Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-10-25

sit and think-Rh many day
Though never the thought tell,
'E All, for a love that threw away;
For, oh loved ou well ~
"
THE NOW GEMS FUNNEL.
The Location. Construction and His
toryefthe Great Ais.i'ae 1ssssn eizttp w
It was origtnatett-.asfe Diheui'ies OF
- the U5sssez.fa king.
From the New York Tribune.
The Mont Gems Tunnel may now be
named with the Suez Canal, the Pacific
Railroad, and the Atlantic cables, in
recording the great enterprises begun
and completed within the last fifteen
years Trains are now. constantly pass
ing through it, and on Monday, in the
presence of a distinguished assemblage,
it was formally opened.
The need of an unbroken highway
between France and Italy has been
strikingly obvious since the railroad
line approached their respective from
tiers. Arriving by rail from Paris, the
Traveller bound for Italy hitherto pro-
ceeded from ct. Michael over the noun
tain, passing Modane, Lans-le-Bourg,
the Mont GEMS. Hospice, and thence
descending the precipitous slope by
Molaretto, hereached Giagione, whence
the railroad is open to Turin and all
Italy. This journey enabled one to be-
hold the sublime scenery of the Pass,
but was wanting in the convenience
and safety which the railroad through
the tunnel, now affords. Besides, it
usually required five or six hours to ac-
complish the journey over the noun
tains, while by the tunnel route one
4,.oxy II IL
tween Paris and Turn in eighteen
hours.
Upward of thirty years ago Som
tunnel through the Alps, but his pro
posal was treated with Indifference and
increduhty. When, however, the great
engineering. triuinphs in this country
and Europe demonstrated its practica
bility it was resolved to attemot the
great work. Several years were occu-
g pied in discussing plans and hearing
objections, until at length, in 1857, the
work was actually commenced. Savoy
was then q portion of the Sandman
Kingdom, and, apart from the general
usefulness of the tunnel in forming a
connecting link between the French
and italian railroad system, Victor
QpSlTSu
communication between the two dis
tinct races which had constituted one
people for more than ten centuries.
Sardinia prosecuted the work as well as
her feeble resources would permit, IN
til the italian campaign of 1859, by Civ
ing her Lombardy and losing her Sa-
qoy. rend cred new arrangement in re-
gard to the project imperative.
THE LOCATION AND COST OF THE TUNNEL.
Although called the Mont Gents
tunnel, the name is a misnomer, as the
track selected is a considerable distance
from that mountain. Leaving a point
above tn village of Fourneaux on the
French side, 3 994 feet above the sea
level, it strikes through the mountain
at "a point between the Col de Freius
and the Col de la Rome. not far from
Shat great clustering mass which bears
the name of Mount Tabor, and from
which the mountain chain stretches over
Mont AmbIn, and the little Mont Gems
{ to the Great Mont Gents. The highest
point attained by the tunnel is 43T7
feet above the sea, and 3, $50 feet below
the crest of the mountain overhead.
FROM this point the tunnel slopes down
to the other opening of the tunnelon the
Italian side, at Bardonneche, 4, 334 feet
above the sea, at the top of a lofty
glen of the same name, whence the raj
srOad goes down to Ouix on the Dona
$ Riparia, following the course of that
-vaIIey by Salbertrand and Exilles. till
1t debouehes into the wide open valley
OF 5usa at Bussolino.
Inclted both by her new obligations
10,
Iatlons with the Italian people. France
evinced in 1860 great interest in the
Mont Gents project, and showed an
eager desire to hasten its completion.
Accordingly an arrangement was enter
ed into wherein strong inducements
were offered to the sister nation to com
plete the great highway. The total
expenses of constructing the t,In7,e1
amount to SD, 900, GOO, of which sum
Victor Emanuel or the Railway of North
Italy contributes "a, 900, 600, which is
TO be pa1o on or before the opening of
the tunnel. The French Government
agreed to pay Italy $4,000, 900 if the
work was finished within twenty years.
reckoning from 1862. But if the
work was finished at an earlier date
France bound herself to pay 500, 900
more for every year gained upon the
stipulated time. the incentive which
France thus protested to afford has GER
talnIy attained its end. The work is
now finished eleven years before the
unit named, and accordingly France
WIZ nave to pay 81, 100 600, besides the
to0o'oO0 OF the original stipend. She
also pound herself to pay five per cent.
interest on the money due for the
Work as 1T proceeded from year to wear.
aad the construction continued bevond
the stipulated term of twenty wears.
Italy would have lost 800, 600 for ev-
cry year III excess of that period.
THE BORING OF TIE TUNNEL
The engineering difficulties were Of
the most d1saouraging character. The
construction of a tunnel nearly eight
miles long, where no vertical shafts for
hight or air or refuse were possible.
where the work must be begun. from
eacn end, where the levels and the
angles must be perfect to insure a meet
ing, presented problem which even
the ooidest engineer might shrink from
with alarm. All former experience in
constructing tunnels was of little avail
Inc occasion demanded man ofgenins
8lIted with determination. This man
was found IN Sommeiller, who, how
9 ever owed much to the inven-
tlonS OF ms professional predeces-
sors' NJ Mans, Belgian en-
glneer, had devised a machine to emf
rock, and this machine was TO be work
ed with springs to cut the. rock into
blocks, and SO do the work OF many
men. Mr. Caladon, of Geneva, struck /
the key OF the position by suggesting
the use OF compressed air, but he had
not the honor of showing how it was !
be used as mortice power. Mr.. Bart
lett, an English engineer, having in
vented an engine for boring, which was
xr.LAr.lr,I h. NJ