THE MODERN MINOTAUR. Once a year a ship, laden with the richest jewels of her people, left the port of the ancient Athens. The time for the annual tribute to the Minotaur had come. Athens' noblest citizens, in sad procession, attended the victims to the Piræus, imploring for these young men and maidens, the bravest and most beautiful of her youth, the benedictions of the Commonwealth for which they were about to lay down their young lives, and weeping most of all that they should see their faces no more; and thus those unreturning feet embarked on that dreadful voyage. "Built in the eclipse and rigged with curses dark," her black sails proclaiming her dismal errand, the luckless bark bore the choicest wealth of Athens to the cavern of the insati able monster. Once a year a demand is made for the treasures of her citizens upon our modern Athens. The time of our annual contribution to a relentless destroyer has come. True, our sons and daughters are not literally required for the sacrifice; but the products of our industry, the hard-earned fruits of muscle and brain, are borne to those dismal caverns of the Hoosac Mountain, from which there are no outward steps. Ancient Athens made the dreadful sacrifice to avert destruction at the hands of the conqueror. No such necessity is laid upon us; but voluntarily, with alacrity, year after year, we throw our jewels into this insatiable maelstrom. Is there no deliverance from this humiliating tribute? this waste of treasure? this public and private demoralization, which always grows out of submission to insolent exactions? The answers to these questions, as applied to our Minotaur the Hoosac Tunnel-involve the discussion of these three points: The cost of the tunnel, the time of completion, and its value when completed. WHAT WILL THE TUNNEL COST? It will be curious as well as pertinent, to refer for a moment to the estimates of cost made from time to time by the friends of the tunnel. In 1848, when the charter was granted, the petitioners proved (!) that the road and tunnel could be built for $3,500,000; that the entire road from Troy to Greenfield (exclusive of the tunnel,) would be built in eighteen months; and that the tunnel itself could be completed, without the aid of shafts, in fifteen hundred and fifty-six working days-just five years! That prediction was made twenty years ago. I will not produce, in detail, from speeches, pamphlets, reports of legislative committees, &c., &c., estimates and predictions of a similar character, all for a similar purpose, that is, to delude the legislature into granting some favor, and all falsified by events. These statements were generally made by parties directly interested in the tunnel, and on that account, it may be said, were to be received with allowances. Referring to them as only furnishing proof of the general proposition that all estimates heretofore made have proved worthless, we come to the first report upon this subject, to which no exception like the above can be taken, at least, by the friends of the tunnel, -the report of Messrs. Brooks, Felton and Holmes, Commissioners, &c., &c. In that report (pp. 55, 56, and 57,) their own estimate and those of other engineers are given, of cost, including interest during construction, of completing the tunnel, as follows: Mr. Laurie, with central shaft and hand labor, $3,218,323 00 3,773,368 00 2,837,485 00 3,430,780 00 3,050,180 00 The Commissioners' estimate of the entire cost of the road both sides of the mountain and the tunnel, including what the State had advanced previous to 1862, including interest compounded at five per cent. for eight years, also including depot building, shops, rolling-stock, &c., &c., for the entire line, was $5,719,330. Among the items, the Commissioners estimate the central shaft, “ 20 feet in diameter, including machinery, 1,027 feet in depth, containing 11,944 cubic yards, at $22 per yard, $262,768." Mr. Crocker's report this year gives the cost of the central shaft, including machinery, up to January 1, 1868, as $269,924. Of the 1,030 feet, 583 feet have been sunk, costing seven thousand dollars more than the Commissioners' estimate of the cost of the whole. Of course, as the depth increases, the cost, owing to increase of water, extra distance of raising water and material, and increased liability to accident, will be much greater than heretofore. But, without comparing items, let us compare the total results up to this time with the estimates of total cost. The cost of work done by the State since 1862, has been as follows, with interest compounded at six per cent : — Cost for two years to November 1, 1864, (House Doc. No. 3, 1865, p. 25,) Interest from May, 1864, to January 1, 1868, . Total expenditure by State, with interest to $415,483 00 100,608 00 477,142 00 81,528 00 590,904 00 61,249 00 603,666 00 21,218 00 $2,351,798 00 It thus appears that of the Commissioners' estimate of cost in 1863, $3,218,323, very nearly three-fourths, is already spent. What portion of the whole has been done for this money? The amount excavated has been as follows: Now the total amount of excavation to be done at the commencement was as follows: 66 Central Shaft, 1,037 feet, 12 yards per foot, 12,444 Total excavation at commencement, 484,008 cubic yards. * Including 300 cubic yards of earth. † I am at a loss to know how to fill out this item. Mr. Latrobe (p. 48,) seems to suggest that 10,000 cubic yards have been taken out at the west end. Now, the whole amount of excavation at the east end and the west shaft, working at three faces during the year, has been only 14,410 cubic yards. It certainly is inconceivable that five-sevenths as many yards have been taken out at one face of the extremely difficult material at the west end as have been removed at three faces of good material. I have, however, credited the full amount, allowing 30 cubic yards to each foot of progress. Everything relating to this part of the work is obscure; but I allow an extravagant estimate. བ |