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<br />mBdntlme, the interest payments could be
<br />prohibilive.
<br />The Slale of ColoradO .Jppropriated limited
<br />funds and encouraged ""dvdlIcements of money
<br />from interested persons. . . . " AbouI 850 fef/l of
<br />lunnel were dCrually drilled in 1901, but the
<br />funds soon were exn.lusled and work slOPped.
<br />This runnel was drilled toward Ihe NMroWJ, but
<br />not on the line of Ihe existin9lunneI,
<br />In 1902 Conl}T8S$ p.used Ihe Reclamation Act
<br />which provided for repayment of construction
<br />costs of irrig<ltion projects OVllr a long period
<br />without inleresl.
<br />The Secretary of the Interior approved an
<br />~loc<lrion of funds to (he Uncompahl}Te Project
<br />"on June 7, 1903, as one of the five firsl projects
<br />"to be buill by the newly crealed Reclamalion
<br />.Service (now known as Ihe Bureau of
<br />~ec1amation).
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<br />THE GUNNISON TUNNEl
<br />
<br />By the late summer of 1904 all design work
<br />was compleled, dnd early in Ocrober bids were
<br />opened for construction of the runnel, mdllY
<br />can.us, a mountain rOdd in to the easl penal, and a
<br />lelephone line. Financial difficulties, however,
<br />forced the contraclor to wilhdraw, compelling
<br />Ihe RttCld1JJation Service to d.'lSume the job of
<br />completinq the tunnel.
<br />AcrO'lS Vernal Mesa and into lhe Cdnyon crews
<br />beg<ln constructinq onlt of the steepeSl WM)on
<br />rOdds imdf}inabIe. In some pl<tees the grade was
<br />nearly 30 percenl. Even with the road, much of
<br />the heavy machinery used In tunnel drilling had
<br />to be eased down on skids and held WJlh block
<br />and tackle. (An automobile first made il down
<br />this road in 1932-but it had to be pulled out
<br />wilha team of horses.)
<br />Wilhin a few months runnel drLlJinq was
<br />l.lnderwdY al four headinqs: one in from lIach
<br />portal and easl and west from a shaft sunk in 10
<br />the mesa. Diffjcl.lllies encountered were rndllY dnd
<br />viltiol.ls. Tunnel drillers prefer hard, solid rock but
<br />ar lhe Gunnison Tunnel they ran into clay, sand,
<br />shale, and a bddly fr/JCfUred faull zone.. 7'hltY hil
<br />concentrations of combuslible or poisonous
<br />gasses. Seeping w<lter was common, but in
<br />December 1906 they hit such a large underground
<br />stredm that jets shot 40 fee! inlO the lunnel,
<br />knocking the drillers from their machines dlId
<br />halting work on the h&.lding for 6 months.
<br />HOl water ~ams healed the workinq area so
<br />thaI the lunnel was <llmost unbearable. All work
<br />was suspended on the hedding while a new
<br />400.fool venlilation shafl was constructed.
<br />Aboul 500 men were employed <It <lny one
<br />time, bul in spite of the good pay and fringo
<br />benefi1.3, most men disliked the arduous and
<br />ddllgerou", underground work. The average stay
<br />for a worker was only 2 weeks!
<br />In 1905 six men were kiJJed in a Cdve'ln. JWll
<br />before the tunnel was opened in 1909, <molher
<br />rTl<In was killed by a faJJing boulder.
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