The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-22 00:00:00

BORING THROUGH MOUNT CENIS,

A communication from an engineer, addressed to
the Perseveranza of Milan, gives some details re-
specting the cutting of the tunnel through the
mountain above mentioned :—" M. Perrnzzi, one of
the Ministers, some deputies, several scientific men,
and M. Somellier, a French engineer, went a few
days back to Bardoneche, and for some hours wit-
nessed the working of the machines for cutting the
rock. The opinion of the scientific men who were
present, and among whom were MM. Sella, Cado-
lina, and Pecceto, is that the mechanical difficulties
of the cutting will be fully overcome. The perforat-
ing machines, in somewhat less than an hour, made
70 holes in the mountain at the end of the opening.
The holes which were made in the centre, in order
to permit a breach to be effected by blasting, were
three centimetres (rather more than 11 inch) in
diameter ; the :others made round it for the same
purpose were two centimetres. The depth of the
holes was from 60 to 90 centimetres (rather more
than 23 inches to about 351.) From repeated ex-
perimehts made in masses of schist with a single
perforating instrument, it was proved that 10 mi-
nutes' labour was sufficient to make a hole of 60
centimetres, whereas by the ordinary means three
workmen would be occupied for an hour in effect-
ing one. The machine employed'cuts simultaneously
from 20 to 30 holes in a space of 4 square metres—
that is one in which it would not be easy to employ
three or four men. The machine thus presents an
advantage which, as regards space, is three or-four-
fold, and as regards time sixfold, what could be
done by workmen. That advantage is, however,
somewhat diminished by the fact that the machine
must be dragged back to a distance of 100 metres,
or more, whenever blasting has to be resorted to,
and that it cannot be got to work again until after
the ground is cleared of the fragments of rock, and
until the front of the mountain is made tolerably
smooth. But it is certain that when the work-
men shall have obtained greater skill they will
be able to perform the three operations of bor-
ing, blasting, and clearing away in three or
four hours at the outside. When operations
can be commenced on the hide of Modane, as
they will be in a few weeks, it is certain that
six metres of rock can be removed in a day.
This will make more than two kilometres
(five-eighths of a mile each) a year, and it is
probable from what is now being accomplished
that three kilometres may be obtained. In that case
the cutting of the tunnel may be terminated by
1864. It follows that M. Grattoni, the engineer,
runs little risk by' offering to bet, as it is said he has
done, 100,000 f. that this great work will be finished
in five
years. Unforeseen obstacles may, how-
ever, arise from the rock becoming harder, water
springing,
or fissures taking place. But nothing
thus far causes such obstacles to be feared.
The rock, at least on the side of Bardoneche,
is of schist, which is of no great resistance,
and in which are silicious veins ; and instead of in-
convenience being caused by water filtering through,
as had been feared, some is caused by insufficiency
of moisture."

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH.--The chair of
Civil Law in this University has been rendered vacant by
the recent death, at an advanced age, of Professor Shank
More, who had filled the office since 1843. The appoint-
ment is nominally vested in the Curators, but the Faculty
have the right of nomination, and practically of election.
Several candidates have been mentioned, but it has been
resolved to postpone the election till November.