Two pieces of Dorsey Street still exist; one section from Petrova Avenue (turn right 50 yards after turning right onto Petrova Avenue from Lake Street) then Dorsey dead-ends at the LaPan Highway. The other section of Dorsey (Terrace) runs, as one turns left at the top of Olive Street to the walkway over the LaPan Highway.

School Street is still there (off Olive Street) ending above the LaPan Highway. In 1926 and until the LaPan Highway was built in 1958, School Street connected straight across today’s athletic fields to Petrova Avenue.

A subhead on the story said the line would provide “a gravity outlet for the new sewer system” and the tunnel was only “advancing five feet daily.”

Now, dear readers, if that street explanation is not clear to you, please call my friend Walter “Bud” Duffy, and he will be happy to explain my meandering dialogue.

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Digging a tunnel — What a blast!

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“With only 350 feet having been excavated work is now going forward under the direction of Dr. Frank E. Kendall (he was a village trustee; remember the village manager form of government did not exist until 1929) and Harry H. Hull engineer, on behalf of the 19 bondsmen who took over completion of the line after the unexplained disappearance of Thomas E. Miller, contractor. (Maybe Mr. Miller is still in the tunnel?)

“The sewer pipe to be laid begins at the highest point on Neil Street, down South Hope Street and over Furman Avenue. (I am sorry folks, I never heard of Furman Avenue.)

At the end of Furman Avenue, in the rear of the local high school, the sewer will run into the tunnel which will run from this spot to the Saranac River on the east side of Dorsey Street, and to the present day (1926) has proceeded about 350 feet. The tunnel is seven feet in height and eight feet in width, and the distance from the roof of the tunnel to the surface of the ground averages about 35 feet.

“Considerable trouble and hard work has been encountered in digging the tunnel because of the solid rock through which it is being dug. Drillers with helpers in the tunnel and with the aid of a driller driven compressor machine, drill holes in which dynamite is placed for blasting.

“Eight foot holes are driven into the solid rock during the day, and sticks of dynamite are placed in these and one is shot off every day. ‘Muckers’ carry the dirt and rock out of the tunnel.

“To facilitate the removal of the excavated material, steel rails have been laid in the tunnel to the river bank, and side-dumping cars have been placed in use.

“Four machines have been built about 211 feet apart, and will be from 41 feet to 20 feet in height. The first of these was dug at the Villa Dorsey, and is about 38 feet deep. The second one was dug on the high school grounds near the east end of the running track and was about 42 feet in depth. (The cinder track, which I ran many miles on, was in the front of Petrova School where the bus turn-around is located today.) The next one to be dug will be about even with the southeast corner of the high school and the last one at the end of Furman Avenue where the tunnel will come out.

“In addition to the sanitary sewer (a great oxymoron if I ever heard one) line, a storm drain line will be laid in the tunnel which will furnish surface drainage to the school grounds.”

Now here again, if any readers would like an explanation regarding how the tunnel work really works, just call my friend Kevin Pratt. Kevin was in charge of the village of Saranac Lake Water & Sewer Department (not in 1926) for many years and believe me, he won’t give you any sh.., er, I mean sass.

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Forestry student lost in woods

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“Earl Gates, (he may be related to my brother-in-law, Fred Gates) forestry student at the New York State College of Forestry in the Cranberry Lake section, was lost for 48 hours.

“He left camp Saturday noon and was soon lost. On Sunday morning searching parties were organized at the camp. The search continued throughout the day without success. Monday morning the search parties again set out and at two in the afternoon found Gates on the top of Wolf Mountain, to which he had climbed hoping to find some familiar object.

“Gates had been out in one bad storm and had walked many miles. He was exhausted when found, despite having found a little food in an old cabin he found in the woods.

“The lost youth was soon restored to normal after being aided back to camp and given warm food and enjoying several hours sleep.”

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Big money for Sunmount

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“It has been announced from Washington that two new units are to be built at the big federal hospital at Tupper Lake.

“A large recreation hall is to be built at a cost of $125,000. An administration building is also to be erected. It will cost $75,000.

“It is said that work will soon be underway.”