The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-02-18
The Proposed Tunnel Under the Brit
ish Channel.

The London Daily Nelos says: "The
project of connecting England and France
by q submarine tunnel is said to have been
the subject of conversation between the
Lord Mayor and the Minister of Public
Works in Paris, and an arrangement Is re-
ported to have been come TO between the
governments Of England and France sane
tioning preliminary experiments. Inc
idea-is by no means a new one, for as far
back as 1888 NJ. Thome de Gamond inter
ested himself in the subject. andspent both
time and money in studying on the spot
the nature Of the strata through which the
proposed boring would pass. In 1867 that
gentleman exhibited plans and models of
channel tunnel, and two years previous
" Sir John Hawkshaw had commenced
series of practical researches, causing bor-
1 ings TO be suhk on both coasts. and exam
| ing the bottom of the chanRel all across in
great number of places, by means OF ap-
paratus contrived for the purpose. Since
| that period--Inamely, in lS72-the Chsnnel
Tunnel Company has been Incorporated :,
and Sir John Hawkshaw. Mr.. James
Brrlnlees, and NJ Thome de Gamond have
been appointed the engineers of the under
taking. Mr. William Low, a gentleman
much interested in the scheme previous to
the formation Of the company, has, we I'M
derstand. new ceased to have any connec-
ton with it in an official capacity. The
assent in principle OF the governments OF
England and France has been Obtgined !;
but until the time arrives for constructing
| functions with the railways terminating at
Dover there will be no occasion TO apply
10 Parliament. On the English coast, St.
Margaret's Bay, depression III the chalk
cliffs, about four miles east of Dover, has
been selected as the point of departure ;
and on the French side, spot about mid
way between Calias and the village OF San
gate has been fixed upon. By adopting this
| line il appears from observations winch
have been made by Sir John Hawkshaw
that the tunnel can be almost wholly eX-
| cayated in the lower bed Of homogeneous
chalk; and this stratum is upwards Of 5OU
feet deep on each shore from high water
mark. 1t is believed, on apparently good
grounds, that the chalk is continuous and
that il stretches beneath the sea uninter.
ruptedly across the Straits. The maximum
depth of water on the line of the proposed
tunnel nowhere exceeds loO feet below
high water mark, the water being deepest
in the center, and gradually diminishing
I'm depth towards the sides. The tunne
itself would be placed by the engineers a
such level that the depth OF strata over II
would never be less than 200 feet ; and this
depth, which is amply sufficient for Sc
curity, would permit the railway ap
proaches to be formed with tOlerably easy
! gradients. 1t has been ascertained by &C
! tual experiments that, provided the chall
be solid, the water will not permeate IL
and it has also been shown on more thar
one occasion that comparatively little sub
terranean water exists in that formation
But the illustration of the possibility O
tunneling beneath the sea level is TO b
: found at Brighton. Sir John Hawkshav
has there completed tunnel 81 miles IL
! length along the sea shore, in close prox
unity TO the margin of the sea. The tunne
is wholly in the upper chalk, where tn
material is not very compact and ii is l.
, feet at one end, and 20 feet at the othe
end, below high-water mark. Considera
Z bic quantities of water, chiefly fresh. wer
7 encountered in the progress of the work
and as much as 10000 gallons per minut
, had sometimes to be pumped out; but tn
works were not prevented from proceed
? ing. AS pumping power ten times III
magnitude of that employed at Brighton
could, IL necessary, be applied, the entry O
small quantities of water during the con
: struction of the channel tunnel would no
, be in the least dangerous. Nothing, proba
, bly,, could hinder the completion of tn
work but the existence of open, unfillet
assures, reaching from the sea to dept
, of at least 200 feet. 1t Is believed tina
! such assures, if at any time existing, Wi
! be found to have been filled up in the laps
! of ages.