New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-20

THE PROPOSED tTUNNEL BETWEEN ENGLAND AND
! FRANcE-PLANs OF N. A. THORN DE GAAtoND.
tFrom the London Railway News, July III
The first serious attempt to grappe with the
difficulties attendant on the carrying out of such
\ a work was made by NJ. A. phorne de Gamond,
who, in 1857, presented to the Emperor OF the
| French an elaborate study on the whole question,
I and proposed the construction of tunnel from
/ Dover to Cape Grisnez, accompanying ms report
with plans and detailed drawings Of the proposed
4 work, aud geological charts of the bed OF the
4 channel.
across the channel One was from Dungeness to
Boulogne, second from Duugeness to Cape GrIs-
A nez a third and fourth from Dover to Cape iris
nez, & fifth from Ness Corner to Cape Banchez.
n After very mature considerations, and for rea-
sons which it is not necessary to discuss, mainly
of geological character M. Gamond selected
spot between Folkestone and Dover, at place
called EASTWARD, as the point Of departure from
the English coast, and Cape Grisnez as the
terminus on the French side. He proposed the
construction Of tunnel arehed in stone, the eX-
? ternal arc OF which was meters, or ~ rect
inches in radius, and meters or ~ feet lnehes
in height In the lower part of the work he pro-
posed conduit for the drainage OF the tunnel
| and above this solid road to be constructed Ior
Z two lines Of railway. On each sde q me ran
way was a raised footpath for pedestrians f0r
those who were willing to make the voyage from
Dover to Calais on foot it was suggested that
T second tunnel mightbe superimposed on the tirst
/
passenger traffic, which it was calculated would
be 50 great as to tax to the utmost the eapabih
ties Of single roadway; but, as the cost OF me
work would be very considerably enhanced, az
Gamond very considerably proposed to leave to
posterity the.work of providing any additional act
commodation which our descendants might rel
fquire,
by subterraneah approach of about three end q
half miles in length, passing along 81, Mary q,
Dover, and descending to EASTWARD, at spot
where it passed under the present railway pet
tween Dover and Folkestone At this point it
would ioin the great submarine tunnel in the
midst 81 d colossal open tower forming the from
tier station. on the French side there would be a
similar approachaof about five miles in .length.
starting from Ronges Barnes at the foot Of Balm
CHEN, near MarqUise, and descending towards
Cape Grisuez, where the great tunnel would be
3 approached in the same manner as on the oppor
site coast, The Tunnel would have branches cont
meeting it, of course with the, Northern (ot
France) Railway, going in direction towards
( Bouiogne and AIniens and in the other to the
Calais portion of the Northern Railway.
At Gfisnez eOmmunication Wolld be provided
with the tunnel by descent through tower Of
LIS feet inches in height or rather IN depth, and
at EastYare by one of little less than 100 feet
deep. The section OF these towers presented 10
; its largest axis length of 1873 feet, and in its
y smaller a diameter of l50 feet. These towers
L would not serve merely as approaches to the tun-
/ mel when completed, but as points by which the
> excavated material could be raised during the
u About midway between the two coasts, and on a
! shoal or bank known as Vatne, would be estab-
/ ished another large tower, connected with tun-
q mel at depth below the surface of the water oil
. 2S4 feet. This tower would be station in mid
i channel communicating with the tunnel by an
e easy spiral staircase. The tower would be sur
\ mounted by an observatory and large rejecting
y light.
The interior diameter of this colossal tower was
at first proposed to be 35l feet. Abound the route
u part Of the tower would be built up, by casting
earth into the sea- large island, inclosing docks
and supporting extensive warehouses and work
g shops. In plain the island was in the form Of {
/ star and its whole area, as proposed, was II hec
4 tares, of which were inclosed as port Of dock
y having northern or southern entrance through
7 openings left in the quay walls Great importance
!, was attached by NJ. Gamond to the constructor
of this port as it would give facilities for loading
! and unloading vessels running between EnglanC
and France and the various countries Of the world
+ The able engineer expressed doubts as to the Ell
i fieieney of one of the communicating towers al
: originally proposed and suggested that it shoult
be enlarged to an ellpse, having its largest diam
eter 200 and its shortest 100 metres in length ane
if this should be adopted it would be possible Il
have the spiral ascent OF sufficiently easy gradi
ents as to admit of the railway carriages and truck
] passing up and down between the quays OF th'
docks to the tunnel below. The island to be bull
U up in the sea was made Of the thirteen "ilots,'
I small islands of strata rising one above the othe
2 until the surface was reached, the lower one con
Y tainng l069,320 cubic metres OF earth, and tn
q OF shape of the whole work formed an angle 0
a So degrees. The tunnel would pass below TIN
Z great island at depth of ~ metres, or II rect
= inches. During the process OF construction !
I shafts would be provided between the land Of
J either side The traveller descending the immens
7 tower from Etoile de Yarne, or the station of tn
/ submarine railway, would find himself in regiol
q of perpetual day, for thousands OF jets OF ga
/ spread over the deep vault, or numerous eectrl
lights would drive darkness and gloom out of tn
huge tunnel.
le It's scarcely possible to form an adequate ide
y Of the enormous character Of the works propose
le by this eminent engineer. The island and dock
ie to be constructed midway in the channel woul
IN require more than 900 900 cubic meters of cart
u to be thrown into the The intermediate shaft
or would absorb something like 10 900 900 of cubl
10 meters, and the quantity Of earth to be excayate
70 in the submarine tunnel Of the dimensions alread
as quoted would scarcely be less than the total {
on the two quantities already given. Add to thes'
hs however, something like ten miles OF tunnel, c
ae, the two sides of the channel, required for cor
ms, municatng on the land side, and some idea W
NV be formed Of the magnitude of the undertaken
ene holder flight of genius or imagination was, pc
" haps, never made than that OF the tower IN u
nor midst of the channel of 666 feet in diameter
4, tunnel wide enough to lower into the depths b
.,so low the Great Eastern steamship, and much tall
I'M than the monument The geological character
7isu the formation was carefully examined by NJ q
~ mond, and declared to be most favorable for Il
!, H. construction of the work The estimated cost
y N the whole work was t70,000,000 francs, or lie
than fI $50 900: Of this amount the construction
~ liz GOO 00Ofrancs Il
remainder being required for the approaches st
~ mons and docks. The whole work would be COZ
one plsled N SIX years. We are by no means So
! IN, guine that the plan of NJ, Gamond will ever
NJ carried out; but certainly the plan of converti
az our Island into peninsular by means of a subn
en5 rue lsthmqa IS one within the range Of the en-
gnu neefing science and mechanical an piapoes of
me present day. The grave and practical onestie
"MIl II pay involves the consideration
9oTs other and totally different questions.