Stampede Pass - Stampede Tunnel

Stampede Tunnel

First tunnel location made by James T. Kingsbury, Assistant Engineer, August 1882. Other tunnel lines were run by the following named engineers, but all had practically the same initial point at the west end: John A. Hulburt, John Quincy Barlow, and F.C. Tucker. Final location made by William H. Kennedy.

J.Q. Jamieson was Assistant Engineer in charge from the commencement of work until October 23, 1887, when he was succeeded by Edwin Harrison McHenry (later chief engineer of the Northern Pacific), who continued in charge until the completion of the tunnel, snowsheds and sidetracks at both ends of the tunnel.

F.M. Haines was transitman on the west end and Andrew Gibson on the east end during the entire time the tunnel was under construction. N.B. Tunder was the contractor's Superintendent on the west end and Captain Sidney J. Bennet, a brother of the contractor, was superintendent on the east end.

The Contract for driving the tunnel was awarded to Nelson Bennett January 21, 1886. Work commenced on east heading with hand drills on February 13, 1886. Air drills were introduced June 18, 1886. Average daily progress with hand drills—3.52 lineal feet. Average daily progress with air drills—5.8 lineal feet. Work commenced on the west heading with hand drills on April 1, 1886. Air drills were introduced September 1, 1886. Average daily progress with hand drills—4 lineal feet. Average daily progress with air drills—6.9. Headings met May 3, 1888. Tunnels met May 11, 1888. The tunnel opened for traffic on May 27, 1888. 9,844.1 lineal feet of tunnel at $78 per lineal foot--$767,839.80. 31,081 cubic yards of extra excavation at $4.50 per cubic yard--$138,864.50. 3,008,638 feet B.M. in lining at $35 per M.--$105,302.33. $1,013,006.63 total. Seventeen killed west. Seventeen injured west. Eleven killed east. Twenty-two injured east. One killed by construction train. Masonry lining began on June 16, 1889, and was completed on November 16, 1895. Masonry lining total cost per lineal foot--$54.08. One brickmason foreman was killed by falling rock, two laborers were killed by a work train, and one laborer was electrocuted. Cement used: 45,979 barrels (7,310.1 m3). Bricks used: 9,816,620, most from Tacoma.

The Stampede Pass railroad tunnel is arched in the center; that is, you cannot see daylight at either end of the tunnel when looking through to the other end; unlike both the first (2 mile) and second (8 mile) Stevens Pass tunnels, which were "boresighted" and ran in a straight line and at a constant downward angle from east to west. Steam engines going uphill in either direction within the confines of the Stampede Tunnel was the cause of many train crews and passengers being nearly choked to death by the buildup of exhaust gasses within the tunnel; this led to a forced-air ventilation equipment being added at the west end of the tunnel at a later date. The grade is 2.2 percent on the east side from the town of Easton and 2.2 percent on the west side from the town of Lester.

Andrew Gibson, born and educated in Scotland, began work for the NP on main line construction about eight miles (13 km) west of Portland, Oregon as a clerk for Mr. O. Phil, Assistant Engineer, about July 1, 1883, and continued in the same position until the party was disbanded, about the end of October. Was leveler for Colin Mcintosh, Assistant engineer on Kalama Inclines during January, 1884. Went to work as a "bush hook dude" with William H. Kennedy on Cascade Division Surveys on April 27, 1884, starting at South Prairie, Washington and working east. Promoted to rodman about the beginning of June and to leveler about the middle of August, when the location of the 25 miles (40 km) from South Prairie to Eagle Gorge was completed. Gibson went on to work for engineers William T. Chalk, John Quincy Barlow, J.L. Jamieson and Herbert S. Huson, literally all over the Stampede Pass line. Gibson ran the level and took topography for the switch back, worked on the final location of the tunnel line, crossings of the Yakima River in the Yakima Canyon. Finally, he was made an assistant engineer himself, overseeing the lining of the tunnel as well as filling the numerous temporary trestles built in the haste to finish the line on time. It is primarily through his diligent work that detailed first hand accounts of the work are available. Gibson went on to oversee the NP's building in the Palouse, the giant west end tie plant at Paradise, Montana, finally becoming the Chief Engineer in charge of maintenance of way in Saint Paul. He started out very modestly, clearing brush from what would become the Main Street of the Northwest.