Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-02-15
The st. Gothard Tunnel.

land and Italy whose life.dream has
been tunnel under the Alps. Many
schemes have been investigated, and
many schemes have failed.
These mighty barriers of mountains
have for ages divided peoples that but
for them might have been of one Ian.
guage, one interest, alike in laws and
customs. For five hundred years there
was but stony path across the Hell
veto Alps, where the st. Gothard post.
road was afterward built /; and it is but
century since the first vehicle on
wheels was dragged over the pass, at an
expense of several hundred dollars.
Till that time, the traffic between two
nations was borne on the backs of mules
and men, who struggled, at the risk of
death, along narrow, stony ways, wind
ing around glaciers, high mountain
peaks, and yawning CULTS; 16, 900 per-
sons and 5000 horses climbed over these
dizzy heights annually.
There were scarcely fewer dangers to
he encountered by the bold trader even
forty or fifty years ago-sudden storms.
almost eternal SHOWS, avalanches, falling
rocks, dangerous and unbridged tor
rents, and even robbers. Nature and
man conspired to make the path of the
st. Gothard one of awful risk and dan
gers. 1t winds among granite pyramids
and peaks nine to ten thousand feet in
height, and the road itself reaches an
elevation OF nearly seven thousand feet.
Even now the SHOWS on the pass are so
deep and the dangers are SO great that
commerce and travel over the st. Goth
ard cease for half the year entirely, the
mails being carried over by messengers.
Such are part only of the disadvan.
tages arising to some sixty or seventy
millions OF people from this mighty
mountain wall between Switzerland and
Italy.
The building of the Mont Gents tun-
mel through the Savoy Alps to France,
and the Bremen Road to Austria, have
made it absolutely necessary for Ger
many and Switzerland to choose be.
tween losing the commerce and travel
OF the South, and building mountain
railroad, and q series of tunnels that
shall eclipse anything of the kind in the
world. The world knows how they
have chosen.
The enterprise was too enormous for
private undertaking or for private CAPT.
tai. In 1871. Italy, Germany, and
Switzerland voted large subyentions for
the building of O road, to be commenced
at once, running from the Lake of Lu-
cerne, in Switzerland, to Lake Mag
giore, in Italy, distance OF 10S miles.
Twenty.One per cent, or nearly 100, 600
feet, of all this distance, was to be tun-
nelled through mountains of granite.
The total length of the main tunnel,
which enters the Alps at Gosschenen,
in Switzerland, and energies at Airolo,
in Italy, is AZ, 1886 feet. A number of
the smaller tunnels, bringing the road
up to the proper level in the Alps. ex-
coed 1000 feet. On the Lake of Lu-
cerne, too, there will be important tun.
nels and galleries cut alongside of or
under the celebrated Axenstrasse, high
above the waters of the lake.
At the time the international treaty
for this great undertaking was signed
it was believed that the work could be
done for the sum of 1877 600, 900 francs.
A company was organized, with a.
DOC, 600 francs of stock, in eco shares,
and 1000, 900 francs of mortgage
bonds. Italy presented the undertaking
with 5000, 900 francs. Germany and
Switzerland each gave 20, 000, 900 francs.
The work, however, was no more than
fairly under way when it was dis
covered, to the establishment of every
body, that an awful mistake had been
made in estimating the costs, and that,
instead of 1877 ,000, 900 francs, 2S9, 000,-
600 would be required to complete the
work as at first proposed-a blunder in
estimates of 102, 900, 900 francs.
ever, the money has, at this writing,
been almost raised. The three coun-
tries, parties to the treaty, have added
largely to their subsidies, and the lead
ing Swiss railways and cities have each
voted sums proportional to the advan-
tages they hope to reap. The work
goes on-in fact, has never stopped.
The contract for this enormous work
is most interesting. 1t was granted to
Mr.. Louis Favre, of Geneva. BY its
terms Mr.. Favre promises to deliver
the works OF the tunnel, completed, by
the LIST of October, 1880. For each day
the work may be done before that time
the company agrees to pay him 81 900.
On the other hand, however, the con-
tractor is bound to pay handsomely for
all delays. For every single day in ar
rear of contract he forfeits 81 900. If
delay continue six months, the forfeit
is 81, 600 per day and should he be
one year in arrear with his work, he
surrenders the contract, and forfeits
81 900, 900, which he, and his friends
for him, have deposited with the COM
pany as security.
On January /, 1877, the headings. or
sort of advanced gallery eight feet
square, pushed forward at the top of
the tunnel, were halfway in. Whether
the gigantic work Gao really be com.
pleted within the time specified is q
grave question for Mr.. Favre. Opin-
ions differ, and even engineers can do
little more than guess. Harper's Maya
zine.
GREELEY's CRITIcIsM.- Horace Gree
ley was always friend to Bayard Tay-
lor, aRd the latter used to say that
Greeley's rough criticism on some of
the earlier poems were not the least of
the favors received from the eccentric
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