, 1879-08-24
THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

". Sa1nte Anne's Gigantic Viaduot Scheme.
. Pdffs CosTtspondencs London Standard.
In order, therefore, to give as clear an idea as
possible Of this gigantic enterprise it WILL per-
haps, be advisable, after stating that the vaduct
is to span the Channel from Cape Grisucz to
Folkestoue to begin at the beginning, or, rather,
at the bottom Of the sea. According to the
Admiralty soundfngs, the greatest depth of
water to be found on the passage is ffty~dre
metres, and this only for distance Of some
four kilometres, about halfway between the
Varne Rock and the French coast. This Varue
Rock and its neighbor, the Calbart Reef, was
destined to play an important part In the scheme
before us. The former, sltunted at fifteen kilo-
metres from Folkestone and twenty kilometres
from Cape Grisnez, Is some four Kilometres
broad, covered with no moro than from two to
fifteen metres Of water. Being. Of solid rock,
and in direct line With the projected vinduct,
it offers itself as u natural halfway resting
place. This rock has till now constituted one
OF the greatest dangers to the navigation OF
the Channel. II. de Santc Anne. however,
PROPOSES not only to turn it to account By
using it as the foundation for a portion OF the
Viaduct, but also IN conjunction with the Cal
hart Reef, for the construction OF free port,
in which vessels OF the greatest tonnage will be
aple to seek shelter from the storms so frc-
qucnt intthe strait which separates England
from France Both for the construction OF this
port aud for reducing the depth OF the
water to twenty metres in those places where he
will be obliged to construct his columns, II. de
Sainte Anne proposes to adopt the method en-
ployed in the construction Of the Cherbourg
Breakwater, which consists in dropping huge
masses OF rock luto the sea, aud in CONSOLIDATE |
ing them bv means OF Roman cement. Know |
ing, however, how continually the Chcrbourg !
Breakwater was. destroyed By the force Of the |
waves, it mag De permissible to doubt whether |
u. de sainse Anne will lind it so easy as
be imag1nes to carry out the construction |
OF his port Of refuge in mid-channel but !
the objections which apply to the superstructure
OF the breakwater for the port do not, how
ever, hold good when the same system is EN-
ployed to reduce the depth OF water. On the
foundations thus established it is intended to
raise solid masses OF masonry to some forty
metres above the level Of the sea. This is, Of
course, gigantic work, the immensfty Of which
will be seen at glance when 1t is remembered
that u. de Sninte Aune does not contemplate
attempting IN his viaduct auY span exceeding
200 metres. The distance from Folkcstono to
Cape Grisnoz being thirty.fvc Kilometres, it
will, therefore, be necessary to construct at the
very least 115 immense blocks OF masonry on |
which to place the supefstructure. |
The details Of the scheme are not yet decided +
upon. At the present moment NJ. do Sainte
Anne confines himself to the assertion that it +
IS practically demonstrated by the Cherbourg
8reakwater that it is possible to find solid |
ouncatton Tor as many columns us it mar be
found necessary to erect to support I
he viaduct- As to, the supcrstructure itself,
ls I. proposes 3 ; to employ three s7stems. On the
he water is shallow mud the exigencies Of navi-
ration permit, he proposes to construct solid
tone arches which will have nothing to fear
rom the fercest tempest: This massive
9Gfrs to s7ste BE- fel9Ted sasS !. By she
,ridgc. But to span tue deep water he has re-
curse to the tubular-bridge system as applied 1
y sr Robert Stephenson in the erection OF the ]
lcnai bridge, and, quite recently, by the:Amer- !
:aus on much grander scale for, the bridge
etwecn New York and Brooklyn. With these
hree systems combined, the emiuent originator !
this gigantic scheme believes that he is uor
us also in satisfying the demands Of every i
government concerning the precautions to be Y
aken to prevent the navigation OF the En- q
itsh Channel being rendered even more | 4
angerous than II is at present. Taking | 9
nan any other vessel in the world, he has al r
sady applied to the French Admiralty. to know | t.
1t considered that this vessel would experience q
~ Inconvenience in having to pass under his Il
aduct raised to thtrty-five metres above the II
vel OF the Sea. The answer he received was, G
Lat with $50 metres between the hillars and Il
le platform Of the viaduct raised to the alti n
lde OF thirty-hye metres, neither the Bretagne il
or aoF other vessel would be impeded in the | s.
bile there still remaius much to be done be- 81
re even the work eau be commended. |
=. de sainte Anne promises, however, :
!. commence operations wlshouttdelay.. He Il.
forms us that be will not require more than h.
or seven months for the Scientific expert h.
ents and the thorough elaboration Of his =
olect, and that sufnof 7,00u, 900 francs will 81
flee. to pay the preliminary expenses. To n
ise these funds he hasalready laid Ills project n
tore the Chambers OF Commerce Of France =,
d Belgium from ei&htV-four of which he has -!
'eady received adiaestons>. tf. de sante Anne, r
vertheless, Wishing to give England the II
lion OF participating in the honor ATTACHED to u
achievement of his project intends shortly ~
visit our shores, in order to lay the matter Il
lore the doVernment, and to submit bis Al
10 to fthe appreciation of the technical =,
:teties-- =.
right Boy .-Goyerne.a tdesirous Of explaining NJ
}. word Nenou9h"i; Now. suppose, Freddy, n
meat @ shs can sat and al the s%eeteake she n, n
es ~: what viii she havef' Freddy with sur- ta
sing a1lcFtY1. sAKff?ans ? Erad1r kJ,,nolf / ab