The only Eastern Kentucky Railway Tunnel that is
visible is Argillite Tunnel. Traveling south along 207 about two
hundred yards past the stores in Argillite, you can see it on your
left as the curve you are in takes you right. Doesn't look like much
today! As young men, my friends and I explored Argillite Tunnel.
During the warm months, the tunnel was very muddy and flooded at the
south end. However, you can walk on solid mud during the cold
months. There was a time I remember walking in and seeing cross ties
with spikes and being able to walk all the way through. I hear that
the south end is caved in and very dangerous today. So don't go in
there unless you have a buddy and you know what you are doing!
All of the other tunnels
have caved-in or have flooded or both. According to Alva
Baldridge, the ash smell could almost be overwhelming when he rode
the train to and from Riverton. Those were only two tunnels. Could
you imagine the ride through all eight?
I have reseached and
researched without finding anything about how they were
built. We know that in Missouri, Hunnewell and Thayer used both
local and immigrant workers. The same can be said of the
Transcontinental Railroad. We know how drill holes were
made and dynamite used to blow a section of rock out of the way. My
questions are; how many men were used to do this work?, how many
mules were used to haul the dirt to what would become railroad
beds?, did they use the finished portion of the track and
the train to help in some way?
I think most definitely of
the men that worked very hard doing the man hand work. The Civil War
having just ended, money was hard to come by in this former
border state. A man at that time with a family or a young man trying
to leave his mark on the world would be willing to do almost any
type of labor. They did the hardest and one of the most dangerous
jobs available. The pay was great. Almost two dollars a
day!
When I drive past or over an
old tunnel on EK or 207 I think of those men of men shoveling and
making exact drill holes for blasting! I wonder who they were and
their personal stories.
I have included a chart below of the
eight tunnels and the order in which they were made from Riverton to
Grayson.
