The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-02-01
The ST. t,othard Tunnel.

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gHarperas Magazine.
The buildingof the Mont Gents Tun
mel, through the Savoy Alps TO France
and tine Bremen road 70 Austria, have
made il absolutely necessary for Ger.
many and Switzerland to choose be,
tween losing the commerce and travel Of
the South and building q mountain rail-
road and series sof tunnels that ah8Il
eclipse amy thing of the kind In the
world. The werld knows whitney, have
chosen. line enterprise was too ener-
nous for private undertaking or for
Brivate capital. In 1871, Italy, Ger
many and Switzerland voted large sub.
yentions for building of a road, to he
commenced at once, running from the
Lake of Iueerne, In Switzerland, TO
Lake Maggiora, in Italy, o distance of
10s miles. Twenty.one per cent, or
nearly 120, 600 ffeet, sof all this distance,
wast to he sfnnneled through mountains
of granite. The total length sf the
main tunnel. which enters the Alps at
Goeschenen, In Switzerland and emerges
at Air0lo, in Italy, is 4S,936 feet. "A
number of the smaller tunnels, bringing
the road upsto the proper level in the
Alpet exceed 4, 600 feet. On the Lake of
Isneerne, too, there will be important
tunnels and galleries cut ialongsitie of or
under tine celebrated Axenstrssse, high
above the waters of the lake AT the
time the international ttreaty tor this
great undertaking was signed, it was
believed this great work could be done
or the sum of 1877 100000 francs. IA
company was organized, with 81 000,000
francs,of stock, in twenty pound shares,
and 68 900 900 francs of mortgage bonds.
Italy presented the undertaking with
t45, 100000 francs. Germany and swift.
zerland each gave 20,000,00O francs.
The work, however, was not more than
fairly under way, when 1T was stiiscoE.
erred, to the establishment of every body, n
that an awful mistake had been made in
estimating the costs. and that, instead of
1877 200, 900 francs, $50, 000, 900 would be.
regnired to complete the work as at first
pr0posed--a Shlunder in estimates e0f
EI12 100000 francs. This laundering
calculation threatened all sorts of bad
results. The stock of the company ran
down to q minimum, and hundreds of
families were nearly ruined by the
collapse. The bonds shared in the crush
and even the most ar1enttfrienis of the
enterprise feared that the money which
had been soIlayisfly given ywae buried
under the mountains forever. Itbecane
a serious question whether tine works
would mot have ito he completely Iaban-
sioned. There certainly was no choice,
except ito lose all that had been done, or
to add many millions more to the srib,
,ventions. The times werehard, financial
crisis were imminent everywhere, and
war was raging 0nthe continent. Every
body was discouraged. Some of the
little eantons of Switzerland, which
would receive the meat benefit from the
completion Of the tunnel, refused ito lift
o hand or ito spend another dollar. In
the face of all topposition, however, the
money has, at this writing, been alm0st
raised. The three countries parties to
the treaty have added largely to the
subsidies, and the leading Swiss railways |
and cities have each voted large sums, Il
pr0eoftioned ito the advantages the,-
hope to reap. The work goes lon---in
fact, has never stopped, The contract
Tor this enormous work lis most interest,"
ing. Iswas granted to Mr. Louis Favre,
OF Germany. By its Terms AIR. Favre
promises to deliver the works of the
tunnel, completed, by the first of gOc- 4
t0bar, 1880, For each day that the
work may Abe done before that time, the
company agrees to pay him 1000 tOaI
the other hand, however, the contractor
Is bound to pay handsomely for all del
lays. For every single day in asrear of
contract he foffeits $1,000. IF delay
continne ak months, he sfoffeits S2,000I
per day; and, should heibe one year inI u
arrear with his work he snrrenders the
contract and forteits Sl,600,0OO, which 4
be, and his friends for him, have de- T.
posted with the company as security.
On January first, 1871, the headings, or
advanced gallery eight ieetsenarepnshed
forward at the top of the tnnnel, were
halfway IN. Whether the gigantic
~erk can really he completed within the f
inae specified is agrayes questionfor MIR.
Eayfe. Opinions differ. and even senei II.
neers can do little more than guess Il,