The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-04-10

length of over 10 0OO yards. But the Eng
lish distanced all competition in that lint
when they built the Thames Tunnel. The
idea Of this originated In 1908. when Mr.
Ralph Dodd proposed to make way under
the river between Gravesend and Essex. III
1904 Mr.. Trevethick made a trial on the pres
ent site of the tunnel. He made passage
five feet high and three feet wide, and this he
had carried nearly across to Mapping when
the river broken and spoiled the experiment
throwing such quantity Of cold water or
the project that the English became disguised
and would have no more of it, They felt un
comfortable just then, knowing that the unit
ed fleets of France and Spain were ready tC
try conclusions with Lord Nelson in the chops
of the channel But in 1926 the passage be
tween Rotherhithe and Mapping about a
quarter of mile across was again attempted
under the guidance of Mr. Brunei. In 1872
the water burst in, III spite of the caution
with which the shield was advanced, and the
labor was suspended for time. In 1928 a
like accident occurred, and six men were
drowned. After this the work ceased for sew
en- years 1t was renewed in 1885, and con
tinued till the passage was completed. Ill lies
sixteen feet below the bed of the river, and is
200 feet long between the shafts on either
bank-that is, something about quarter OF
mile. 1t has two arched ways, each 1G and
a half feet high, by IA feet wide, with a wall
between them 1t cost about f50O0O0, and
was never remuncratiye, being only used by
pedestrians, who paid the toll of penny, and
furnished Just enough TO keep it in repair.
In 1885 it was sold to the London Railway
Company for GOO, O0O and is used as a con
nection between their roads running on the
northern and southern side of the Thames
The tunnel was in fact failure and ia time
to come better one will no doubt be built
near that locality-one that will GLOW the
passage of heavy trains Of wagons. In 1869
another tunnel was carried under the Thames
at Tower Hill, and completed In year at
cost of 10000. This allows the travel of
omnibusses Another "a land tunnel) has
been made in Arthur street, and another from
Poplar to Greenwich, Along with these Lon.
don has dug three and half miles of tunnel.
ing for its great su btprranean railway, and
will probably dig great many more SO
that, if 1t cannot boast OF Its catacombs, like
50 many other great cities, it seems bent on
making up the subterranean deficiency IN an
other and more utilitarian way,
Fourteen years after the opening OF the
Thames Tunnel, the governments of France
and SARDINIA encouraged the far greater en-.
terprIse of a passage through the Alps under
the height of Grand WALTON near Mount Gents.
The idea of this was atloat in 1871 when ,Jo-
seph Medail, of Bardonneche, the Italian
end of the tunnel,) proposed to pierce Mont
Frejus. In 1857 it was decided that the way
should run under the Vallon, from Modane,
on the upper side, to Bardonneche, on the
Italian-a subterranean distance of seven
miles and half. Count Cavour warmly pa
tronized the undertaking, and the cutting of
the sod at Modane in the above year, was
by KING Victor Emmanuel and
Prince Napoleon. AS the height of the
Grand VallOn did not permit any intermediate
shaftsinking, the labor was begun and car.
ried on from the two ends toward the center.
The work of boring was done in the old way,
by hand, till 1851, when the engineers
meiller Grandis and GrattOni-devised a
piece of machinery set in motion by com
pressed air, acting with force of five atmos-
pheres through piston in cylinder. With
this half dozen borers were driven Simu,-
against the rock, and the advance
was ten times as fast as before In 1866 half
Of the distance had been excavated, and in
1870 the w0rkmcn, meeting at last, shook
hands through an opening in the tunnel. In
1871 the way was opened for travel after the
labor of fourteen years. This great achieve
ment encouraged men to hope for the rcmov.
al of other Alpine difficulties, and at the
present time another railway tunnel is max
inc its way under the heavy mass Of Mont
st, Gothard.
In our own country the necessities OF travel
md trade have originated great many tun'
lels, the most remarkable OF which is the
passage through mica slate and quartz rock
lnder the HOosac Mountain, eighteen feet
nigh and fourteen feet wide, and about "a 900
Get, or four and half miles, long. But the
greatest tunnel idea of modern times, or any
Ither times, is the proposed passage under
he strait between Dover and Calais, which
Will, or would, have the effect of renewing
more intimately and far more probably the
ancient intercourse between France and Eng
and-an interco arse for ages of mutual jeal-
busy and war, leading the people on either
side TO look on those on the other as natural
use the very British expression
If that especial Brlton, Charles James Fox.
But nature has no part in the antlpathies
which grow up between near neighbors, and
Napoleon was wise enough 10 understand his
In 1902 he encouraged the plan
IF NJ Mathieu 10 unite the two countries by
tunnel, or something like floating bridge,
after the manner of the polygOmphon odtsma
Or floating causeway, built once upon time
by King Xerxes across the IIellespont. The
idea was rather wild one for that time, but
Napoleon, who had no hatred OF the English,
favored it, taking occasion to say that Eng
land and France united could be masters Of
the world-a "Napoleonic idea which sub
influenced the policy of his nephew,
Napoleon Ill But the fierce wars came in
stead of the viaduct. Inmore peaceful times,
over fifty years ago, MN Tessie dc Mottray
and Franchot suggested the laying of huge
castiron tube in sections along the bed OF the
strait between the French and English coasts
Another proprietor, VI. Payerne, proposed a
scheme OF vast moles from each side, and a
long bridge of solid masonry in the middle,
strong enough to cope with the elements of
that stormy channel. The Englishmen,
Winton, Colburn, Chambers, Cowan, Page
and others, were rather in favor of Mottray's
plan OF laying down the hage tubes of cast.
iron, while many others contended for the
long bridge, with enormous piers and open
mgs at intervals TO admit the passage of yes
sells.
For many years this great idea has been