New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-23
ENGLAND'S ASIAN RAILWAY
AN IMPORTANT LINK ON THE GREAT LINE
COMPLETED

AN IMPORTANT LINK on THE GREAT LINE
COMPLETED.
Calcutta. July 15.-With the completion Of the
| kho]ak Tunnel another link Is forged OF that line
which, In the years to come viii probably be known
as the Great Central Asian Railway uniting the East
and the West, an girdling hall the worlds clrcum
ference with nils. The underta king which has NOT
It's equal in India. the OUTCOME Of one Of three
projects submitted to the Cover ment Of India and
was the one specially recommend ed By the engineer
| in-chief. Under this project tho line from KIlln
Abdulla is continued 60 miles from Queta into the
! khojak Pass, piercing the Khwaia Anran Range and
| finally establishing a temporary terminus on the
Chaman plain The Secretary of STATE cordially Endorsed
the Government Of midas approval with the result
that the first sod Of this great work was turned in
December, 1857. It estimated that the line the
tnhnel and the concomtant works would cost about
ldl lacs but an additional seven miles having been
sanctioned later on the Chaman side IL laos more had
to be added to the original estimate bringing the
total TO 143 laos. The tunnel, The great engineering
work Of the scheme is about two and half miles in
length, and IS preeminent the longest in Asia
Many and appalling the difficulties which sur
rounded its formation The tunnel itself Is RESPONSE
bic for considerable increase in the expenditure
bringing the sum total 10 70 acs or nine Ines above
the estimate Fuel for working the boring machlpes
very considerable item. was, made all the more ex-
pensive by the action Of the Northwestern Railway.
which enhanced the rates Of ca -riage after the
works were begun and into the Golfers Of which went
most OF the excess. Extra arching was another
ltem and this was due 10 the looir nature Of the
strata inside the mountain-cOntraryi 10 what mieh+
have been anticipated from examination Of the
surface. And again. when within 10D yards Of COM
pletiOn. when every concerned was rejoicing 10
think that the two ends would meet ly most unfor-
tunae piece Of luck vertical stratum clay charged
with water was met, and oct Of IL came pouring
torrent Of water and mud at the rate of several
hundred gallons a minute. Even ow water SIN
issues from this part Of the tunnel lint in very
considerable quantities. This unforeseen circum-
stance retarded the tunnel work for six months. All
along the work had been carried most rapidly. and
as much as 81 yards week done at face. The
cost is less per yard than that Of any Of the larger
Alpine tunnels such, for instance Abe Mont Cents
81. Gothard. or the Arlberg although these had the
immense advantage Of unlimited waterpower for
driving their machinery. In the Khojak the rock
drilling machinery used Schranl's The rope
ncnes over the mountain feature in the Work.
rom one sde oil TIE RANGE u the other. and ran %
the hillsides NJ q gradient OF in two and halt
They carried total Of treequarters Of million tons
As originally intended. the tunnel WIS to be com
pleted by October 800, but the work delayed for
the reasons already mentioned and also ny the severity
Of the winter Of l50091. Within four months - inches
Of rain fell most Of il in the form Of snow, recaTgng
unprecedented, "a degrees below III ,ezinc beir g
registered during the niTAt While the naXmum
during the day only 30 dGrsc,., The re-
suit was excessive mortality among the coolies, !
that is to say, 600 men out OIL 4,6OO-IOst |
neers qusrtercd near The mouth Of the tunnell
and rendered good service their preserve moreover
aud members Of other equally turbulent tribes. from
which the labor was entirely recruited. From these
the work That was 50 quietly and vet so.expedtieusy
carried on away on that remote frontier