Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-11-06
SELECT. READING,
HOW THE ALPS WERE CONQUERED.
THE MONT GEMS TUNNEL.
By d. p. HOwARTH.


No feat of engineering in either an
Gent or modern times can compare in
magnitude and Importance with that
which excavated the tunnel under
Mont Cents The story Of the work
has been told in the daily papers which
chronicled the completion of the task Z;
but l propose to relate it here in new
form, perhaps with some fresh and in
teresting facts, and with the acoompa-
nlment of two excellent illustrations,
such as no OF her American journal has
been fortunate enough to present.
The junction of the Cotton and Ora
rian alps, bet seen Susa in Italy and Sa
voy in France, is crowned with a table
land nearly seven thousand feet in
height, from which springs up Mont
Gents, a mighty peak that rises nearly
twelve thousa no feet above the level of
the sea. This is the great barrier which
obstructs the passage from France to
Italy, Here Hannibal hewed out a
way through the rocks for his army !;
here Pepin, in IT'S, led his Frenchmen
to the assis tance Of Pope Stephen
Third here Catinat, the great Marshall
of Louis Fourteenth, crossed, aud left a
pathway whic h might be used by pack
mules and here Napoleon First finally
built road over eighteen feet wide
stretching for thirty miles over the
mountains from Lans lie Boulg to Susa,
at an expense of a mi ghty effort and
more than seven millions of francs.
The historical associations of the pass
thus constructed, and its magnificent
character, made it one of the most IA
nous, although by no means the high
est in the Alps. Since the time of Ma
po]eon tourists have travelled upon
this route in diligences from which a
glorious prospect could be obtained of
sunny valleys and snow-clad peaks but
few years ago railway was built
over the mo untain. The track pro
ceeded In zigzag line from point to
point, and upon this q locomotive, pc
euliarly const ructed, slowly and pain
fully dragged car. To-day, however,
an entire dist nce between two points
which but year or two ago were sep
srated from e ch other nearly day 8
journey.
Thirty year ago the idea of piercing
this mountin with tunnel was breach
ed in Italy, but it was generally receiv-
ed with ridic,il lie as an impossibility
Nevertheless, the project was consider
ed by the ent erprising and learned, and
the attention Of scientific men was
given to the thoughtful investigation of
the difficulties which presented them
selves Finally, the governments of
Italy and France were asked to assist
in carrying. the scheme toward, and the
matter came up for discussion in the
legislatures and the press of both coun-
tries. All manner of objections were
made, and obstacles of every kind were
thrown in the way of the project by
those who felt certain that the idea of
a tunnel Of su Oh length, in such a
place, was Wis onary. Popular enthusi-
asm, however, was finally aroused in
behalf of the project, and at the appeal
OF eminent engineers, the two govern
ments at last consented to join in
pushing the stupendous undertaking;
the contracts were made and the task
entrusted to able and skilfull men.
The work was begun in 1857 upon
both sides Of the mountain. Fourneaux
in the valley Of the Arc, two miles from
Mooane, was tne staftlng-polnt upon
the French, or Savoyard side, and upon
the Italian side the work was begun at
Bardonneche. 1t was proposed to run
the tunnel in straight line between
these two points, and it was very
delicate piece of engineering to work
the borings exactly toward each other
and in such manner as to meet
squarely. It would have been fearful
| blunder if the two excavations had
passed each other without tho fact
being known; but science made this
catastrophe impossible. The tunnel, it
must be understood, does not run d.