The New York herald., 1879-08-11
LOUIS FANRE.
Career of the Contractor for the
Gothard Tunnel.
KILLED IN HIS OWN TUNNEL"
Progress of the Great
Work.

there brought together noticeable gray man
with keen eyes and . melancholy look constantly
upon his face. The company gathered round to con,
graduate him upon the approaching successful ter
mination OF one OF the greatest engineering achieve
ments of the century. lie had been its head and
front, and received the congratulations as just
need of his labor. Then. turning to friend at his
left, 81 have worked all my liie," said he. "for
little renown and little wealth; and now. in the
moment of my triumph find that neither is worth
what it has cost me. Indeed. the only use
of the money 1 have made is to help
those who are less strong or less happy"
The speaker was Louis Favre. OF Geneva.
contractor of the famous st. Gothard tunnel. which
has just entered upon its eighth and last year of
struction. He went straight from the Congress to
Airoo, at the tunnels mouth, and was showing the
levels to a French engineer. the morning of
Saturday, July 10. when he suddenly complained of
cramp, called for glass of water aud fell down
dead His body was taken to Geneva. and all the
poor OF his village and canton. who owed much to
his charity sweed the funeral procession Of states
men and men of that passed along the quiet
shore of Lake Lemar. "He died on the field of
honor" said an orator at the tomb; che was killed
in his own tunnel"
BIRTH OF THE PROJECT.
The idea of an Alpine railroad over the st. Gothard
was started in 184o-50 1t assumed q frmer aspect
during the next decade and under the auspices of
the Swiss Central Railroad Company. with the CO.
operation of a number of cantons. commission was
formed, accurate surveys made and the project set
on foot Of great tunnel between Goeschenen and
Aizolo. Storm and avalanche had made havoc with
the St. Gothard Pass. the most frequented pas.
sage over the Alps and still the most direct line OF
comm nication between Basle and Zurich and from
Northern Switzerland to Western Germany and the
great cities of Italy. Few but mountaineers and
tourists were tempted to the pass where. in
1799 France. Austria and Russia dspossessing each
ether in turn, marched. fought and man9uyred on
heights that had the snow melt The
operations OF the Swiss Central Railroad Company
were therefore. of the highest moment to Germany
and Italy as we'll to Switzerland. and in 1869
treaty was concluded between these three nations
determining the basis OF the enterprise and the
spective contributions of each. In April, 1872, q
company was formed ana bids were called for.
considered One of these was from the Societa
Italiana di Cavori Pubici. which entered the lists
with immense capital. The other. which demanded
one year less in time and IL Quo OOUf. less in money
from Louis Favre. of Geneva.
HELP.
carpenters Is son, he born 1926, in the viii
lage OF Chene Thonex. canton of Geneva. aud his
studies only such the primary schools could
afford. He passed from the classroom to his iathers
workshop. At seventeen he started for Ly ons with
q knapsack on his back and 1907. in his pocket. He
meant to make the tour or france, Dut, reachinK
Lyons, found some practical problem troubling the
best engineers OF the place. and at once with the
audacty of youth offered to solve it. Where the
men of science had failed the young Genoese car
penter succeeded. Thenceforward to the day of his
death he ceased to work. He took part
in innumerabe enterprises--in the railroad
from Lyons to Geneva. in half dozen
Swiss railroads. even in paving the streets
of Paris. In default OF science he had genius. He
things ut gance had an incompatible talent
tor organization and an energy of execution that
few men of his time could equal. He went straight
man of astonishing physical force ana had the gft
OF being able to sleep wake ut will. He threw
himself the colossal enterprise of the ST. Gothard
tunnel with an ardor and certainty OF success that
triumphed over all obstacles. On August Z. 1872
agreement was made with him that the cost or the
entire tunnel should not exceed $4,000 000f.. and
tnat it should be finished in eight years thai
date. 1t completed before August Z, $780, for every
day gained he was to receive IL premium of 5.OOOt
and otherwise, for every day lost. q deduction of
5,000f during the first six months and OF TO- 0O0f.
during the next. For the correct fulhiuent
OF his engagement he gave security for 5000 door,,
which Was to be forfeited IL the completion
OF the work was delayed by more than year.
quadrupled but all the conditions hold good to-day
NJ. Favre never doubted his ultimate triumph. He
relied on the substitution OF dynamite tor gunpow-
der in his blasting operations. on the perforabie
qualities of the granite gness and mica schist
which compose the main body OF the st. aothard,
on the perfection OF his machinery and above all
upon his luck; aud well were his calculations
lald that the three governments are confident that
before August they will see the workmen OF
Airoio shake hanus with the workmen Of doeschenen
in the heart OF the mountain
THE TUNNEL WAS MADE.
The length of the tunnel was to be nine and one
quarter miles, being one and twothirds miles longer
than that of the Mont Gents. Its northern end, at
Goeschenen. was in detic exceeding all that
imagine of desolation aud awful grandeur; the walls
OF rock almost excluding the light of day, with
scarcely blade OF grass to be seen and nothing
heard but the Wild dashng of the river Reuss at the
foot OF a precipice the Devils Bridge single arch
of masonry hanging high in the air above IT, buried
in its spray. The southern end. at Arolo overlooks
md
with picturesque Italian clock towers rising in the
fields, and the river Ticino falling In cascades OF
silver mist. At the former end a reservoir was con-
structed in the Reuss bed and water let down by
fume lined with masonry; ut the latter q canal was
built to catch the waters OF the Ticno. Az
the work began the scientific engineers
wanted to bore from the bottom upward. NJ Favrr
insisted on working downward. 1T is contrary ia
rule" said the engineers. 'i work by rule
replied the contractor Il work by instinct" and
despite their he drove heading the top OF
the tunnel aud then enlarged this top heading on
both sides, and finally let the excavation down to
the bottom OF the cross section This was charac-
terstic OF the man. "Ii, said he a.terward, 'in
tunnel so long and high as this had begun ut tho
base there would. soon have been ventilation.
and the men working ut the higher levels would
have been chokcd by the smoke ascending from the
lower" To-day this is self-evident; in 1872 all
iavres strength OF will needed to demonstrate
IL. His fertility resources marvellous.
"we' said the pancgyrist at his tomb, "who have
young engineers hot IRON college, ull OF the latest
ideas of science used to wonder how this old wcrk
upon them. HIS knowledge was born OF experience
which no study could replace. Thus the carpenters
son made fame and fortune. He leaves millions
and has buried in the tunnel more than he
possesses" 1t appears that at nrst he lost money
the great amount of water at Aroo and of granite a
Gocschenen rctarding him; but from 1877 hrs gains
have been steady. Nevertheless he wrote to tne
Federal Council on April OF the present year. an
nouucing that he felt constrained to stop work
on the tunnel, he receiving 800. .000..
month less than II was stipulated he should be paid
and claiming to have lien on part OF the line winch
ha MIA llIaI N A tDnth An t.s
national conference was held fortnight later, and
concessions made to the contractor on every
point, the total cost being hxed at 221ODO UO0,,
and fresh funds being obtained from bankers ut
Berlin. Under these circumstances the work was
pushing on to u successful issue when Louis Fayrc
died.
STRANGE DEATH.
His death was singular. Despite his activity of
mind he was prone to supcrslitious and morbid
fancies. When he undertook the St. Gothard con.
tract he told his friends he had presentiment that
II would be the cause OF his death. The tunnels
gloom seemed to have entered into his iife and a
settled melancholy took possession of him. Every
accident that occurred among the workmen Affected
lttt..l and,