The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-08-02

70 give the proper grade whereby 10 ascend
to the surface. will bc about hftg m1@S.
viii this mon>truus project succeed We
are warned hv the past not to be very m
crcluouS about the success OF any scheme,
however cxtravagant il may at first appear
From the Loudou Railway News.
The first serious attempt to grappIc with
the difficulties attendant on the carrying
ont of such work was made by NJ. a.
Tlorn; dc Gamond, who in lsj1 presented
, 10 the Emperor Of the French an elaborate
study on the whole question, and proposed
the construction of tunnel from Dover
, to Cape GrisncH, accompanying his report
with plans and detailed drawings OF the
PROPOSED work, and geological charts of the
bed ol the channel.
NJ. Gamond surveyed not less than six
routes across the channel. One was from
DdngcncSs 10 Boulo@nc, II second from
DungcncS> 10 Cape GriSncZ, third and
fourth from Dover 10 Cape Grisncz, Il fifth
IRON Ness Corner 10 Calais, and sixth
from Ness Corner to Cape Blanchcz. After
very mature considerations, and for rca-
, sons which il iS not necessary to discuss,
mainly of Il geological character, NJ. Ga
mond selected spot between folkcstonc
and Dover, at q place called EaStwarc, as
the point of departure from the English
coast, and Cape Grsncz as the terminus
on the French side. He proposed the con
strllction Of Il tunnel, archcd in stone, the
external are Of which was 81 metres, or
80 feet :; inches in radius, and I metres, or
- feet q inches in height. In the lower
part Of the work he proposed conduit for
the drainage of the tunnel, and above this
4 solid road 10 bc constructed for two lines
Of railway. ON each side of the railway
was Il raised lout-path rpcdcStrlans-ior
those Who were willing 10 make the v"y-
are from Dover 10 Calais on foot. 1t was
suggested that 4 second tunnel might hc
Suprrimposcd on the first, 80 that there
might hc division OF the goods and pas
>engcr traffic, which il was calculated
would be 50 great rs 10 tax 10 the utter
most the capabilities of a single roadway;
but as the cos, OF the work would be very
considerably enhanced, NJ. Gamond very
cun>idrratcly proposed /" leave 10 pos
trrty the work of providing any additional
accommodation which our descendants
might require.
VA ilt IIlali~lI NI'l' Ah'i'''N' ''''N' ~
entered hv Suhtcrrancam approach Of
about three and a half miles III length,
passing along ST. Mary'S, Dover, and de
>ccnding to EaStwarc, at Il spot where II
passed under the present railway between
Dover and Folhcstonc. AT this point 1t
would Join the great submarine tunnel IN
the midst OF colossal open tower forming
the frontier station. On the French side
there would he Il similar approach OF about
five miles in length, starting from RougcS
Barnes, at the foot of Bazinghcn, near
MarquiSc, and descending towards Cape
GrisucZ, where the great tunnel would he
approached in the same manner as on the
opposite coast. The tunnel would have
branches connecting il, Of course, with the
Northern (ot Erancc} railway, going in
one direction towards Boulognc and
.\micns, and in the other 10 the Calais por-
ton Of the Northern railway.
At Grisncz communication would be pro-
yidcd with the tunnel by Il descent through
a tower Of l1j feet & inches in height, or
rather in depth, and at EaStWarc hy one
of a little less than 100 feet deep. The
section of these towers presented i'll its
largest axis length of 333 feet, and in its
NlldiItl 1t NibIlIt'I vi i'o 'N''s iHS|"
towers would serve not merely as ap-
proachcs TO the tunnel when completed,
hut us points by which the eNcavatcd ma
tcrial could be raised during the process
Of construction, and for vcntilatinS shafts.
About midway between the two coasts,
and on a shoal or bank known as Narnc,
would be established another large tower,
connected with tunnel at depth below
the surface of the water OF 2S4 feet. Tins
tower would be Il station i'll mid-channel,
communicating with the tunnel by an easy
Sliral staircase. The tower would bc sur
mounted by an observatory and large re-
ilccling light. The interior diameter ol
this colossal tower was ut first proposed to
be J5l feet. Around the route part of the
tower would he built up, by casting earth
into the sea, Il large island, enclosing docks,
and Sllpporting extensive warehouses ana
workshops. In plan the island was in the
form of star, and its whole area, as pro
posed, was seventeen hectares, OF which
seven were enclosed aS Il port OF dock,
having Il northern or southern entrance
, through openings left in the quay walls.
Great importance was attached by NJ.
Gamond to the construction of this port,
unloading vessels running between Eng
land and France and the various countries
Of the world. The able engineer expressed
doubts as to the efficiency of one of the
communicating towers as originally pro
posed, and suggested that it should be en-
largcd to an cllipse, having its largest diam
ctrr 200 and its shortest 100 metres III
length, and if this should be adopted II
would he possible to have the spiral ascent
of sufficient easy gradients to admit OF the
railway carriages and trucks passing up
and down between the quayS OF the dock
to thc tunnel below. The island to be
built UP in the sea was made up OF thirteen
"itotS," or small islands of strata rising
one above the other until the surface was
reached, the lower one containing l,o69,-
$40 cubic metres of earth, and the upper
one 81 600 cubic metres. The inclination
or shape of the whole work formed an
angle Of - degrees. The tunnel would
pass below the great island ut a depth "i
22 metres, or II feet inches. During the
process vi construction II shafts would be
provided between the land on either side.
The traveller descending the immense
tower from iEtoilc dc Varnc, or the station
of the submarine railway, would find him
self in region of perpetual day, for thou
sands of jets Of gas spread over the deep
vault, or numerous electric lights, would
drive darkness and gloom out of the huge
, tunnel.
1t il scarcely possible to form an adc-
auate idea Of the enormous character of
the works proposed by this eminent engi.