| November 1, 1866. | |
| Thomas Doane, Chief Engineer, salary, He providing his horses. | $3,600 00 |
| Paul Hill, Superintendent of Labor, His horse furnished to him. | 3,000 00 |
| In the Chief Engineer's Office. | |
| H. G. Burgess, Master Mechanic, soon to leave, | $1,800 00 |
| John Christiansen, Mechanical Draftsman, | 1,500 00 |
| Austin Bond, Clerk, &c., | 1,500 00 |
| Edward Stowell, temporarily engaged in making fuse, | 1,000 00 |
| Roswell Houghton, hostler in village, $2.00 per day. Charles P. Bradley, hostler at T. Doane's house, $18 per month. Roger Tappan office boy and rod-man for Mr. Granger, $1.50 per day. | |
| West End.—Wages from $1.25 to $3 per day, | 5 |
| Brick-Yard.—Wages from $2 to $5.89 per day, | 13 |
| New Shaft.—Wages from $1.78 to $3 per day, | 31 |
| West Shaft.—Wages from $1.50 to $3.50 per day, | 102 |
| W. P. Granger, civil engineer, is resident in charge of West Shaft, New Shaft and West End. Salary $1,350, | 1 |
| Central Shaft.—Wages from $1.50 to $5, This number includes the time-keeper and H. G. Coolidge, resident engineer. | 83 |
| East End.—Wages from $1.50 to $:1.25, | 115 |
| F. W. D. Holbrook, resident engineer, in charge at a Salary of $1,350, | 1 |
| Add force in general charge and not confined to any particular point, | 8 |
| Total in the employ of the State, | 359 |
| Add at the West End in Mr. Farren's employ, about | 100 |
| Total employed upon the tunnel, | 459 |
Experiments.
The interest awakened by the magnitude of the undertaking to tunnel the Hoosac Mountain, and the anxiety manifested for its early completion, prompted the commissioners to the discovery of means to accelerate the progress of the work. Their attention was naturally directed to the operation of drilling, and with a view of improving upon the machine drill used at Mont Cenis; scientific mechanics have been employed to devise and construct a drill that should attain that end.
As a first step Gouch's patent of the hollow piston-rod, was purchased for New England, for the sum of five hundred dollars. After which, a Mr. Gardner was employed to construct a drill; but his efforts failed of success after an expenditure of thirteen hundred dollars. A Mr. Butler was engaged to devise a machine, but in the course of studying the subject, his health failed and his services were lost.
A Mr. Hanson completed a machine which promised some success; but on trial it proved a failure.
A second machine called the Brooks, Burleigh and Gates drill, was made under the direction of the commissioners at Fitchburg. This machine was put upon the works and used for several months.
A third machine, called the Burleigh drill, an improvement upon the preceding one, was next produced, which is now at the works on the East Heading.
About $13,000 was spent upon these experiments, resulting in the construction of the Brooks, Burleigh and Gates drill, and the manufacture of four of them. About one-half of this expenditure may be charged to these last drills; the other was unproductive of anything of value.
The Brooks, Burleigh and Gates drill was patented, but the Commonwealth has the right to use them in the construction of the tunnel.