New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-10-30
The st. Gothard Tunnel.

Inere are men living To-Day IN swift
zeriand and Italy whose life dream has
been tunnel under the Alps. Marg
schemes have been investigated. and
many schemes have failed.
These mighty barriers Of mountains
have for ages divided people that but
tor1he mmlgh thave been of one language,
one interest, alike in laws and customs.
For five hundred years there was but a
stony path across the Helvetic Alps. where
the St. GothaTd post yard was afterward
built; aRd it is but a century since
the first vehicle OH wheels was dragged
over the pass, at an expense of several
hundred collars. Till that time the traf-
fc between two nations was borne on the
backs of mules and men, who struggled,
at the risk Of death, along narrow stony
| ways, winding around glaciers, high
mountain peaks, and yawning CULTS: 1G
900 persons and 5000 horses cllm bed over
these dizzy heights annually.
There were scarcely fewer dangers to
be encountered by the bold trader even
forty or fifty years ago--sudden storms
almost eternal SHOWS, avalaDches, falling
rocks, dangerous and unbridg ed torrents,
and even robbers. Nature and man con
sp.red to make the path of the St. Gothard
one of awful risk and dangers. 1t winds
among granite pyramids and peaks nine
to ten thousand feet in height, and the
road itself reaches an elevation of nearl
seven thousand feet Even now the SHOWS
on the pass are so deep and the dangers
are so great that commerce and travel
over tn. St. Gothard cease for half the
year entirely, the mails being carried
over by messengers. Such are part only
of the disadvantages arising to some sixty
or seventy millions of people from this
mighty mountain wall between Switzer-
land and Italy.
The building Of the Mont Gents Tunnel
through the Savoy Alps to France, and
the Bremen Road to Austria, have made
it absolutely necessary for Germany and
Switzerland to choose between losing the
commerce and travel of the South. and
building a mountain railroad, and series
Of tunnels tnat shall eclipse any thing of
the kind in the world. The world knows
how they have chosen.
The enterprise was too enormous for
private undertaking or for private capital.
In 1871, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland
voted large subventions for the building
of road, to be commenced at once, run
| ming from the Lake of Lucerne, in Swift
erland, to Lake Maggiore, in Italy, dis
lance of 1903 miles. Twenty one per cent,
or nearly 100000 feet,ot all this distance,
was to BE tunnelled through mountains
of granite.
| The total length of the m ain tunnel,
which enters the Alps at Goeschenen. in
Switzerland, and energies at Airolo, in
Italy, is 1896 feet. a number OF small
er tunnels: bringing the road up to the
proper level in the Alps, exceed 1000 feet
| On the Lake of Lucerne, too, there will
be important tunnels and galleries cut
alongside of or under the celebrated
| Axenstrasse, high above the waters Of the
lake.
At the tire the international treaty for
this great undertaking was signed it was
believed that the work could be done for
the sum Of 1877, 100000 francs Of stock, in
ego shares, and 68,00O,000 francs Of
mortgage bonds. Italy presented the
undertaking with 45,00O,O00 francs.
Germany and Switzerland each gave 90
100000 francs. The work, however, was
not more than fairly under way when it
was discovered, to the astonishment of
every body, that an awful mistake had
been made in estimating the costs, and
that, instead of 1871, 100000 francs, 2S9,
100000 would be required to complete
the work as at first proposed-a blunder
in estimates OF l02,000C0O francs.
This laundering calculation threatened
all sorts of bad results. The stock of the
company ran down to minimum, and
hundreds Of families were nearly ruined
by the collapse. The bonds shared in the
crash, and even the most ardent frier DIS
Of the enterprise feared that the money
which had been so lavishly given was
buried under the mountains forever. It
became a serious question whether the
works would not have to be completely
abandoned. There certainly was no choice.
except to lose all that had been done, or
to add many millions more to the sub
ventions. The times were hard, financial
| crises were imminent everywhere. and war
was raging on the Continent. Every body
was discouraged. Some Of the little can
tons Of Switzerland, which would receive
the most benefit from the cmpletion of
the tunnel, refused to lift hand or to
spend dollar. In the face of all oppo-
sition, however, the money has, at this
writing, been almost raised The three
countries, parties to the treaty, have added
largely to their subsidies, and the leading
Swiss railways and cities have each voted
sums proportioned to the advantages they
hope to reap. The work goes on--in fact,
has never stopped.