Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-12-29
From the Manchester Guardian
GREAT WORKS OF THE AGE IN EUROPE,

and that it likely to be attended with success com
mensurate with the magnitude OF the undertaking.
There are at present 10 Switzerland three gentlemen
representing the board of directors of the Central Eu
ropsan Railway Company pamefy: Mr.. Cave, sheriff
of London and Middlesex Mr. Walford a director of
the Finance Corporation, and Mr.. j. W Mcclure, of
Manchester. They went ont to inauvnra,e The com.
nencenent of the works.
The nject OF the line, is known is 10 connect the
lines running from Ostend to Rotterdam 10 Basic with
the Lombardian and Italian systems thereby shortening
the overland route to India by about four hundred mills
or sixty Eoars, making England independent of France
by shordlDg rail route tough Belgium and Switzar
land neutral countries 10 the event of European
The lire to be mode will leave the Lombardo Venetian
railway at Como, and by Chiasso kugano and Bel
izono to Basca hence it will take either the pass
the Saint GOthard, OF the Luckmanier Pass according
to the decision of the Swiss federal government.
letter from member OF the deputation, dated the 9Th
lnst states that on the previous day the dcputaton
with tie local representatives of the company sgnor
Cattanso, end Others, visited the works at Lugano,
where they were received with salvos OF artillery.
The united bands of the canton CT Tictno played in
front OF the hotel where the deputaton stayed and the
mayor, with rhe leading Inhabitants paid them compl
mentary visits, prior to their interview with to gov
eminent of the canton 1t hoped that very shorty
about ten miles OF the line would be oper for traffic On
the 10th mat. the deputston was to meet the Fede'
raj government at Berne, where they expected to
! learn what the government subvention would be-
| ihe line from Como to Basca is estimated t" cost
about million ami half, OF which about seven hun
held by British capitalists
TRAHwAY on MOUNT CENIs.
Newspaper readers have at different times been IN
formed OF the proposal submitted by Mr.. Fell in
with Messre Brasspy aud jackson, 10 the French
and Italian governments, for laying down tramway
on the present Mount Gems route covering the same
With wooden, iron aud stone galleries. and working 1t
by means oil and lighter species OF locomotive,
40 that the distance between Susa and St. Michael,
which now takes ten. might be safety aud regularly
traversed in period OF from four to five hours. TIE
first series of these Mount Gems locomotive expert
mens, for producing OT engine capable OF carrying
q train Of hundred passengers, with their luggage
over the mountain, have bad satisfactory results. The
trials have been made on incline Of one in thirteen
(the Mount Gents being one in tFeve) and he ex-
p7Timental engine, q new one, Ga MIR. Fes peculiar
system, has taken up and down the entire load pro-
posed while the break power for descending IS most
perfect A great number of practical and scientific
men have been witnessing these locomotive ezpe
with much interest," ana nov second series OF expert
ments is Just being commemorative: on gradient OF
twelve, and curves of thirty and fifty metres radius
combned, for which piece of line is in process Of
construction, the fac simile of the Moant Gents.
TRIAL OF AN ALPINE LOCOMOTIVE.
From the Liverpool POSI-
An interesting trial OF locomotive engine built upon
novel princ pies at the Canada works. Brkenhead, took
place lately al Whaley bridge, the CIomford and
High Peak railway, and upon short line made espe.
caly for the experiment. The engine is constructed
to ascend and descend steep gradients, TO pass sharp
have never been able to accomplish.
The practical object Of this invention cannot Int be
greatly interesting, inasnuch as it proposes to
line Ct Gay for passengers, mails and merchandise
over the very heart Of the Alps and along road hith
eric considered impossible for locomotives. 1t is the
well known military road hewn out of such giant diff
culties by the first Napoleon thatie is thus contenpa
ted 10 traverse. At present there is tract of
tain pass forty-eght miles in length between the two
great railway systems Of France aud North Italy, the
terminus of the former being San Michel, 10 Savoy and
the latter Suse in Piedmont. The Mount Gems, by
which this district is known, has been considered 30
important for purposes Of traffic that the French and
italian Governments five years ago commenced the
cavaon of tunnel to the difficulties 80 often
felt. At the lowest computation this great underta
king will fake twelve years to complete. The proposed
railway the surface of the pass will only be two
years in making, and the projectors would therefore,
have ten years Of working before the tunnel was avail
able for file: The district has been thoroughly sur
veyed by MIR. Fell, In connection with company OF
well known English capitalists and contractors, and the
scheme has met with the appreciation of the Italian
Government. The present road is sufficiently wide to
accommodate the railway and leave room for local trait
fc, and the usa engineering labors of tunneng, etc.
will not be required.
The chief difficulty, however is that which the new
locomotive is especially designed to oVercome-Damely
the excessive steepness Starting from San Michel the
road gradually rises far the village of Lanslebourg
whence it takes rapid ascent, with gradients of 10
twelve to the summit of the pass, which is thou
sand feet above the level of the From this point
to this rising and falling there frequent sharp
curves It is proposed to 10 those portions of the
line where it is known avaanches and snow drifts fall
The locomotive to be employed here is, in fact dou
bic engine, horizontal and vertical engine combined
aud arranged that it be worked either together
or separate according TO the steepness OF the Incline
OF the least feature of the invention the safety that
it The horiz lnal wheels referred to above IA
ctate passage curves enables the driver tostop the
engue liz the middle of the seepest gradient give pro-
pulsve pressure Ct several TONS and by OF the
hangeS which underlep the centre rail- renders it nary
impossible that the carriage be overturned The
btake3 extremely powerful and, they attach
ed to each carriage, danger arise from COUP
ling chain giving way. The extreme narrowness of the
gauge renders the less difficult to pass, gives
more room for the public road aud greatly in
erecting the covered ways for the dangerous parts
The trials on Tuesday were in every way successful
and for once the high peak proved aid rather than
obstacle to the engineer 1hee were two iueIines ;
tie first being two hundred yards long, gradient
OF one 10 thirteen, and the other hundred and y
yards long, at gradient OF 10 twelve with
Of about chains radius This repres ents the most
fcut part of the Mont Gents road. he shortpess OF
the tire upon which the experiment made prevent
ed the u getting up oil steam, aud the trial may there
tore be taken lair test. The locomotive itself,
weighing sixteen tuns but with ractive force of thr.
~ two tuns-frst assembled and descended the lines,
stopping in the middle, and going backwards and for
wards as required with perfect ease. -Four wagons 3,
laden with twenty tuns of ballast then attach
ed and the experiment repeated with equally sats
factory results. Ii is proposed to work the Mont c.
MS line at average speed OF twelve miles, thus per-
forming the journey in from four to five hours The
number OF passengers will not exceed one hundred and
: ninety-equivalent 10 twenty four tuns.