The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-07-11
A. New Thames Tunnel.

4
:. The Thames tunnel, which used to be
one Of the marvels of London. is as
nothing compared with the iron subway
along which passengers will be sped by
lightning under the bed of the Thames.
Yet the famous work of Brunei cost
f468, 900, whereas the contract for the
electrical tunnel has been let for fS3,-
o0os The Thames tunnel, begun in
1925, was not finished till 1S43, but the
new tunnel, instead of taking eighteen
years to construct, will be completed in
eighteen months. OF course, the Char
ing Cross tunnel will not be so large as
the first tunnel, which consists of two
parallel arches of masonry, fourteen
feet broad, fifteen feet high and 1900
feet long, but it win be much wider than
the gloomy and unpleasant subway at
the tower, which, although 400 yards
long, is only seven feet in diameter.
The precise dimensions of the new tun-
mel are not given in the prospectus, al
though it is stated that plans and speci-
fications have been issued on which the
tender of the contractors has been
based. 1t will be two-thirds of mile
In length. There viii be double line
of railway, along which the constant
stream of electrically y-driven cars will
pass at the rate of eleven miles anhour.
Each carriage will run separately like
an omnibus, and be driven by electrical
currents generated by steam-driven dy-
namos and conveyed by means of a cen
tral rail to dynamo in the center Of
the carriage.
The tunnel will be composed of iron
caissons lined with white bricks, and
lighted, it is to be hoped, with mean
descent lamps. The steel rails will be
laid upon continuous longitudinal
sleepers of timber imbedded In the con-
crete floor, so that there will be no bal
hast or other moist substance to pro-
duce any smell or feeling of dampness
or moldiness. The carriages viii be
constructed entirely of steel and wood,
without any cloth or leather lining,
similar to those manufactured for the
tramways by Messrs. Stephenson, OF
New York. The wheels win be under
the center of the carriage, with wheel
base of five. The floor of the carriages
viii only be nine inches above the rails,
the floors Of the terminal platform be,
\ ing ON the same lovel as the floor of thf
carriages. The center Of the carriage
being occupied by the dynamo-machine
each end will be devoted to passengers
one department being for first and the
other for second-class passengers
which will be distinguished by different
colored lamps.
The advantages of electricity as. 8
motor in tunnels are too obvious tC
need explanation. At one stroke al
the sulphurous fumes and the sitting
steam which render the underground
railway so horrible are avoided. There
is no shrieking, no putting and groan
ing, no dirt, no damp, everything il
clean and dry. Whether it viii b
equally profitable is another matter
i The cost of working the new tunne
railway is provided for by contrac
with Mr.. Silemens at very moderat,
terms. All the rolling stock and plan
is to be laid down for E12,000 and tn,
railway is to be worked by the samt
firm for $4,000 per annum and one
fifth of the yearly gross receipts from
traffic in excess of f20,0 900. The tunne
with white bricks under the avenue ant
the Victoria embankment- OF that arch
j sixty feet under the embankment con
structed for another purpose will b
used by the railway. The railway vii
pass through iron caissons under tn
River Thames, and again through al
| arch under College street and Vim
street, and terminate at Waterloo sta
ton, where it will be directly connecte'
with the platforms of the London
Southwestern Railway, with separat
approach from the York Road. If tn
electrical system is once proved to be
} success, there are many districts wher
its speedy application may be antici
pated, not only in London, but il
America, which is ever ready to adop
new schemes and entertain ney
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