The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-02-26
A HUGE ENTERPRISE.
| TunnellinE the English Channel from
Dover to Calais.
philadelphia North Americana


philadelphia North Ancrican1
For so many years have we been nc.
cusomcd to discussions of the feasibility
of connecting England and France by n
railway tunnel, that the scheme has
come to be regarded as one OF those
things destined to linger permanently
in the limbo of good intentions. AS
long ago as 1888 Il French engineer-M.
Thome dc Gamond-began to agitate
the subject and to spend time and
money in investigating the strata
through which the tunnel must pass
and i'll 1867 he exhibited plans and mo-
dels showing how he proposed construct
ing it. Before this, in 1860, an English-
man, Sir John Hawkshaw, had enlisted
in the work by sinking borings on
both the French and English coasts,
and examining the entire bed of tho
Channel between those points by means
of II special contrived apparatus. At
last, in 1872, the Channel Tunnel Com
pany WAS incorporuted,w with the gentle
men above named and Mr.. james
Brunlees rs its engineers. Finally,
when the Lord Mayor of London
visited Paris at the opening of the now
opera house few weeks ago, he had
an interview on the subject with tho
French Minister of Public Works, and
it transpired that the French and
English governments had como to an
arrangement for commencing prelimiu-
ary operations.
The points selected for the tcr,nini OF
the tunnel are st. Margaret's Bay, n
depression i'll the chalk cliffs four miles
east of Dover, and II spot near Calais.
On this line it is believed Il continuous
stratum of homogeneous chalk, 500 feet
thick, runs from shore to shore under Il
depth of water nowhere moro than
$50 feet. Through this layer the tun-
mel is to be run at least 200 feet below
the bed OF the channel. The chalk,
where solid, has been proved to be inn
perlneabIe by water; so that nothing
could Interfere with the work of boring
except tho occurrence of assures in tho
stratum 200 feet deep or more. and it is
believed that if such assures ever exist
ell they have been filed up ages ago by
the wash of the sea. Work is to be
commenced ut both ends with II newly
mounted augcr-iike machine which
deposits its debris upon an endless belt,
then carries it away to the rear. The
auGcr bores n driftway seven feet in
diameter, and advances through tho
chalk ut the rate ofa yard to II yard
and quarter per hour; SO that it is
computed this preliminary opening
may be made within four years for %9,-
Ooo,o 900, though experienced contractors
dO not hesitate to reduce both amounts
by one-half. The completion of the
work for the passage of railway trains
will rcpuire,it is thought, Jan additional
four years and $20,000,000. At present
there arc Immediately to be sunk shafts
$50 feet deep on either coast, from
which driftings are to be run outward
ut Il downward inclination of one foot
III eighty.
1t seems to be assumed that tho pro-
posed Submarine rairOni must prove II
financial success. The number of per
sons crossing the channel in 1863
between four ports on either side was
3OO,DDD, and since then it has greatly
increased. Most OF those, it is thought,
would prefer to travel underground,
though ut Il higher cost, than to incur
the horrors of the channel passage, even
with all the mitigations promised by
the Bessemer and Castalia steamers
| The problem of ventilation is expected
to present no great difficulties, and
security will be as absolute as on land.
n great increase both in passenger ira
vel and frciShts is confidently looked
| for.