Report of the Hoosac Tunnel and Troy and Greenfield Railroad Part 3

Farren of Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, by an agreement dated May 1, 1866, contracted to put in a stone and brick arch of the dimensions before stated, 26 feet by 26, for the following prices, viz.:--Earth excavation $3.50 per yard; brick masonry, $12 per perch; stone masonry, $6 per perch. Contractor planks the bottom and sides when necessary at $15 per lineal foot. The State furnishes the bricks at $9 per thousand and the timber at $16 per thousand for hemlock, and $18 for spruce and hard-wood. The length of arch contracted for is 174 feet, the whole of which is open. The State also furnishes the cement, which costs in Troy, New York, from $1.65 to $1.70 per barrel, to which is to be added the freight at 30 cents per barrel. A barrel of cement is used for a perch of masonry.

The contractor agrees to construct two hundred feet of under ground tunnel, and as much more as he can before August 1, 1867, at the following prices, viz.:--Earth excavation at $6.50 per yard; brick masonry at $13 per perch; stone masonry at $6.50 per perch. The timbering, from $40 to $50 per foot, lineal, depending upon the thickness of the wall. He may, under permission from the engineer, take stone and sand from the State's premises, without making compensation.

Payments are to be made about the 12th of each month for the work done the preceding month, at the rate of 80 per cent. of the finished work.

The decision of the engineer as to the method, quality, quant.i.ty and cla.s.sification of the work to be final and conclusive. In order to facilitate the progress of the work and with a due regard to economy, the State has purchased the following lots of land in the vicinity of the West End, to wit:--A wood lot, containing sixty acres, at a cost of $9,900; the Harrington Farm; 130 acres with the buildings, inclosing the West End and West Shaft; and running half way up the mountain. This purchase was made January 26, 1866, price $3,000. The Kingsley lot, purchased March 16, 1866, at $2,793.87.

The timber used by Mr. Farren is obtained from these lots. The tops of the trees are cut into wood and used at the brickyard. About five hundred cords of wood has been cut on the Harrington, and one thousand cords on the Kingsley lot, for the use of the brickyard, and is now on hand.

The necessity of making the bricks required for the arch tunnel is apparent. They could not be furnished by individuals at North Adams.

120,000, before the yard at the West End was fitted up, were purchased at Springfield at $9 per thousand; the freight of which to North Adams was $6, and the teaming to the West End $2 per thousand. If to these prices be added the depreciation and waste from handling, the cost will reach $18 for all that could be used in the work. It is the opinion of the engineer and superintendent of labor, that the bricks made by the State will cost less than $9 when delivered to the contractor.

Mr. Farren began work under his contract June 7, 1866, and early in December the brick-work at the top of the arch had entered the mountain.

The masonry was commenced about, twenty-five feet west of the point first selected, so that the open masonry will in fact be 200 feet long.

About thirty feet of invert is left uncovered the present season, under an apprehension that the bricks on hand will only supply what will be wanted in the drift, in order to prosecute the work with dispatch. The invert has been properly protected, and its preservation may be expected.

At the beginning, the invert and the sides to the spring of the arch was laid with five courses of brick, and the arch with six. The masonry has been strengthened to meet the effect of the soft ground and increased pressure to eight bricks thick all round. Where rocks are found, it will be reduced at the bottom, and perhaps at the top.

The excavation of the drift is in progress and is carried on with two galleries. The lower one is of timber, and is at the bottom three feet below the grade of the road. This gallery is ten feet wide and ten feet high.

The upper gallery, also of timber, is ten feet wide and four feet high, and the s.p.a.ce between the galleries is about ten feet. As the arch is driven in, the top of the invert is 4-1/2 feet below the grade of the road, and 18 inches below the timber of the lower gallery. The top timbers of the upper gallery const.i.tute the top timbers of the tunnel during the excavation. They are supported above the masonry and the arch is turned under them.

Side drains, six feet high and four feet wide, are excavated ahead of the galleries, to a.s.sist the drainage of the ground through which the galleries and tunnel are driven. The water from these drains is let into the tunnel through its sides, and runs out with the general drainage upon the invert below the road-bed. Holes are left in the invert at proper intervals to facilitate this drainage.

The side drains are hereafter to be filled with stone, which will const.i.tute a blind drain, and also afford a proper support to the masonry.

The work at this point is of difficult prosecution, but the performance of the contract may be confidently expected.

THE BRICKYARD.

The expenditures at the brickyard on the first day of July, 1866, had reached, $15,091 98

Of this amount the brick machines, shafting, gearing, &c., cost $5,048 68

And the engine, 2,255 50 --------- $7,304 18

Twenty-four thousand bricks can be moulded daily. The drying yard is 300 feet long and 120 feet wide. The kiln shed is 300 feet long and 50 feet wide, and of capacity to burn all the bricks that can be moulded. There are six brick machines, four of which are in use. They are driven by an engine, and used alternately, two each day. The making of bricks at the yard commenced June 26 and closed October 24, 1860. About 1,700,000 bricks were made, of which 80 per cent. are sufficiently hard for use in the tunnel, which is estimated to be sufficient to complete the 374 feet of tunnel now under contract.

The clay for the bricks is found near the yard, and hitherto a sufficiency of sand has been found in the vicinity; but it is less abundant than the clay.

MISCELLANEOUS.

In addition to the property enumerated under the preceding heads, the State has at North Adams, a freight house, cashier's office, engineer's office, stable and two coal sheds, and opposite the West End on the Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad, an additional freight house. There are also two instrumental station houses on the east and west summits respectively, all of which are occupied by the State for the purposes of the enterprise. There is also one seven-horse engine and three small compressors. Tho State has also four mule teams, three of four, and one of two animals, making fourteen in all. There were also used on the work in the early part of the year, twelve or fourteen horses, employed in hauling clay, sand, wood, &c.

Six of these have been sold to Mr. Farren, and the remainder are to be disposed of. To this enumeration should be added five horses and three or more carriages kept at the stable at North Adams for the transportation of the engineers, superintendent, master mechanic, &c., from point to point along the line of operations wherever their presence and services might be needed.

The expense of the stable, including the pay of the keeper, for the past year, was, $1,900 00

which covers the price of three carriages, $500 00 and one harness, 40 00 ------- 540 00 --------- Leaving, $1,360 00

for the expense of keeping five horses, and the repairs; which is about five dollars per week in all. The charge for keeping horses at the stable in North Adams, is five dollars per week for feed; and the cost for the use of one horse and wagon from North Adams to the East End, is four dollars. These horses were also used to transport the commissioners and the committee visiting the tunnel, when required for that purpose.

THE ROAD BETWEEN THE TUNNEL AND NORTH ADAMS.

It is proposed to change the course of, the road as it emerges from the tunnel, and two lines have been surveyed, which, diverging near the approach cut, unite again about midway from thence to the village. The difference in length is about thirty feet. The northerly line is the least expensive to construct, and best favors the landholders on the route. It has the recommendation of the engineer, and the approval of the consulting engineer, and will probably be selected. There are reasons for an early location of this portion of the road which call for a prompt action in this behalf on the part of the commissioners, which will undoubtedly be taken.

The following table shows the expense of the tunnel and the land and works connected therewith under the administration of the commissioners, as found November 1, 1866:--

Deerfield Dam, $127,982 80 Race, 23,417 54 Excavation and Masonry at East End of Dam, 12,802 46 Wheel pits, 70,723 23 Gates and Overflow, 9,986 26 ---------- $244,912 29 East End Heading, 103,731 45 East End Enlargement, 80,317 10 East End Heading Enlargement, 17,559 46 Central Shaft, 144,423 75 West Shaft, 179,041 69 West Approach, 247,900 75 Building East End, 31,688 99 Building West End and Shaft, 40,010 13 Building Central Shaft, 12,026 83 Building General Account, 9,537 37 Engineering and Superintendent, 84,840 48 Machinery West Shaft, 57,111 73 Machinery East End, 87,032 38 Machinery Central Shaft, 51,364 01 Machinery Deerfield Dam, 10,820 93 Machinery General Account, 62,600 76 Machinery West End, 539 89 Land and Land Damages, 17,513 21 ------------- $1,482,973 20

The following table shows the cost of the works under the cla.s.sification of outside and inside expenditures, as given by the consulting engineer.

_Outside Expenditures._

Deerfield Dam, $244,912 29 Buildings East End, $31,688 99 Buildings West End and West Shaft, 40,010 13 Buildings Central Shaft, 12,026 83 Buildings General Account, 9,637 37 ---------- 93,263 32 Machinery East End, $87,032 38 Machinery West End, 539 89 Machinery West Shaft, 57,111 73 Machinery Central Shaft, 51,364 01 Machinery Deerfield Dam, 10,820 93 Machinery General Account, 62,600 76 ---------- 269,469 70 Land Damages and Land, 17,513 21 Engineering and Superintendence, 84,840 48 ----------- Total outside expenditures, $709,999 00

_Inside Expenditures._

East End Heading, $103,731 45 East End Enlargement, 17,559 46 East End Bottom, 80,317 10 ----------- $201,608 01 Central Shaft, 144,423 75 West Shaft Headings, &c., 179,041 69 West End approach cut, drifting and arching, 247,900 75 Total inside expenditures, ---------- 772,974 20 ------------- Total expenditures to November 1, 1866, $1,482,973 20

The exact correctness of any cla.s.sification of the expenditures is not very important, inasmuch as the sum total is chargeable to the construction of the tunnel; but the Committee do not see the propriety of charging the engineering and superintendence exclusively to the outside expenditure. They have seen a cla.s.sification which gave,--

Amount put into buildings machinery, &c., $673,531 24 Spent in the work, 809,441 96 ------------- Total, $1,482,973 20

GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE FORCE EMPLOYED ON THE TUNNEL,

November 1, 1866.

Thomas Doane, Chief Engineer, salary, $3,600 00 He providing his horses.

Paul Hill, Superintendent of Labor, 3,000 00 His horse furnished to him.

_In the Chief Engineer's Office._

H. G. Burgess, Master Mechanic, soon to leave, $1,800 00 John Christiansen, Mechanical Draftsman, 1,500 00 Austin Bond, Clerk, &c., 1,500 00 Edward Stowell, temporarily engaged in making fuse, 1,000 00 Roswell Houghton, hostler in village, $2.00 per day.

Charles P. Bradley, hostler at T. Doane's house, $18 per month.

Roger Tappan office boy and rod-man for Mr. Granger, $1.50 per day.

_West End._--Wages from $1.25 to $3 per day, 5 _Brick-Yard._--Wages from $2 to $5.89 per day, 13 _New Shaft._--Wages from $1.78 to $3 per day, 31 _West Shaft._--Wages from $1.50 to $3.50 per day, 102 W. P. Granger, civil engineer, is resident in charge of West Shaft, New Shaft and West End. Salary $1,350, 1 _Central Shaft._--Wages from $1.50 to $5, 83 This number includes the time-keeper and H. G.

Coolidge, resident engineer.

_East End._--Wages from $1.50 to $:1.25, 115 F. W. D. Holbrook, resident engineer, in charge at a Salary of $1,350, 1 Add force in general charge and not confined to any particular point, 8 ---- Total in the employ of the State, 359 Add at the West End in Mr. Farren's employ, about 100 ---- Total employed upon the tunnel, 459

EXPERIMENTS.

The interest awakened by the magnitude of the undertaking to tunnel the Hoosac Mountain, and the anxiety manifested for its early completion, prompted the commissioners to the discovery of means to accelerate the progress of the work. Their attention was naturally directed to the operation of drilling, and with a view of improving upon the machine drill used at Mont Cenis; scientific mechanics have been employed to devise and construct a drill that should attain that end.

As a first step Gouch's patent of the hollow piston-rod, was purchased for New England, for the sum of five hundred dollars. After which, a Mr.