Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-09-28
From Weeds Letters of The Albany Evening
JournaI


81 have been through the THAMES
H TUNNEL. This is to London what the
\ Croton Water Works are to New York
7 the great achievement of tho 10Th cen
tury. There Is nothing at either en-
trance of The Tunnel which indicates
that you are 10 the vicinity Of the ex-
Itraordnary Improvement. We passed
over it in a steamer in the morning
without being aware that other masses
of Fellow beings were quietly walking
through subicrrancan passage below
W. The visitor is directed "'This way
to the Tunnel sr-F1'" by board on the
corner of street. You descend n
winding stone stairway Of 100 steps,
and enter into the Tunnel, which Is we'll
lighted with gas, anI afforded us n cool,
pleasant walk, after four hours expo
sure to the sun. The Tunnel has two
avenues, each wide enough to allow -
ar IG persons to walk abreast. Half
way through, Printing Press is sta
toned "By Royal Authority" which is
throwing of sheets containing an ac-
count of the Tunnel. | told the man
would purchase two of his sheets pro-
vided he would allow me to pull them
myself This upon learning that 81
knows the ropes" as they say n, sea,
he consented TO. have, therefore. an
account Of the Thames Tunnel, printed
by myself, standing midway between the
London and Surry sides Of ihc river,
seventy feet below its bed, and steamers
and ships passing directly over my
head.
The Tunnel is two miles below Lon
don Bridge, where another bridge,
which was much wanted, would have
proved seriously injurious TO the i'm
mense commerce of The metropolis. In
1923 after the failure aud abandonment
Of several plans for tunneJIing the
Thames, one was Submitted by Mr.. |.
now Sir j. NJ Brunei which received
the confidence of capitalists and in 1925
he commenced his operations. But he
encountered difficulties and obstacles,
for years, ut every step OF his progress
hat would have dishcartened and ap-
palled any man but one whom the emer-
gency had produced TO accomplish this
mighty enterprise. Guicksand beds
we're among The most troublesome and
pcrilous obstacles met with. The top
Df the Tunnels Arch, about the middle
'fthe river, approaches within 10 feet
,l the bottom OF the liver. Four times,
during its progress the Tunnel and
Shafts were filled with water, and the
Eruption Of 1897 threatened TO destroy
he enterprise, but by the most incredi-
Die etfoI,s, all was overcome by It's in
architect, and IN 1885, seven
ears afterwards, Sir j. NJ Brunei was
,nabled TO resume the work.
The progress of this great work was
necessarily very slow. Sometimes. with
avora5lc excavations, two feet would be
in twentv-four hours, |
Working as they did with changes of I
lands, day and night, where the excaya-
ion was difficult, only two feet would
70 done IN a week aud Tor the LAT 4
hree months, So great was the labor and ,
o formidable the instructions, that only {
feet and 4 inches progress vas made . I
n August, l8ii, fifteen years after the i
round was broken on the London side .
the Thames, Sir J. Brunei descended :
shaft from the Wrapping side and pass |
through n small 'drih way through .r
10 shield into the Tunnel" Lcss,han =
ro years thereafter, in March 1919. +
~ mLGNirIcENT WORK WAS COMPILE u
ED. The whole expense Of construc- d
~ is stated at 6Il.000 pounds stcr- !
". The toll is only penny Tor pas b
~ through the Tunnel, and but for II
he gciiiu up stairs" il would pay well 9
nil passengers are let down and taken y
} by an engine, it will not take foot J.
Issengcrg from the Bridges" &c