Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1875-03-02
TUNNEAING THE BRITISH
CHANNEL.

The N. Y. WORLD has the fol-
lowing on the great tunnel,
proposed to connect France and
England. Such a work need no
longer be regarded as chimer1cal
for a work to be undertaken by
two such empires as those of Great
Britain and France-for France is
really an empire-means business.
A few years ago Congress granted a
charter to q company proposing to
build tunnel under the North River
TO con meet the cities of New York and
Jersey City. We are not Informed as
10 " hat more was done about it, but
we believe thai there are wise persons
who entertain ell opinion like that
which the late Mr. Havemeyer bad in
regard to the Brooklyn bridge, that
such feat of engineering is impracti-
cable. They VIII he undeceived per
hups. when the great tunnel between
England and France is completed
That gigantic work is about 10 be be-
gun. The money is provided, the
tOOls and wOrkmen are ready, and
within few weeks, W. are informed
by Tie English paper thu boring will
be started simultaneously on both
sides of channel.
The great tunnel viii ho cut through
stratum Of chsik whIcii lies under
the waters of the English Channel,
and extends from the shores OF Eng
lsnj, in the HcighbOrhOod of Dover to
thee OF Franc, at Caiai5, distance
OF - miles. Careful geological sur
vcys aud trial soundinps and bOrin2s
have revealed = chali-hrd 100 feet ay-
cregc below he surface OF the sea,
ahuut $40 feet deep throughout its
whole length. II ere is every reason
10 believe that this chalk is COntiuu-
oUs aid compact. While it can he
esEi.y cut with proper machinery, its
in'prTmP2bil,ty to water is perfect, as
has been aEcprt4iHed by experiment.
HE i!Ee Of tiie tunnel Will be nearly
through the centre Of lie bed, 30 that
tiiar- viii be 81 l. ast 2,u ieet Of chalk
above il roofing it from the turbulent
s,.t The decent 10 toe openings Of
tue tInHel On sither side, therefore,
AL he not less than so feet bat
il IL probable tiiat the approaches Will
eventually BE- hy an Inclined plane. III
constructing tl:n woT. due provision
Wiil he made far yentii3liun, hut light
viii have 10 ia obtained, Df course, by
artificial means
An interesting GUoeii..1 ia this con
nec,ioR is about The time that VIII ue
consumed ia completing ,he tuul ell
Here conjecture must lie allowed some
p!Fy. but if the machj':p special Y con
s;!uCtCd for the GOring 90 he chalk, by
Nr. DickenFon Bruu'aa bears out
tie expectations of its inventor, the
time will lee Surprisingly short. EX-
pertinent has shown thai this instru-
ment can cut through chalk similar to
thEt under tle Channel ri the rate o {
yard and more an hour II it Is
equally efficient in the tunnel-bOring,
il is the calculation Of the engineers,
that the wonderful hole will lie
pierced through from land to land
in sic gears. That is to say, that in
about the year 1882 through trains be-
tween London aud Paris may be run
ming on timetable not much over
Eve hours long, Or, to put it more
pleasantly, the Londone" may lunch
at his club in Pail Mall at p. II and
Ass list" at a DE- but in the new opera
house in Paris ut p. NJ.
The work will be sustained by large
financial means Two companies
have in charge the English company
being presided over by Lord Richard
GrosvenOr, AID the French company
10y NJ. Michel Chevalier. The chief
engineer in control is the eminent Sir
John Hawkshaw, and associated with
him are Mr. Brunlees and NJ. Thome
de Diamond. A fter all. remarkable
as this project may seem, it is no grea-
ter tax upon the engineering skill of
the age than were the Suez Canal, the
Mont Gents Tunnel and the telegraph
under the Atlantic Ocean. We may
hope that as intelligence Of the sGccess-
full progress of the work in the chan
mel chalk-bed reaches us, our capital
lists may be inspired to revive the
plan of uniting with tunnel the me-
tropolis of the New World with New
Jersey and its other outlying depen-
denotes When the East River bridge
is finished tunnel to Brooklyn will
be in order; perhaps a pneumatic tube
us through from Madison
square To the scene of the Beecher tri-
al in five minutes.