1908 - Big Tunnel Completed

[NW Mailing List]

Roanoke Times - January 25, 1908

Big Tunnel Completed
  The big tunnel of the Tidewater Railroad at the Merrimac mines, 
which was included in the contract of MacArthur Bros., has been 
completed, the last rock being removed from the big hole Thursday. It 
was announced in The Times a day or two ago that this important task 
would be completed some time this week, and on Thursday word was 
received that the last blow had been driven. This tunnel is almost a 
mile in length and has been bored through solid rock. It was one of 
the most difficult and tedious undertakings in connection with the 
work of building the Tidewater, and the fact that it has been 
finished marks another big step in the progress of construction. It 
is stated that when the bridge over New River, work on which is now 
being pushed ahead, is completed, the entire roadbed west of Roanoke 
will be ready for the steel rails, a larger portion of which have 
already been laid.

-----------------------------------

- Ron Davis, Roger Link