moffat tunnel commission lonu form fily transferred tie the possession ot of the tunnel to the denver salt lake railroad W R freeman president of the railroad accepted on of his company the tunnel 62 miles long lang Is the longest railroad bore in the north american continent it vill vall tut cut oft off seven miles of travel over the continental divide arid and the road when whan completed to salt lake city will cut the distance dis between denver and the pacific coast by miles Colora doans declare re that its completion opens up a hitherto inaccessible inland empire as large as the state of pennsylvania the tunnoe measures just 62 miles in length and is the sixth ion longest ionest est tunnel in the world the five tunnels which are longer are rill all in the alps and the austrian tyrol they are Sim simplon plon miles Loetsch berg 93 miles st gotthard miles mount cenis miles and the alberg 62 miles I 1 1 at 8 a m on the morning of at october 11 1923 a small crew of men started work on the east portal of a bore which would pierce the continental divide penetrate a rich and undeveloped empire in colorado and bring the great elites cities of denver and salt lake many miles nearer optimism was high as those behind the project at that time had little idea of the tremendous battle against the elements that would have haie to be fought that they had far underestimated the cost in dollars and cents and in human hum an endeavor and did not torsee forsee that the man whose dream it was would not live to see sea the completion of his gigantic undertaking on october 16 of that year solid rock was reached and on november I 1 a blower was installed and twelve electric engines ordered A nall nail town was built at the east portal work was rushed day and night and on september 19 1924 workers had completed the bore one mile in from the east portal and on november 15 reached ached re the same distance s from the e west w s portal p artal year 1925 trying one for builders the year 1925 was a trying one for the tunnel builders obstacle after obstacle was met and overcome over comi by tire the engineers and then finally the waters ot of crater lake earn came e seeping through the crevices on december 6 it iwas announced the tunnel was in two miles from the tunnel was in two miles from the west portal nineteen twenty six was another year ol of discouraging but determined effort soft abek was encountered and the water flow increased to such an extent as to necessitate the use of pumps the installation of steel grinders grid ders and the building of concrete walls walla and aad gutters early in 1927 some financial difficultly difficult le were overcome and on thousand hard rock miners pitted their skill against the elements beneath two iwo giant peaks and work went rapidly forward until on february 18 governor adams of colorado and mayor C clarence of salt lake celebrated the meeting meet ln of the two crews by shaking hands through the first tiny opening that marked the cutting ot of a hole through the great continental divide on september 17 workers completed installing the root roof of steel arches and on december 10 the last blast iwas fired that marker the completion of the moffat ewan evan tunnel and one destined to write a new epoch in railroad development on this cont continent Ment |