The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-11-22
The st. GOthrad Tunnel.
THE GREATEST TUNNEL IN EUROPE
THE DIRECT ROUTE FROM
ENGLAND TO INDIA.

ENGLAND TO INDIA.
While at Goeschenen I had an op-
portunity of seeing the St. Gothrad
Tunnel, which is now being bored
through the mountains from Goes
chenen toward Italy, and from Ario-
10 toward Germany. The approach
to the tunnel on the Goeschenen side
is in the midst of the widest and
most picturesque scenery. A num-
Der of workshops, sheds, cantines
and various small buildings cluster
about the mouth, and give to an 9th
erwise wild spot the busy hum and
noise of enterprise, for the clicking
of machinery, whistling of the en-
CINE, and hammering from the black
smithing is incessant, as the work is
continued day and night by 1000
men, who, under M. Favre's direc-
ton, prosecute the work. These
men have been at work, in varying
numbers, however, just four years
the present month, and it will take
all their energies, united to the work
of those on the Italian side, to finish
the undertaking by 1880. This, of
course, if the money does not give
out, and there is good deal of trou-
BILE in securing all that is needed
At present the entire route is sur
veyed from Luzerne and Zurich to
Milan, and parts of it cut. In the
tunnel two and three fourths kilome-
tiers have been completed on the
German side and about four and
one fourth on the italian. The tun.
mel will be ten miles long. The
workmen employed are almost all
Italians, and work eight hours out of
twenty-four. Dynamite is used for
the purpose Of blasting, and all the
drills are the ordinary chilled steel,
the diamond drill being unemployed.
The usual machine for driving the
drills is employed; and works en-
tirely by means of compressed air,
which is brought from the reservoirs
by means of a large iron pipe. The
reservoirs are supplied by number
of condensing engines, turned by
water, for which purpose mountain
stream is, some way above the north
of the tunnel, diverted into a sluice
way. A strength of ten to twelve
atmospheres is always maintained.
Compressed air is also used to work
the engine. which carries it's reser-
voir behind, like tender on an Or
binary engine, only it is about sixty
feet long, and of the cylinder boiler
shape. 1t runs easily and smoothly
and, being without any heat, is much
pleasanter to work. 1t is used main
ly for hauling the stone than the in
tesior to a side-track, after it is
brought away from the Immediate
vicinity to the blast by means of
horses. Although this tunnel and
route will take a long time to COM
plete, it will unquestionably be of
the greatest service when time is
considered, as the route is from Eng
land to Cologne, along the Rhine to
Frankfort, then Basel, Luzerne and
St. Gothrad, and you are in Italy.
The engineers in charge prove suf
iciently that the high grade to which
the road attains before passing into
the tunnel will in no way impede the
hauling Of freight, and that with
good speed. 1t will, unquestionably
be part of the direct route to India
from England, and decidedly the
shortest to Italy. A competitive
route through the Rhone Valley and
by the Simplon Pass to Italy is pro-
jected in France to keep this travel
through France, but is still in en-
bryo. 1t would have the advantage
of having the railroad finished as far
as Seisse and built as far as the foot
of the pass Leipsic Cor. Boston
; Herald.
A CAT IN "A NEWSPAPER PREss.-A
, novel accident occurred in the press
room of the Mercury last night. Th'
second page was laid on the cylinde]
a few minutes before II o'clock, ant
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