Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-15
A BIG SCHEME
,ou CONNECTING ENGLAND AND
FRANCE EXPLAINED.
n. Bntish-chsnnel Bridge VIII DO soma
Disconnected In Case
Of War.
,r.,l. leitor In ritlsburrn Dispatch.l


Tho ..uissing link Of a railway com
...nr,ca,ion between France and Eng
,D"3 provided always England Is will
.a,. seems TO bc on the eve of reallza-
.,r m, hy means of the Channel Iun-
"I ss most people suppose, bnt by
,rs a. a yiaauct 10 which Nlco-A0-
-J Clone, formerly French Minister
,f.r,oe and a member of the RHrcau
Includes, lends the authority OF
rl. H.. ling Of a bridge between
-. .ra England seems at first sight
...,.,. we might almost say 50 nto-
r-.ieci. that wo lost no time IN
i....-,,,rr oar Paris correspondent 10
,.l..a.n what Truth there might be in
.t.+,rent. and. n trne, % obtain such .
.,.lsrst.ous at the fountain head as
,.,oht rr.yc of interest 10 the general f.
T.a.cr
,l..eettsInmcuis are we'll known ia the
..,ert.r- world received our representa-
t,. ,.,l. marks OF the most cordial good
,.lI and Afforded hun the fullest iniorma-
canon tlc subject he spoke for mp
,..-.. of an hour. entering INTO the most
,-'0r.,.inv particulars aud meeting every
objection asa.Uue sd experienced "a SopGW
Du do.
"TMs is not said Admiral CLIQUE,
the first scheme put forward 20 bridge
thc British channel Any number oil
trDn1.lls have been made. At The head
az the list cot inventor. Is one Matthew
mining engineer, who, ln lNuZ, imd ms
plans for a bridge before Napoleon
thirty years after dr. iaycrnc offered 10
connect France and England 10y means
ola long tube. which, when submerged,
-.is 10 be secured 10y masses OF suuken
K. Between 1891 and 1886 VI. Fran
,-. and subsequently VI. Tessie,
proposed another tube, IN cast-lfon
..a came " PADRE, who needed not
D.vutuhe. but also tuunclto unite the
$50 coasts Various other plans were
81. started. and among these most IN
r.-.ous one ly means OF a bridge the
.ir.tor of which wins NJ lhome dc
Cannon. This latter plan IN fact com
,..l.I So much attention 1T the time
tat two very promising young naval
officers. who have since acAl vcd fcno"h'
-a usl'uigh induced % rclmqulsA tine
service end throw up brilliant career 10
devote their energies u the new enter
tr,. one WIS Ausart, son OF the
v.I known eeogmpher; the other was
Pierre. then lieutenant, who, as you
know. became an alalinl, and dled al
u aIa-a,ctr
SOLID VIADrCr.
"Wnat kind of bridge We propose
3. LuIig Wei, not a suspension bridge,
,> some bright genius suggested. The
.--t .uor-westcr would bow 1t clear
AWAY from its mooungs NO. But a
sohd yi4luct, bm.t upon stout piers
from the bed of the sea, with MASSIVE
lyon supcrslructlre.
"The starting point would he Amble-
t,use. which las the advantage OF "A
small roadsteal On the French coast.
Jb. bridge Is e. fouu one continuous
,.av and ~ extend in "a uOrthrrly dlrec-
tlu as flr "a IolL.toue. It's length
Ihriv-iye llom,tus 4 sh-ht bend
will occur at two points. whore reefs al
ford splendid opportunities Tor anu'-
Yeuts ami cantileVels. These reels are
IN mid-chauncl, and Indicated on our
naval maps as the rocks OF toibart and
\arue.
AS YOU see We DO not take the short
e.f but the best aud the shallowcst
route. The sea depths vary between 81
and IL meters. the deepest water bciu-
OLA the French side oil the channel Iht
r.lrs are to be built of hard concrete
and masonry, and to measure each apou'
-l meters long 10y Sd meters wide; they
are 10 Use ID meters above the waves,
anl tosupport LOFTY pier towers on "hos,
,rr framework the supcrstructure Will
r.-t Tie interval between two per
u.l be from 500 to GOO meters, an euor
nous span. since the suIerncumDsn
,r,,rbt of the homework would amount
81. least. 10 ~. 900 tons l don't know,
allied tho Gallant Admiral, with n smile
whether YOU quite realize what such
i ras, of IRON may mean. AZ any rate
Il r.l NAV remain convinced that All III
81 LIP winds of Heaven combined Ina.
Il upon it in VAIN.
lrIure the piers, did YOU say Oh
81 ..r no. In this connection ! may IL
III ..r,. "a new feature Ina the construction
r. shiloh I have worked out myself. In
81 ..... If having recourse 10 the new sys
81 ,.u "a projecting or under-hangln
rfrrs and instead Of gradually con
-r..uc from the per outward one hal
N. span until it meets the other maj
uar. whore both halves are con
n .rDl Get whole span {
II .v0rk manufactured on shore
This se.t;oo OF the suporstructur
r. tcu he transported III Ia
a....ron four elevated alr,tSnt POI
t.. ca.es. each OF which is able 10 sui
'ouats,.lt Of 10000 tons and "ne
tr..t INTO pcsition-that is, Whe
tna parallel line with the stoI
... yt.rron some kind of elastic boa
.t4 placed TO deaden the shock an
a prevent ny to the masonry, water
~ aaI low into the pontoon ease
~ which, .. .o0lv sinking, bring the 81
rr-...-. az both cXtre mites on
Iu a4 the fat surface OF the pier
I...I.'. mass is then gradually raSt
ahr ..4-u.er towers are bullt up III
Is -u-
IL FOR FOUR RAILWAYS.
III "T bridge. then. viii be 30 metee
Vl-.aai have four railway lines besid
su.. ior loot-passengero, yenlcles' al
.tOr, boxes for guards and shun
81 r- urs sin be established al state' u'
81 tie.,. i.ch pier vii be PROVIDED vi
arar.u. electric light, besides slrel
81 s.I uu-bells for ioRey weather
Fl "Iae ,upers,ruc,ure on the pl
t.e- VIII, OF course. rise 70 " helS
t..rut T. allow the ttliest ship to Us
t...rlt 10 ea,e-say, between fifty al
sF uetls. Buoys ike those use
o.. canal viii be placed at fcPui
points o. chow tine way III neh'
approaching SHIPS, sothat these may FL
though the broad arches without dang
q. c,'.Iug with the ploTs.
here - nothing absolutely cA'i
ordinary Ia the construction OF the n'
y4l.-t. uuless it be It's length win
would make Of it TIE largest IN the woof'
|..n however, bridges have been 4 ,
too miles long, as they often have, the
3 i,uo reason Why one 80 h'ometei.S,
,1rn should not be constructed