New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-09

All these and other equally importan
matters connected with the subject o
labor in Massachusetts, call for earnes
and energetic effort on the part of tn,
people there to keep the State from falling
into decline.
THE MONT GEMS TUNNEL AND RAILWAY
Among the great and wonderful achieve
ments of the triumph of science over ma
ture in this age of progress is the tunnel.
ing of the Alps, and the uniting of France
and Italy by railway, fifty miles in
length, from San Michel, on the western
side, to Susa, on the eastern side of the
Alps. The place where this work has
been done is described as near the centre
of the great northwestern curve of the
Alpine chain, and is known as Mount
Cents Its summit is four-ffths of a mile
lower than that of Mount Blanc, and it is
overtopped by score of other peaks. 1t
rises to an altitude of II, Asa feet nearly
twice that of any point in the United
States east of the Rocky mountains.
From the peak the summit sinks down
northward into long col, or neck, the
lowest point of which is 6672 feet high
about 400 feet higher than the summit of
Mount Washington. This neck is what
is called the pass of Mount Gents. About
ten years ago Mr.. Fell, an English en-
gineer, conceived plan for laying down
and working a railway upon the line
across what has long been Familiarity
known to travellers as Napoleons
Mount Gents carriage road. In 1865
he obtained a temporary grant from
the French and Italian governments
to construct this road. The most formid-
able barrier to the completion Of the con-
nection of the western and eastern por-
tons of the road was the cutting of trln-
mel for distance Of about eight miles, or
to be more accurate, according to actual
measurement, of 1857 yards or seven
and seventeenth miles. The ascent from
San Michel, on the western slope of the
mountain, to the point where the tunnel
opens, is about 300 feet, and the descent
on the eastern slope, from the opening of
the tunnel there to Susa, is about 400 feet
more, or 5000 feet below the summit Of the
pass. Between these two points the ridge
of the Alps stands as sentinel and barrier.
The work of piercing the mountain was
commenced in 1859, and on the morning
following Christmas day, 1870, telegram
was sent to London and New York in the
following words:
The working parties in the opposite
headings of the Mount Gents tunnel are
within hearing of each other Greetings and
hurrahs were exchanged through the divid-
ing width of rock for the first time at
quarter past four o'clock on Christmas after
noon.
Thus was conveyed the intelligence of
the practical completion of the most en-
during work ever accomplished by
human hands. So accurate had been the
survey of the line whefe the tunnel was
to be cut, by the two engineers, Copello
and Borelli, that when the last foot of
rock had been broken through, the two
excavations struck each other almost to
an inch. The piercing and cutting of
the rock was performed under the charge
Of three young italian engineers, Som
melier, Grandes and Grattoni, the last of
whom had the honor Of being the first
man who passed through the dividing
rock at its final opening, in December,
1870. The perforation and drilling was
performed by these young engineers
through the use of compressed air tubes,
an invention of their own, with which
they combined an invention of Mr. Bart
lett, an English engineer, known as the
Bartlett drill. Steam power was out of
the question in the performance of this
work, for the steam engine must have
fire, and the fire must have abundant air,
as well as coal and water. The COM
pressed air tube, as already stated, was
the effective instrument that produced
the grand result. It must not be under
stood, however, that though the tunnel is
cut through, the work is by any means
finished. 1t had yet to be blasted to its
full extent, and before the connection of |
he road is made with the French |
md Italian lines, between which it |
'orms link, thirty-four miles of most
Il AZ omit 70 i1u-ov ,,,,,Ct ba oopcfr,,o+ad TIL
cost of the whole work will not fall much |
short of 500, 000,0 900. The cost of the |
unnel, little less than eight miles long, |
rs measured by our standard, will be |
$50, 900, 000 In the construction of this |
Dad, the track is to be laid according to |
! new principle suggested by Mr.. Fell, an
English engineer, by the means of which |
locomotives may climb the sides of noun
aims with almost as little difficulty as they |
un over the ordinary grades of roads now
Ir. Fell's invention consists in the plac-
ng of an additional centre rail between
he two rails of an ordinary track. This
centre rail is the usual one laid down fiat
wise, so that the two running faces are
presented upon either side. This centre
all is raised about foot above the two
utter ones. The locomotive, besides the
ordinary perpendicular driving wheels, is
upplied with two pairs of horizontal ones,
which can, by screw and lever, be made
o grasp the centre rail like vice, with
my required amount of force. Other i'm