Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-07-14
WHOLE No. GAO.
From Ijlackw ood'. Magazine.
The Thames Tunuck


llcXcrciscd IN bringing IL 10 This point OF.
Ilunqnes!ona5lo success. place il among
1.-The most remarkable scientific perior,
mances oI the age. We know that any
thing may be laughed al, and the world
is fond OF laughing the most at the gra-
vest things but We have no inclination
, 10 .oin IN rldicnle ola work which ex-
hibts 50 singular combination Of the
daring and the prnctcal-of the lofty
speculation and the profound science.
both so characteristic Of England, and
80 honorable To the national character.
H. 1t is true that the chief engineer OF
this stupeud0us work is q Frencbman,
but we see much less ground for pniioDa,
honor III his employment. England
boasts, and justly, Of her attracting
The commerce Of the world ; her still
proudcr boast should be that Of her at
tracing the talents Of the world. A
nation can give no higher evidence Of
| is superiority, than its disregard Of lit
! ileness of all kinds. The Roman never
+ Eavo a clearer evidence Of his being
marked for the master of The world.
| than when he borrowed the arms vi tho
the lance of the Samnite, the shield Of
/ lhe Nolaclan, and the iplcion Of the
'larcnilno. We only wish that our
/ adoptious were larger & more frequent,
that We had The power Of calling TO our
country the talents Of every great sculp-
tor, architect, and painter of Europe,
and that we had thus nobl " moaopolized
4 'Thorwuldscn, Canova, aud the building
Of the Pantheon of Paris, aud the still
lovclier Madeline.
\ The Tunnel has now completely
reached across the rivera distance oi
1900 icei-and the protector and engi-
/ Iuccr had the qualification, short time
since, Of being first who walke ed from
bank To bank, TO the shaft on the Lon
don side Those shafts on both sides
! Of the river, which are intended for fool
passengers, are really grand things.
They are succession of staircasca
going round IA vast circular eycaYaiion.
between seventy and eighty feet deep.
and when they shall all be lighted wiIA
gas, will be among the most eStraordi-
nary parts otthc whole structure. Eyen
now they strongly realize the poetic con
ccptlon Of the descent into the caNerns
of tho Egyptian mysteries /; and the
view Of The interior, nearly quarter
Of a mile in extent, lighted with a long
succession of melancholy flames, woula
probably have suggested 10 Greek tho
image of an entrance into T6rtarus.
But, in our day, the sublime is wei,
exchanged for the practical, aud this
vast and Notwithstanding cavern will
be stripped of It's poetic associations by
( the passage orcarters and wagons. bales
/ of goods aud herds Of hullocks. Sill i,
VIII be- almost impossible 10 iivest our
selves of the recollections really attach
ing to this work. We have before us
altogether new attempt To conquer ma
iurc-a great experiment to make rivors
passable without boat or brdge--a new
aud capable contriyance Tor expeditirg
the intercourse ot mankind. The stcns
bridge is at all times the most expensive
cdIlice in the world, and the bridge of
boats is always liable 90 accidents, and
almost certain 10 be broken up in every
instance of food. Besides this, the
fixed bridge blocks up the navigation ot
the river for all vessels beyond the siZs
of a barge or small steamboat. The
expense Of the stone bridge also is cnor-
nous. Waterloo Bridge cost upwards
Of a miilion--London Bridge about as
much more-Weslminster and Black
lriars Bridges, which were built ut .
cheaper rate and "a cheaper times, SO
constantly demand repairs that they
probably have cost more than either Of
the modern ones but The Tunnel han
the advantage of giving n passage hoW
side to side ofiho Thames, where from
the breadth of the river, stone bridge
would have probably cost nearer two
millions than one, and where no bridge
could be thrown across without blocking
up the most important part ofthe Ihamea
that portion which may be called ihe
great wet dock of London. Yen the cg-
pense of the Whole has not amounted "a
more than GOO 900 and even The "
10 be remembered, az an expense great
ly increased by the utter novelty OF ths
experiment, by difficulties unforeseen
~ the commencement, by several lrrup-
tions of tho river, by the deurness OF
wolkmcn's wages arising from The pc
cuIidi peru hhu SlnHHldf HulhT' ol tnt
labor connected with an undertaking
carried on nj all hours and wholly by
artificial light hll This, too, IN con.
slant hazard of an influx of the river,
aud the various difficulties belonging
to working IN u mine. The weight of
vast body of water above, acting nliko
during summer and winter, which nj
any moment might break in, and against
whose incurslons IL was a. necessary 10
fortiy the outside of the tunnel Us tho
interior, added greatly to tho dliiculIics
uf the undertaking.
The original object or the tunnel VAS.
to conycy cattle. passengers, aud gen
cral traffic from the rich countries oI
the Kent side To that great mcrcHu'ilg
region of the mciropolis--lhe LoBdop
and Fast aud West India Dockr. ilcY
lar this will be now effected, ~ qu's.
ton which remains TO be- decided by ~
pcriencs. There eau be no doubt jhai
/ II the traffic be not impsdod by ihe ifnt