Staple Bend Tunnel 3.8

4.6 star(s) from 33 votes
1258 Beech Hill Rd
Johnstown, PA 15904
United States

About Staple Bend Tunnel

Staple Bend Tunnel Staple Bend Tunnel is one of the popular place listed under Landmark in Johnstown , Historical Place in Johnstown ,

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The Staple Bend Tunnel, about 4mi east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in a town called Mineral Point, was constructed between 1831 and 1834 for the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Construction began on April 12, 1831. This tunnel, at 901ft in length, was the first railway tunnel constructed in the United States. It is rock bored and stone lined.Finished in June 1833, the Staple Bend tunnel was advertised as the first railroad tunnel in the United States. It was the third tunnel of any kind built in the US, the first tunnels were for other canals in Pennsylvania.HistoryWork began on November 21, 1831 and often occurred during inclement conditions. The men were paid $13 per month plus room and board for 12-hour days 6 days per week. Workers chipped and blasted 901 feet of solid rock to make the tunnel.Approximately 14,900 cubic yards of bedrock was removed using black powder blasting. This was done by drilling three-foot-long holes and packing them with powder. Drilling one typical hole took up to three hours of hard effort using a three-man crew. Nine to ten holes, each one-inch in diameter and thirty-six inches in length, were made before blasting. One pound of explosive powder wrapped in paper was pushed into each hole, tamped down, punctured with a sharp needle, and a fuse added. Fuses were lit with explosions to occur at mealtime. Workers would eat while the dust settled; then get to work cleaning (mucking) the tunnel. Of the 36-inch hole drilled only 18 inches, or half of the hole, was blasted.The tunnel grew about 18 inches each day, with both sides moving toward the center. On December 21, 1832 the workmen broke through the final barrier and connected the two ends of the tunnel. There was much celebration with speeches and toasts. The full tunnel excavation was completed in April 1833.

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