As wet as the dirt is, the equipment is not even moist, but a humidifier
I guess I'll see how dry it gets to be in the tunnel, that might be great idea for a deep soaking without creating a mudslide... thanx for the input Jack.
Here's a vid to show the start at digging the face of the tunnel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmRU9R9mHDU&lc
I still have quite a few loads behind me yet to cut it in the steps & get the floor level before moving forward.