In September 1924, Moffat Tunnel workers pushed to complete one mile of the tunnel by the contract’s anniversary, overcoming major challenges.
Moffat Tunnel Construction Happenings from 100 Years Ago
“Five thousand, two hundred and eighty feet by September 20.”
This slogan echoed among the Moffat Tunnel workers at East Portal for much of September 1924, as they pushed to extend the pioneer bore a full mile into James Peak. The distance and timing held special significance, as they aimed to achieve this milestone by the first anniversary of the contract’s signing. So, they toiled, drilled, blasted, and mucked—on average about 22-23 feet per day. It was estimated that the one-mile mark would be reached by September 20th.
Fate smiled upon these ambitious men, and they reached their goal one day early on Friday, September 19 ,1924. Newspapers, such as the Steamboat Pilot proclaimed, “Friday—just one year after the signing of the contract for the tunnel—the drills of the construction gangs bit into the granite barrier of the Continental Divide, one mile from the East Portal. When the day shift went on duty, the water tunnel had been driven 5,208 feet into the base of James Peak from the east side. During the day the one-mile mark was passed. The main heading of the railroad tunnel has been driven 5,128 feet—almost a mile—on the east side, and 1,500 feet of full size tunnel have been completed.”
This progress is substantial, considering the contract was signed a year ago, on September 20, 1923, yet the ‘real work’ has only been underway for about 10 months. The early delays were due to building the company towns, waiting for equipment deliveries, and other logistical challenges, detailed in prior posts.
Progress at the West Portal, though slower, was still significant. The soft and loose rock caused delays and required extensive timbering to ensure stability. On the same day that milestones were achieved at the East Portal, the West Portal crews marked key advancements: the water tunnel extended 4,453 feet, and 3,300 feet had been excavated in the main heading. Meanwhile, the full-size railroad tunnel stretched 481 feet into the mountainside, as shown in the attached photograph.
As construction advanced, logistical and community needs were also being addressed. Post office fixtures were shipped to the West Portal and the East Portal, for the use of the workmen while the tunnel was in process of construction. “The postoffices [sic] will be known as ‘East Portal’ and ‘West Portal.'” Some of the first parcels likely dispatched to these new post offices were detailed in another article in the Steamboat Pilot, “The Lions Club is keeping the workmen at West Portal supplied with old magazines for the amusement room and bunk houses. There are 300 men at West Portal, and they appreciate reading matter. Donations of old magazines will be thankfully received. If left at the [Steamboat] Pilot office this office will see that they are wrapped and forwarded. The Lions club pays the parcel post charges. Nearly every family has magazines that they can donate.”
However, not all shipments were welcome. State prohibition agents under the direction of John R. Smith… arrested W.F. Bashore and Otto Lenhart on the Berthoud [P]ass road… when they found the two men in an automobile which contained twenty gallons of moonshine whisky. The men admitted, according to the prohibition agents, that they were bound for the West Portal of the Moffat Tunnel, where they had planned to dispose of their liquor, a stark reminder that the tunnel’s construction took place entirely during the era of Prohibition.
Meanwhile, important discussions regarding the tunnel’s future were also underway. Members of the Denver Water board and the Moffat Tunnel commission met at West Portal on September 24, 1924, to discuss the proposition of using the pioneer bore for Denver’s water. The discussion entailed future enlargement and cementing the pioneer tunnel.
B. Travis Wright, MPS | Preserve Rollins Pass | September 29, 2024
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