Tunnel Fever

At the core of this entrepreneurial endeavour lies the 14,500‑foot Snake Creek Mining and Tunnel Company bore, engineered by O.N. Friendly and financed by G.W. Lambourne in partnership with the Daly‑Judge Mine. The tunnel—measuring 8 ft 6 in. wide by 6 ft 6 in. high—was slated to be double‑track with a 4 ft by 4 ft concrete‑lined flume and a boardwalk, all wrapped in a steel‑reinforced concrete shell whose “egg‑shape” resembled a polished oxidized copper coin. Yet, construction, plagued by over‑ambitious wooden supports and water ingress, cost the deal more than the initial $750,000 assessed in 1910 dollars. ROI, already drying, now mirrors the aquifer’s swelling: profitable only if the flare of zinc smelter and hydroelectric plant materializes. Aesthetically, the sheer bulk of concrete and the starkness of the sharp‑angled tunnel entrance clash with Park City’s pine‑scented cottages. Bottom line, the venture is a liability masquerading as glitter. Sell.