Barbour County index., 1882-06-15
THE BIGGEST BRIDGE YET.
Row an Enthusiastic Frenchman
proposes to Unite England and
France.


In few days England will receive
the visit OF a highly-intelligentf foreign
or VINO will have in his pocket won
derful picture of bridge across the
channel between Folkestone and Cape
Griznez. 1t will be the most perfect
bridge OF its kind ever pat or paper.
Its twenty three miles or SO of length
will exhibit many varieties of style
Some parts will be tubular. some iron
framework open TO the sky, and soTe
again Viaduct5 of masonry. Beneath
these you will see I'm the pictuIe) ships
in full sail-Great Amirals bearing the
queens AIg gliding proudly under the
tall arches, and tiny hshing-bOats max
ing their way with equal ease through
the lower doOrways IN the shadows.
The arches will rest sometimes on the
sea bottom, sometimes on an artificial
foundation of loose stone, Or on a
couple OF submarine islands which
nature has most Obligingly placed in
this very spot as a hint of her views
on the question OF communication he
tween England and France. NJ We
rard de SIinte-Anna is the apostle of
this new idea of inter-communication
and his scheme is the alternative to
the tunnel. He has been busy with it
: ON this side of the sea for some time;
and he has \ sort of preliminary COM
pany at his back. and an Office and a
little picture gallery of plans, and
everything that man should have
nowadays in the way of machinery for
starting "A company or for starting n
faith. He has Interviewed the presi-
dent of the republic about it, and he
is going TO treat Mr.. Gladstone in the
same way. What is all this but to say
that the scheme of an open bridge
across the channel is now before the
human racep And according to the
protector IL must be an open bridge
or nothing. The tunnel is altogether
out of the question. 1t would be very
costly in any case, and no one knows
what soft places in the chalk, and,
consequently, in the project, the boring
might not reveal Then, who could
breathe down there? But, as for the
bridge, why, the passengers by that
route are obviously enjoying themselves
immensely. Ask he plan if they are
not. The blue sea is beneath them,
the blue sky above; that gentle swell
ing on the crest of the halfway but
tress may be bar. 1t is Red Rowing
without qualm, Berseker daring tenn
pered by the civilization of Kosher
vile.
1t will be observed that in all this
NJ Verard de Sainte-Anne takes the
necessity of a railway line of some sort
between the two countries, as perfectly
self-evident. But for those who want
reasons for everything, he has plenty
OF reason to give. UnbrOken railway
communication with England, he says,
alone stands between France and com
mercial ruin. B Bsmarck, far more
dangerous in peace than even in war.
has been quietly plotting a sort of
commercial sedan to block France off
forever from all share OF the English
trade. England with her immense
commerce binds the eastern and west
ern hemispheres as main link. France
continues the chain, but Bismarck lis
determined TO cut her out of it for the
benefit of Berlin. Marseilles is doomed
in any case, says NJ. de Sainte.
Anne, and the great lines run.
ming due south from Paris will soon
route-another Appian way. Toreach
Odessa by Calais and Marseilles il
takes from twelve to fourteen days
by Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Berlin il
will take only three or four days; and
there ultimately will be a like differ
ence of course in the length of com
munication with the farthest east
The French chambers have made 8
patriotic but useless attempt TO meet
this competition by voting immense
sums for the improvement of Bou
logue, Calais. and Dunkifk. They
might just "a we'll have thrown the
money into the sea. The Dutch and
Belgian pOrts-ahove all, Flushing
will always afford better land com
munication with Olessa. Berlin, il
fact, lies directly on the line of the
best existing route. Now, the com
mercial command of the east OF
Europe means the ultimate command
of Asia, and this, with due regard Il
America on the other side, means tn,
commercial command of the world.
France. though, must build mucl
more than the bridge, according to M
Verard de Sainte-ADne. She must no
only run direct railway line from
England to avoid the shipment whicl
is the sole disadvantage of the German
route. but as soon as the line touchet
Paris she must carry it almost du
east, avoiding Lyons and almost ever,
city south of the capital, and run
neck-and neck race with Germany ''iI
the straight" for Constantinople VII
Trieste. This line. it will he seen
would leave even Brindisi far to tn,
west 1t would he as short as the Ger
man one. shorter than it for many plac
es, and where it was not it would still
secure the preference Of English ez
porteTs by preventing the loss involve
In transfer. The man who would Civ
France this line, with the bridge a
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