The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-02
OVER AND UNDER THE ALPS.
Simplon Tunnel to Be Done in Less
Than Six Years.

Slmplon Iunnel TO BE lone IN Aess
Than Six Years.
The announcement that the contract
has been signed for the construction of
the tunnel under the Simplon Pass re-
calls wildly the circumstances connected
with the first perforation of the Alps at
Mont Cents, one of the bOldest and most
remarkable engineering feats of this or
any other country The time occupied
in piercing the mountains by that re
markable tunnel was thirteen years, but
as many as thirty elapsed between the
selection of the site and the completion
of the work. The contractors have I'M
dertaken to finish the SimplOn in five and
a half years.
The selection of the site itself was a
matter of some difficulty, requiring the
exercise of the greatest care and judg
ment. 1t was a native of Bardonneche
who first directed attention to the spot
in a pamphlet published in 1S4l,
and distinguished engineers and
biologists. after mature deliberation,
decided that no better could be found.
NAPOLEON's HIGHWAY.
1t seems scarcely credible that until
the commencement of the present cen
fury. there was no road across the Alps
Yet, as a matter Of fact, there was no
carriageway till the great Napoleon af-
ter experiencing enormous difficulty in
the passage of his army, began the works
for a practical road over the Mont Gents
Pass. Operations were begun in 1905,
but the work was not completed till 1870
and the cost was 1900 900. AS Al
pine travellers know, the road is
carried up the mountain by six zigzags,
each of which is about three-quarters of a
mile in length, while the slope is about
in -.
The Mont Gents road being completed,
n large part of the traffic between North
crn Europe and Italy took that course.
The example once set, other roads We're
carried over the most accessible passes
including the Simplon, the St. Gothard
and the Splugen-until there came to be
seven carriageable roads, none of which
offered difficulties to travellers in ordinary
weather, although all were liable to de-
lay more or less serious during the greater
part of the winter season. Even Mont
Gents, the most generally open, has been
closed for traffic for many days together
during the winter season.
PIERCING THROUGH QUARTZ
The tunnel through the crest of the
Alps had no tough granite rock to pen
citrate. Its worst troubles arose from
the presence of a band of quartz about
nine months to pierce. With this eXcep-
ton, no real pifficulty was meet with on
account of the rock. The rocks at the
French end were for a long distance more
troublesome in working than those at
the other end, and were also more varied
in their nature, as they included many
bands of limestone and gypsum, aswell as
quartz, while on the Italian side there
was no chance from the commencement,
all the material worked being compare
lively soft schist, which innumerable
veins and films of crystalline limestone
and quartz.
A small quantity of water followed the
workings from both ends, and, strange to
say, the quantity was nearly the same in
both. A waterproof brick lining was
constructed simultaneously with the ad-
vance of the boring, and the water issued
from the unlined part to the extent,
speaking roughly, of 10000 gallons per
day, from each end. One of the most
wonderful features in connection with
this great undertaking was the steadiness
and rapidity with which it was carried
through. Although before that time
there had been many completed tunnels
of a mile, or even two miles in length
they had been worked from one or more
shafts, as well as from the eXtremitles,
and thus the difficulties arising from dis
tance were not felt. Enormous as was
the magnitude of the undertaking, it
must be acknow ledged that, in many re-
speCts, the Alpine tunnel was an exCcp-
tionally easy work; but an average pro
grcss Of $50 feet per month, including all
delays and stOppages, carried on for thir-
teen Years without interruption, was a
matter of which engineers might well be
proud.
RAPID TUNNELING.
What is, perhaps, more remarkable
still, is the fact that, during the last
years, when the work was carried on
more than three miles from the outer
world, the advance averaged nearly
500 feet per month. The greatest amount
of work performed in single month was
in May, 1867, when 297 feet were bored in
the Italian side alone.
The machinery used for piercing the
mountain was at once simple, ingenious
and effective. 1t consisted of an ordinary
tool or solid chisel of steel of great size
and weight, driven horizontally against
the rock with great rapidity and force,
the tool being slightly turned at each
stroke. So rapid and powerful was the
machine that a hole a couple of inches
deep had been bored into a solid block Of
the hardest quartz in a couple Of minutes
The rock was so hard that the steel
tool was completely blunted in that time,
and had to be replaced by another The
force employed to drive the machine was
compressed air, having density of be-
tween six and seven atmospheres. AS
many as seventeen such machines were
used together without danger of confu-
ion, each working independently of the
hers.
cecretarv Gresham "a said IN no tho op1y