The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-11-13
TnE ST. GoTuARb TUNNEL

The building of the Mont Cents
Tunnel through the Savoy Alps to
France, and the Bremen road to Aus
tria, have made 1t absolutely neces-
sary for Germany and Switzerland
to choose between losing the COM
merce and travel of the South and
building q mountain railroad and q
series of tunnels that shall eclipse
any thing Of the kind in the world.
The world knows how they hare
chosen. The enterprise was tho
enormous for private undertaking or
for private capital. In 1871, Italy,
Germany and Switzerland voted
large subventions for building of a
road, to be commenced at once, run
ming from the Lake Of Lucerne, in
Switzerland, to Lake Maggiora, in
Italy, distance Of 108 miles.
Twenty -one per cent, or nearly 100
900 feet, of all this distance was to
be tunneled through mountains Of
granite. The total length Of the
main tunnel which enters the Alps
at Goeschenen, IN Switzerland, and
energies at Airolo, in Italy, is 1895
feet. A number of the smaller tun-
uels, bringing the road up to the
proper level in the Alps, exceed
1000 feet. On the Lake Of Lucerne,
too, there will he important tunnels
and galleries cut alongside Of or un-
der the celebrated Axenstrasse, high
1 above the waters of the lake. At
the time the international treaty for
this great undertaking was signed,
lit was believed that the work could
be done for the sum Of 1S7, 000, 600
francs. A company was organized,
with "a, 100000 francs Of stock, in
! eco shares, and 6s, o00, coo francs Of
mortgage bonds. Italy presented
the undertaking with As, 0O0, 600
francs. Germany and Switzerland
each gave 100000 francs. The
work, however, was not more than
fairly under way when 1t was discoy-
cred, to the establishment Of every.
} body, that an awful mistake had
. been made in estimating the costs,
and that, instead Of 49,, 200, 900
francs, 2s9, ooO, 900 would be required
. to complete the work as at first pro-
posed-a blunder in estimates Of
: 102, 100000 francs. This blunder J
3 ling calculation threatened all sorts
/ Of bad results.
= The stock Of the Company ran down
= to minimum, and hundreds Of fami-
: lies were nearly ruined By the collapse.
d The bonds shared in the crash, and
a even the most ardent friends Of the
d enterprise feared that the money
:, which had been so lavishly given was
4 buried under the mountains forever
: It became serious question whether
the works would not have TO be CONE
p!etely abandoned. There certainly
" was no choice, except to lose all that
y had been done, or to add many mill
% ions more to the subventions. The
10 times were hard, financial crisis were
It imminent every where, and war was
a. raging on the continent. Everybody
i. was discouraged. Some of the little
in cantons Of Switzerland, which would
as receive the most benefit from the COM
Ia pletion Of the tunnel, refused to lift a
Ia baud or TO spend another dollar. In
= the face Of all opposition, however, the
money has at this writing, been al.
- most raised. The three countries par.
" ties to the treaty have added largel,
o. to their subsidies, and tho leading
er Swiss railways and cities have eacl
90 voted large sums proportioned TO tl'
nd advantages they hope to reap. Th'
lid work goes on-in fact has never stop
ped. The contract for this enormou
Of work is mostinteresting. twas gran
,ba ted to Mr.. Louis Favre, of Geneva
"a By it's terms Mr.. Favre promises
- deliver the works of the. tunnel, com
pleted by the LIST Of October, 1881
40 For each day the work may be dor
1eo before that time the Company agre,
go, to pay him 1000. On the other har
Ilth however, the contractor Is bound
ak pay handsomely for all delays. F
'pa every single day in arrear Of contra
i've, he forfeits $1,000. II delay confirm
"a. ak months the forfeit is $1,000 I
"a day; and, should he be one year in
;, = rear with his work, he snrrenders
r. contract and torfeits 81 ,0W, 600, VIII
he, and his friends for hin, have I
1a'y posted with the Company as securl
oy On January !, 1877, the headings, .
II be sort Of advanced gallery eighs
4 lit square pushed forward as tho top
from the tunnel, were half way in. VIII
great er the gigantic work can really
and completed within the time specific