Synopsis:
Adolph Sutro, a skilled engineer seeking his fame and fortune, made his way from Germany to the United States in 1850. He would find his opportunity in Nevada high in the Comstock, but it would take him nineteen years to realize. But his tenacity and his innovative ideas would be what would help him to carve out his own place in history.

In the 1850’s, the dangerous conditions in the gold mines of the Comstock led Adolph Sutro to the idea of building a tunnel like no other. He wanted to drain water from the mines to allow for deeper excavation. The tunnel, he claimed, would lead to richer strikes. He wanted to create an escape for miners if problems were to occur below ground. In addition, he wanted to funnel the ore directly to his own mill in the town of Sutro.

It took him years to find the financial support for his tunnel scheme, but Sutro was never one to give up.

Sutro won the support of miners, bankers and even the U.S. Congress with his ingenious endeavor. With the tunnel’s completion, he realized one of the greatest engineering feats of the time. Sadly, while the tunnel was used for decades, it never lived up to expectations. And even though he made money himself, his tunnel was ultimately a financial disaster.

Sutro left Nevada and never looked back. He went on to other ventures in California, but in the end his life mirrored the path of his great tunnel.

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