We have
only got a fill of half a mile and then a tunnel of a mile more."
Miss Felicia beamed sententiously when Jack said "we," but she did
not interrupt the speaker.
"And what sort of cutting?" continued the architect in a tone that
showed his entire familiarity with work of the kind.
"Gneiss rock for eleven hundred feet and then some mica schist
that we have had to shore up every time we move our drills,"
answered Jack quietly.
"Any cave-ins?" Morris was leaning forward now, his eyes riveted
on the boy's. What information he wanted he felt sure he now could
get.
"Not yet, but plenty of water. We struck a spring last week" (this
time the "we" didn't seem so preposterous) "that came near
drowning us out, but we managed to keep it under with a six-inch
centrifugal; but it meant pumping night and day."
"And when is he going to get through?"
"That depends on what is ahead of us. Our borings show up all
right--most of it is tough gneiss--but if we strike gravel or
shale again it means more timbering, of course.
Pages:
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272