Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-03-10
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THE BRITISH CHANNEL TUNNEL.
BY Eliot Mccormick.

THE BRITISH CHANNEL TUNNEL.
BY Eliot Mccormick.
From the New York observer.l
In the wear 1870, when the work of
tuun.liing the Alps ut Mount Gents
had been successfully accomplished,
1t occurred to some French engineers
that the difficulties OF the English
Channel passage might be met in tina
same way. Instead Of navigating the
water, they would tunnel beneath il.
The distance it 10 true, was twice as
great as the Mount Ceuis, and the
route would lie below a sea thirty
fsthoms deep. But then tho Alps
were rock, while the bottom Of the
chanAel WAS supposed to be chalk.
which could be 30 much more easily
penetrated. The Frenchmen submit
ted their plan to the emperor, who. III
turn. presented 1t to the English gov
ernment; but the Franco German war
coming Just then delayed the matter
for another year. When 1t vas again
taken up, it received the approval of
the Eugiish ministry. and, in 1865, q
bill was signed in England BY the
queen,and in France by president Mac
Mshon, authorizing one company
in each country to undertake the
work.
The scheme nov began to take hold
of peoples mind. The terrors OF the
channel were to be abolished. One
might 90 as easily from London to
Paris, as from London to Liverpool.
The Euglishman III the French metrop.
oils could eujov his morning Times at
breakfast. Trade ami commerce
would be benefited, and all the inter-
ests of the two countries advanced.
Nevertheless money to build it did
not come in until 1880, when the
Southeastern Railway Company,
having its terminus at Dover, went
into the scheme, and began to push it
actively forward.
The first thing was to find out Of what
material the bottom OF the sea was
really composed-whether OF chalk or
rock-it it could be easily pierced. This
was dine by sinking shafts 200 feet
deep on the Dover aud Calais shore,
anu running out galleries under the sea
to a distance OF 800 or 900 yards. After
some months' work, no doubt Was
lett that the thug could be doue. The
galleries penetrated q solid bed Of
chalk, which might be readily worked.
aud it Was altogether probable that
the same form4tion continued across
the %channel; though, to make sure OF
this, the engineers proposed to con-
tinue the galleries for q mile. 1t was
in June, 1881, when the South Eastern
Railway reported this favorable result
to its s~tockholdcas and predicted that
the tunnel might be flushed IN five
years.
Meanwhile, however, the attention
of the public had been drawn to the
possible dangers OF the tunnel as an
Instrument OF war, and the day after
the cumpauy's report was presented,
the London Times, published a long
editorial c~ondemuiug the whole
scbeme. There is nothing which the
Eng.ishmau breads 80 much as fer.
eigu invasion. III the early parts OF
this century the report OF Napoleon's
Intended descent upon the coast OF
England, threw the Whole islaLd into
a lever of alarm. But Napoleon did
not Mahe the attempt, ami it was the
''Silver Streak" as some one has CALI
ed The Channel, that checknd his ambi-
tiOu. Ii might not nave been difficult to
have crossed from France to the shores OF
keut; but, in case Of defeat, it would
have been very difficult to cross back
again. Won Molsae, the great German
general, has said that he could see half
a dozeu ways OF getting an army into
England. but no way at all OF getting 1t
out. The tunnel, ace completed, how
ever, would furnish b Way OF getting
out besides au additional means OF get.
ting il.
Tnis is what began to excite the
English mind when they heard how
rapidly the scheme was progressing,
In the event OF war, might not the
English end of the tunnel be surprised
and held by The enemy while an army
OF continental troops poured through
the submarine way upon English soilI
If Dover we're captured by a French NJ
German sortie, what could prevent the
rest OF England from falling into the
enemy's hands? II the tunBel were
finished, what protection would she
Silver Streak afford against some new
Napoleon2 The government woke
up TO what seemed to be a threaten.
ing, though perhaps a far.off danger,
and ordered an ~ofiria! inquiry to be
made.
That inquiry has been going on FOL
some mouths, and the result has only
lately been published. The commit
tee, which was directed TO repor
whether the tunnel could be effectualIy
closed so Us to make it useless to al
enemy in case OF war, recommend
the following extraordinary precau
lions.
1.t. That the mouth of the tunue
should be beyond the range of etfec
tual fire from the sea. but covered b,
the guns Of q first class fortress in tn
mouern acceplations of the term"
I'd. There should be means of clos
discharglDg "irrespirable gases" in
to it.
Sd. That mines should be bull
under the land portion Of the tunnel
for the purpose Of destroying it
necessary.
Attn. That sluiccs and mines shout
be provided for flooding the TUNE
either temporarily or permanently.
9th. That the electric wires 70
controlling these miues, s!uices, gases
etc, should be worked uot only froi
the fortress, but from such distau
points as Chatham or London,
Finally, alter proposing lnis formit
able machinery. the committee confess
es that it might not work. SIT woul
be presumptuous," the report says 1T
place absolute reliance upon eve th
most comprehensive aud complete a,
rangements which can be devised wit
view OF rendering the tunnel absolut,
ly useless 10 an euemy in every poss
BILE contingency
Does MT this read like a chapter OF
of Jules Verne?
AS if the report, however, were Il,
enough of Itself, it is reinforced by tt