Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1883-07-21
The Channel Tunnel Greatest Engineer
ing Work Of the World.

iio1'o ouo couple Oh wooden shantles Ii
mark the spot destined, it may be. TO abut @
lpon the English mouth of The Chanael
Tunnel. Or rather Of Channel tunnei-for | r
there are other schemes afoos TO join Lon |
don and The EXTREMIST poin. OF the Cont /
nent OF Europe In a continuous railway I
journey and without change of carriages I
Sir Edward Watkin airily calculates that ,
the cost Of the enterprise in which he is .
interested woald amount 10 83 CO., 900 ster-
hing, and that the tunnel would allow the
passage Of go trains each way every day,
at average speed o. - miles an hour
So that the tunnel of :, miles In length
nigh, be traversei in half an hour a
speed, be it sad, very much higher than
that kept up in the longest tunnels OF the
St Golhard between Switzerland and italy.
AT the bottom Of the shaft, at the mouth Of
the Sonng, no more than seven feet in |
diameter from end to end-excepting here
aud there somewhat wider square open |
ing, tecbrca'ly called turnout we |
! found couple OF trolies, fitted with seats
on either side after the manner Of the tram
cars Of the military train familiar to
! huJitues Of Vim oledon camp Running
along the sides Of the trolly, close to the
{ ground, was foot board like tha, attached
to :. railway carriage, and above tie seat
was a semi circular hood, lined with red
balze sufficient to protect the head and
shoulders from dropping wet and falling
chris, but not wide enough to save the legs
and feet. By reason of the space taken up
by the lower arc of the circle, SO as to make
a level hoor, along which the rails were
laid, it was necessary that We should sit
with knees drawn up and heads bent during
the whole time occupied in journe ying to
the face OF the tunnel and back again
! Rembrandt or a Salvador Rosa might
have done pictorial justice to such scene.
: ULder foot for a great portion of the way
the ground is almost ankle deep in slush ;
ard the salwart fellows who drag and push
the trollies-trudging manfu!ly along-have
/ enough to do to keep their foothold, The
| travellers. FOR the greater length Of time,
q moving through a dim twilight, cannot we'll
make out the features Of those sitting beside
them. Now and again the little electric
d lamps, set in rude inches of the naked gray
chalk, caat brilliant but fugitive light upon
n the passing train. Then, for awhile, all is
again but darkness visible There ere
y shadows above and beneath and all around
e Looking backward or forward through the
u deepening gloom the traveller sees an ever
y receding, seemingly endless tunnel shaped
,, perspective, lit at long intervals as with fiery
I eyes, Onward, and yet aohward-to nc
ie sound save the splashing made by the tai
IS workmen tramping through the mud. anc
the drip, drip, OF the water upon the hoot
u above Gus peads-we are dragged ant
1t pushed beneath the shingle and the sand 0
the shore for time level with the bea ch
;" aud then down. a quarter of a mile deep
past low water mark, under the bed Of til
:" channel
at The bore cas- cut clean through the gra
chalk in a circle as round and as true q
tn6 lDSsCc Ot q "tOOiUR IiUS. DO thorough
", indeed, is the instrument adapted to tn
work and to the material that in DIR
places it is possible to see the chss
=, marks made couple of years ago
- intervals along the route, where it is feare
the water mig ght come through, the side
- and roof have been paced with lead or ella
-. aud held up with solid iron bands, apparen
!, " about eighteen inches wide. Sometime
!, in the titful flashes of light, the eye res
uron falling red rivulets. ike streams
-, blood pouring Gown the damp walls Ev
a1d anon there are faults in the clays
chalk not yet remeded SO we 60 on az
on, moments seeming as minutes until Il
e,ectr.c lights cease altoget her and t
Slonx, awful cave is enveloped IN darkne
tha: would be impenetrab|e but for 4
: . shmuer Q: few allow candies stuck in
the oare walls Of the cutting Even u
or more from the mouth OF the shaft it
i, not difficult to breathe for the same II
chine that works the bore pnmps drives
- continuous suppy Of fresh air into the ssv
foot pipe, which al present forms no me-
than the nucleus Of tunnel 81 distan
IL OF $500 yards from the PIT moth We CO:
.nd upon the simple and wonderful piece
lie machinery which can pierce through ,
ier- oed Of the see with extraordinary celer
and a; q cost cheaper than ls required 70.
I'm making Of an ordiua-y tunnel ua3-r L
tie By permission Of the president G: tie 3 Js
si,s OF Trade, ,he engineer is allowed 70 max.
couple OF turns in order 10 ehov cur Ia
is working. Presently We mount oar
TOO comfortable carriage and pass, stopIl
90, once more asong the tea-sorne lA-ro~ y
TIE pass BY spaces Of horrible shadows q
GIN pse- 0; welcome light And finally
are swung up through the shaft into
:; cutter ar, where The glad Sunshine cate
TIE tai elf lace and tsttes the sinll
'"e AMI anoetrayed channel in al stuo=ph
OF golden g!crs london Daily Ielesr q