Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-03-10
ST GoTHARD TUNNEL.
COMPLETION OF THE LONGEST
TUN MEL IN THE WORLD.

TUN MEL IN THE WORLD.
!
A dispatch from Berne, Switzerland
announces that the work of piercing
Mount ST. Gothard was satisfactorily
completed at o'clock on Sunday morn
ing, February 29th, 1880, amid groa
reioioings. The contract for the con
struction OF the st. Gothard tunnel was
awarded to NJ. Louis Favre, of Geneva
oh August 9TH, 1872. 1t was one o.
the conditions OF the contract that the
perforation should be completed within
eight years from that date, with large
premium in case of the completion Of
the work in a shorter time, and with
a not less heavy penalty in case Of de-
lay. 1t will be seen, therefore, that
the contractor has kept inside of his
limit by some months. His opinion,
that tho perioration ennld be accom-
plished in a considerably less period,
would doubtless have been justified but
for the fact that progress was FIRE.
quently impoded by the caving in OF
the rock and by the eruption of water
from the assures in the strata. Despite
these difficulties, which were sometimes
serious, and always great consumers
of time, NJ. Favre has the satisfaction
of having bored the longest tunnel in
the world by over mile in less time
by over five years than was required
to bore the Mont Gents tunnel, now
the second greatest work Of the kind.
This rapid achievement is triumph
for the improved drilling machinery OF
modern invention which has been EN-.
ployed upon the st. Gothard tunnel
from the beginning Comparison OF
the three largest tunnels shows that
Mont Gents, length s miles, less u few
yards, costSl5, 900, ,000, was constructed
in the thirteen years from 1857 to
1870; the Hoosac tunnel, 81 miles, cost
S13,000,000, was finished in eleven
years from the time the work was
properly begun and the st. Gothard,
length 81 miles, has been bored in less
than seven years and half The
contract prices sum up the total esti.
mate cost OF s9,7OO,0O0. This amount
was to cover all expenses, whether
direct Or accessory, and all risks and
contingencies from whatever cause
arising. II this part Of the contract is
held to, the st. Gothard will be much
the cheapest of the three tunnels in
cost of construction, in addition TO its
other and sufficient distinctions.
The project of tunneling Mount st.
Gothard may be said to have grown
out of the successful piercing of Mont
Gents. Until that work was accom-
plshed, most of the travel and trans.
port of merchandise between Italy and
Switzerland, Northeastern France,
Western and Central Germany and
Northern Europe were accomplished
over the Alpine passes, which bad
their northern termini in Switzerland.
Thus the three great carriage roads,
the Simplon, the Slugen and the st.
Gothard, monopolized by far the larger
part of the transit, though other less
notable passes, and particularly that
of tho Mont Gems, maintained an active
competition. The opening OF the Mont
Gents tunnel in 1870 put an end TO the
profitable monopoly Of the Swiss high
ways, and was q serious blow TO both
Italy and Switzerland. The fact was
recognized at once that something
must be done to open new and direct
railway route across the Alps. The
first proposal was to follow the line OF
the Simlon road, and not only was u
company formed, but the work of grad
ing was begun in accordance with that
plan. 1t became evident, however,
that the Simlon route would not &C.
complsh what Italy and Switzerland
desired, since it would be, like the
Mont Gents road, directly tributary to
the interests Of France. That project
was abandoned, and the choice then
lay between the Splugen and st. Goth.
ard routes. The former required
tunnel of only four miles in length, and
was much favored on that account
but the fatal objection was that, like
the Simlon road, it must pass down
the Valley of the Upper Rhine and
along the Austrian frontier, hence be.
ing liable to interruption and control
by hostile force in the event of Euro
pean complications from which Switz.
erland should not be able to keep free
as o neutral. The ST. GotharG route
had nine-mile tunnel to be bored, but
it had the advantage, chief OF all in
the interests Of the countries which
proposed to construct it, of beginning
in the very heart of the Swiss Confed-
eracy, passing wholly on Swiss soil, far
removed from the eastern and western
frontiers, to Lago Maggiore and the
Lake of Lugano, where connections
would be made with the Italian lines
and the port OF Genoa.
For these reasons tho st. Gothard
line was adopted, and in 1871 the
Swiss, Italian and German Govern.
ments concluded treaty determining
the points relative to the route, con
struction and connections.
The three contracting powers agreed
to contribute to the enterprise So, ,000,.
900 francs, as follows Italy, 10000.
900 Switzerland, 2O,0OO,OO0 Ger.
many, 20,000,000. The Italian and
Swiss Railway Companies held con.
ference, company was organized, and
in 1872, as stated, N Favro ~ao tho
successful bidder among those who
proposed to undertake the econstrucuon.
In the Fall OF 1872, the plans and
preparations having been completed,
the actual work was begun. The cross
section of the ST. Gothard is the same
as that of tho Frejus or Mont Gents
tunnel, and the same technical meth.
ods OF excavation were followed. The
engineer possessed several advantages,
however, over the engineer OF the Mont
Gents line. He had the experience Of
that great work as guide improved
and tested machinery from the start
whereas machinery was not employed
IN the Mont Gents at all until the fifth
year Of the construction, and the use
Of dynamite aud other explosives not
known until the Mont Gents was far
oil a ...a. ....-glI.