350 



IIOOSAO TUNNEL 



Boston through the northern part of the State, 

 was completed to Fitchburg. and soon after 

 the Vermont A: Massachusetts, a continuation 

 of the Fitchbnrg line, was completed to Green- 

 field. In 1848 tin- Troy .V- Greenfield liailroad 

 Company was iiirnr|iorutiMl. with a capital ol' 

 $8,600,000, "to build n ruilroad from tin- tcr- 

 iiiinus of the ViTinont iV- Massachusetts Ilail- 

 \\ ay. at r near Greenfield, through the valleys 

 of the I'certield and Hoo>ac to the State line, 

 there to unite with a railroad leading' to tho 

 city of Troy," thus forming with the two lines 

 above mentioned anotiier through-line from 

 Boston to the West The length of the road 

 thus projected was about 45 miles, and, with 

 its connections, effected a saving of about nine 

 miles as compared with the Itoston & Albany 

 line. The act of incorporation required the 

 road to be built in seven years. The tunnel 

 was not mentioned in the charter, though it 

 was embraced in the plan. In 1851, and 

 in 1853, up to which time it appears that no 

 progress had been made in constructing; the 

 road, the company applied for State aid. but 

 without success. In 1854 the State passed mi 

 net "authorizing a loan of the State credit to 

 enable the Troy & Greenfield Railroad Com- 

 pany to construct the Hoosac Tunnel." This 

 not provided for a loan of credit to the amount 

 of $2,000,000, upon condition that when $<' " '.- 

 000 had been subscribed to the stock, and 20 

 per cent, actually paid in, seven miles of road 

 built, and 1,000 lineal feet of the tunnel 

 "completed." then $100,000 of scrip should be 

 delivered. When ten miles of the road were 

 finished and ready for use, and 2,000 feet of 

 the tunnel had been completed, the second 

 in-tallment of $100,000 would become due: 

 BO on to the seventh installment, after which 

 1. .lo-i i lineal feet of the tunnel were to be 

 finished as a condition of each advance. So 

 that the whole of the $000,000 must be paid 

 in before this scrip was all delivered, and sub- 

 ject to this promise, "that the last *2o(l,000 

 lp shall be reserved until said com- 

 pany, and their successors or representatives 

 have opened said railroad for use through the 

 Hi "IIP, and laid a continuous railroad from 

 licld to the line of the State in William-- 

 ton n." The project, however, did not seem to 

 attract capital, notwithstanding the fact that 

 the Legislature in 1855 authorized the several 

 towns through which the railroad passed to 

 nbscribe to tho amount of three per cent, of 

 their valuation to the capital stock of the com- 

 pany. 



In tho same year, a contract was made 

 with E. W. Serrel it Co., of I'hiladclphio, to 

 build the road and excavate the tunnel tor 

 $8,500.000, the n to take $440,000 



of stock. This failing, a second contract was 

 made with tho same parties, in January, 1856, 

 and in the same year the State refused to sub- 

 scribe $150,000 to tho stock. The company 

 failed to raie the necessary amount of money, 

 and the Serrel contract was abandoned. 



In July, 185(5, the railroad company made a 

 contract with Herman Ilanpt .V Co.. by which 

 the latter agreed to build the road and tunnel 

 for $3,880,000, as follows: $2,000,000 t 

 paid by the State, $900.000 in moru 

 of the company, ij.V.is.ooo in capital stuck, and 

 $882,000 in cash. But, as the company 

 unable to meet the cash payment, this << n- 

 tnict also failed. In ]NJ", the Legislature was 

 petitioned to modify the terms of the loan act, 

 and passed a bill for that purpose, w hich. how- 

 ever, was vetoed by Governor Gardner. About 

 this time, May 1, 1857, the tunnel had been 

 pierced >>-l feet at tho west end, of which -74 

 feet had been excavated to the full size. At 

 the east end 185 feet had been cut. making the 

 total distance pierced MiO feet. In February, 

 1858, a new contract was made with the 

 parties, to complete the tunnel for $4.o< ' 

 $2,000,000 were State bonds, to be u-, d ex- 

 clusively for tunnel-work; $400,000 in 

 mortgage bonds of the company, and $1,100,- 

 000 in cash and capital stock. 



The work was now begun with vigor, and, 

 by September 1, 1858, the mountain Dad been 

 penetrated l.il'l fiet. Soon utter, the com- 

 pany obtained a modification of the loan art. 

 The work was pro-ecuted until July. 1KH1. up 

 to which time tho advances made by the State 

 amounted to $778,695. About tins time the 

 State engineer refused to approve the work 

 of the contractors and to certify their bills. 

 Operations were, therefore, suspended, and 

 the project was abandoned by the Troy iv 

 Greenfield Railroad corporation. 



In 1862 the State assumed the entire re- 

 sponsibility and control of the project, and 

 three i c mmissioners were appointed, to whom 

 the affairs of tho tunnel were intrusted. l"p 

 to this time much work had been done at both 

 approaches to the mountain. The east end 

 heading had hi en driven nearly 2,4'io feet. 

 2,130 feet being of the size prescribed by 

 statute; a shaft 3,000 feet from the west end 

 had been sunk 325 feet to grade, while the 

 west end had been excavated (ilO feet, though 

 this part had been afterward abandoned. Se- 

 rious defects in the plan of the tunnel were 

 now pointed ont. The tunnel had been planned 

 to be only 14 feet wide, with a total height of 

 18 feet, while the west shaft was found to be 

 10 feet north of a straight line between the 

 two portals. 



The commissioners recommended that the 

 tunnel should be built 22 feet wide nt tho 

 grade-line, 21 feet, wide at the widest point, 21 

 feet high above the track, with a circular roof. 

 The estimated cost of finishing the tunnel was, 

 including interest and advances already made, 

 $5,710,830. 



A bill was passed appropriating $3,800,0ro. 



The commissioners aid not go to work until 

 October, 1808, over two years from the time 

 of the abandonment by Haupt. The State 

 had now committed itself to the enterprise, 

 and the reputation of Massachusetts was at 



