The Hoosac Tunnel is a 4.75-mile-long ACTIVE railroad tunnel in western Massachusetts which passes through the Hoosac Range, an extension of Vermont's Green Mountains. Work began in 1848 and was finally completed in 1875. At the time of completion, it was the second longest tunnel in the world. It was the longest tunnel in North America until the completion of the Moffat Tunnel in 1928, and remains the longest active transportation tunnel east of the Rocky Mountains.
193 lives were lost during construction, leading to the nickname "The Bloody Pit." The Hoosac Tunnel was the first commercial use of nitroglycerin in the United States. Some lives were lost due to the unstable nature of nitroglycerin, but many more were lost to the even more unstable black powder, which was used before nitroglycerin was introduced. A number of others were killed by the horrendous Central Shaft accident.
The accident was one of the most fatal; it occurred while digging the tunnel's 1,028-foot (313 m) vertical exhaust shaft, called 'Central Shaft.' On October 17, 1867, a lighted candle in the hoist building ignited naphtha fumes which had leaked from a 'Gasometer' lamp, triggering an explosion. The hoist caught fire and collapsed into the shaft. Four men near the top of the shaft escaped, but thirteen men working 538 feet (164 m) below were trapped, killed by falling flaming naphtha and pieces of iron. The pumps were also destroyed, and the shaft began to fill with water. A worker named Mallory was lowered into the shaft by rope the next day; he was overcome by fumes and reported no survivors.
Workers assumed that nobody at the bottom survived, so no further rescue attempts were made. However, when the first workers got to the bottom several months later, they found that workers had, indeed, survived and had built a makeshift raft, but had died, suffocated by the fire.
As a result of the horrible accident that occurred in the central shaft, the tunnel is said to be frequented by a great deal of paranormal activity. The tunnel and some surrounding landmarks were also featured on an episode of the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures titled "Houghton Mansion." There have been numerous reports of various paranormal activity from voices and apparitions to disappearances of tunnel explorers. More information on specific sightings can be found on the following website: (
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Please exercise extreme caution if you are planning to enter and walk the length of the tunnel. Do not proceed to enter without proper equipment (treat the exploration as a spelunking mission) such as a headlamp, respirator and boots with soles in good condition. You will mainly be walking on uneven railroad ties covered in silt and mud or ballast for nearly five miles. Also be aware that you will be entering an environment without any natural light whatsoever. Your eyes can and will play tricks on you and you must remain vigilant of trains traveling on the tracks. Most likely the best strategy for this sort of excursion is to procure a short wave radio and make notes of the mileposts and where the traveling trains are on the tracks prior to entering the tunnel. More information on how to do this can be found on railfan sites, particularly (
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Also it must be noted that entering train tunnels and trespassing on rail property is punishable by law; by undertaking a trip to the tunnel area you must accept the fact that you could get into some legal trouble in the process of your explorations.