Light at the End of the Tunnel

Surveyors took daily measurements to keep drillers, powdermen, muckers, and haulers on course as they inched toward the valley while crews at the other end pushed toward the canyon. Using points across the river as well as inside the tunnel, they maintained a straight line 10,000 feet into the canyon wall. Utility lines into the tunnel supplied power for electric lights and compressed air for jackhammers. Although these recent innovations eased the effort, the work remained loud, dusty, and demanding, and surveyors hiked the canyon slopes with measuring tools to determine where excavation should begin at each end of the tunnel.

Crawford, Colorado · United States