Omaha daily bee., 1886-12-27
RAlLRoADINa UNDER THE SEA,
The First Train Goes Through the
severn Tunnel


Cardiff Weekly Mail The first passen-
ger trains passed through the gigantic
tube linking the shores of MonmouthshiI @
and Worcestershire on Wednesday morn
ing. Before those on board quite knew
where they were shrill whistle a sud
| den darkcning-fOr it was now nearly
broad daylight-and eve are i'm told
them they were "ln" and rushing down Il
clearly perceptible decline towards a
| point hundred feet below the bed of the
broad estuary. In a trice watches were
Out and windows down, the first to keep
| time, the other to test the ventilation. The
inruSh of the ice cold air, as clear and
pure as the trip across was being
made in the old way-oyer instead OF
under the Channel-showed tho latter
was all right. The submarine Journey
If such 1t may be called-proved to be
more like run through a pretty deep
cutting than through a tunnel four and
quarter miles long. For about three
minutes and half after entering there
was no mistaking the fact that q sharp
gradient was beng descended then a
momentarY rumble US the train passed
over the curve OF the arc-for the tube
dips in the center-and then the locomo-
tive, at an eyer-decreasIng speed, climbed
the opposite gradient, 10 emerge once
more into daylight in eight minutes, forty.
nine seconds.
VENTILATION OF THE TUNNEL.
AS before remarked the ventilation of
the tunnel is little short of perfect. Dur
ing the construction of the work fan lS
feet in diameter discharglug 10000 cubic
ieet OF air per minute, was used. This
has now been replaced by fan 40 feet
in diameter and II feet wide, made on the
same principle as those used at the Mer.
scy and portion of the Metropolitan
tunnels. The tunnel is 60 feet wide and |
20 feet high from The double line of rails |
TO the crown OF the arch inside the |
brlckWork. The rails are laId on long, |
lined throughout with yitrilicd bricks set |
in cement, and no less than 10000, 900
bricks have been used in this work. This
yitrltcd brick wall has thickness of 8
feet in The crown of the arch beneath the |
shoots but as the tunnel rises from
thIS lowest point on q gradient one in 20
one way ana one in 100 toward The Glou.
costorshlre side ,thi, thickness Is grad.
ual!y reduced TO leet 3 inches.
OTHER GREAT TUNNELS.
The total length OF the Severn tunnel
IS miles, G2i yards The St GOthard
tunnel is 9l Mules, Mont Gents tunnel u
miles, Arlberg tunnel (AustrIa) Ga miles
there is tunnel in Massachusetts y
miles; the Standego tunnel, on the Lon.
don and Northwestern. is 3 miles long,
and the Box tunnel rather less. But the
special feature OF the Severn tunnel lies
in the fact that ~ miles OF II have been
constructed from 45 feet to 100 feet below
the bed OF rapidly-ilowng tidal estuary,
offering engineering difficulties which
make 1t the most remarkable tunnel in
Inc world.
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