TUNNELS: Devotion to St. Barbara is a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of tunneling
Posted by Jared Shepherd
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- December 4th, 2015
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When tunnel workers began their Euclid Creek Tunnel shifts by brassing in—a safety practice of moving a small brass disc from one side of a signboard to another to signify they are heading underground—they passed an unassuming paragraph of text masking-taped to the corner of the painted plywood.
Oh dear St. Barbara, bring us grace and bless us with your everlasting devotion. Protect us from danger and accidental death, and protect us from the evils of this world.
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| Brassing in and out atop the Euclid Creek Tunnel shaft. |
The text is a traditional prayer of Saint Barbara, a third-century Christian martyr who is considered the patron saint of underground workers. Devotions to St. Barbara date back to the “earliest mining traditions” which continue even today.
“December 4th is her feast day,” said our Senior Construction Supervisor Ryan Sullivan who is working closely with the Dugway Storage Tunnel project. “The contractors usually find some way to mark the day.”
Other traditions are more recent but just as prevalent in the tunneling community, including the practice of naming tunnel boring machines. Just as a boat is christened and named, these large drilling machines that burrow deep underground are traditionally named after a female as a sign of luck and respect.
Our Euclid Creek Tunnel was bored by the TBM named Mackenzie, the same machine that will dig the Dugway Storage Tunnel beginning next year. She is currently being rehabilitated in preparation for her three-mile-long, 24-foot-wide tunneling journey.
Mackenzie finished the Euclid Creek Tunnel in 2013, but the tunnel was not fully complete ($3.6 million under budget) until this year.
