The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-11-23
THE ST. G0TnARD TUNNEL.
The Greatest Tunnel Ia Eurnpe-Tic III.
rect HOut" from England
10 India.

10 iuuln.
The foreign correspondence Of the Boston
Herald, writing from Lcipsic says
"While at Gocschcnen | had an oppor,
tunity of seeing the st, GOthard tunnel
which is now being bored through the
mountains from GoescncnCn toward
Italy, and from Ariolo toward Germany,
The approach to the tunnel ON the
Gocschencn side is in the midst of the
widest and most picturesque scenery. \
number Of workshops, sheds, cantinCS,
and various small buildings cluster0bout
the mouth and give TO an otherwise wild
spot the busy hum and noise Of enter.
prise, for the clinking OF machinery,
whistlng of the engine, and hammcring
from the black,mithng Is incos.ant, rs
the cwork is continued by day and nightly
gangs Of two thousand men, who, under
NJ Fayrcs direction, prosecute the work,
The men have been at work, in varying
numbers however, lust four years the
present month, and il will take all their
energies, united to the work Of those on
the Italian side, to finish the undertaking
by lSSO. This, OF course, if the money
does not give out, and there is Il good
deal of trouble in securing all that is
needed. At present the entire route is
surveyed from Luzcmc and Zurich to
Milan, and parts Of it cut. In the tunnel
three and thrcc-tourths kilomctcrs have
been completed on the German side, and
about four and half ON the Italian.
The tunnel will he ten miles long, The
workmen employed are almost all ltal.
iams, and work cigth hoursout OF twenty
four Dynamite is used for blasting, and
all the drills are ordinary chilled steel,
the diamond drill being unemployed,
The usual machine for driving the drills
is employed, and works by means of com.
pes,cd air, which is brought from the
reservoirs by means of large pipe. The
reservoirs are supplied by number OF
condcnsing engines, turned by water, for
which purpose mountain stream is,
some way above the mouth Of the tun-
mel, diverted intoasuceway. \ strength
Of ten to twelve atmOsphcrcS is always
maintained. Compressed air is also used
TO work the engine, which carries its
reservoir behind, like tender on an or
dinary engine, only is Il boiler sixty
feet long and OF the cIylinderboiIcr
make. 1t runs easily and smoothly, and
being without any heat is much pleas
autcr to work. 1t is used mainly for
hauling the stone from the interior to a
Nidc-track, after it i brought away from
the immediate vicinity to the blast by
means Of horses Although this tunnel
and route will take Il long time to com
plctc, it will unqucstionabIy he Of the
greatest service when time is considered,
as the route is from England to Cologne,
along the Rhine to Frankfort, then Basel,
Luzomc aid -. Gothard, and You are
in Italy. The engineers in charge prove
sufficiently that the high grade to which
the road attains before passing into the
tunnel will in no ayimpcdc the hauling
Of freight, and that with Il good speed,
It will, unduestiouably, be part Of the
direct route to India nom England, and
decidedly the shortest to IjaIy \ com
pctiliye route through the Iihonc valley
and by Simpson pass to ItaIyis projected
in France tG keep this travel through
France, but is still in embryo. ItwoWld
have the advantage Of having thc rail
road finished as far rs ~ei,,c and built rs
far as the foot Of the pass.