The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-04-21
BEATS THE RECORD.
Something About the Great Undertaking
 at SimplOn Pass.

Something About the Great Undertaking
 at Simplon Pass.
 The Berne correspondent of the Lon don Times learns that the projected railway tunnel under the Simplon, passing under the massf of Monte Leons between Brigue (Switzerland) and Isella Qtaly) will be 19,731 meters long. and its highest point in the inte. rior 7o5 meters 20 centimeters above the sea level, with a downward slope in both directions. The principal difficult ty in piercing the tunnel will consist in the very high temperature-forty de- grees centigrade--in that part of the route which lies deepest under the mountain, and, therefore the authors of this project have adopted new sys- tenn in piercing it which is very ingen- ious. The mountain will be tunneled by two parallel passages at distance of seventeen meters from each other. The first tunnel will be completely fin- ished so as to admit single line of rails of the normal gauge; the second tunnel will serve as a gallery, and will only be completed so as to admit the double line some years after the com pletion of the first. This gallery, with its transverse galleries connecting 1t at every two hundred meters with tunnel No 1, will serve for ventilation, the ar rival of ballast trains and other work ing material, for conducting water at high pressure and laying down cleo 6orl,9 9fy1rr slynyr transverse galleries will be closed by doors, but the two advanced transverse galleries which are nearest the work ings. when the piercing of the rock is being pushed forward, will be left open. These doors will prevent the current of air from passing through the earlier passages and secure good ventilation at the actual spot where the workings are furthest advanced. This draught will then pass through the two advanced transverse galleries and will return by tunnel No. l. While one of these cross galleries is being pierced of course there can be no cur rent of air through it; in this case the air will be forced in by means of injec- tors. The temperature, already low cred by the fresh air from the ventila- tors, will further be cooled by jets of cold water spray. After each case of blasting the debris will be cleared away by hydraulic force and the Brandt perforators used to pierce the rock will also be worked by the same power The geological formation of the mountain is favorable to the work, as gneiss will chiefly be met with.
 As regards the workmen, great pre- cautions will be taken to insure their sanitary well-being. They will each receive a special kind of clothing to be put on before entering the tunnel On leaving they will come out into cov- cred building, where they will be com pelled to change their clothes and take warm bath before passing into the cold mountain air, The contractors guarantee the necessary installations the completion of the first tunnel, and the gallery for the fixed sum of fifty four million francs, and the completion of the gallery by turning it into the second tunnel with a permanent way for an additional fifteen million francs From the time the traffic begins venti- lators will be used to renew the air of IuC luliuGl dIlu to IEuuCC tiC qdbheiSJ of carbonic acid caused by the 1ocomo- tives. Each train after passing through will close automatically the door of the tunnel, and air will be driv- en into the same by suitable side pas sages. The need of ventilation from tunnel No. 2 will, of course, have ceased.
 The advantages of Simplon as an in ternational route consist not only in the reduction of distance between Ca- lais and Milan, but especially in the conditions of level which are much more favorable than in the Mont Cenis and the St. Gothard. The eliminating point in the three tunnels is stated thus Mont Cenis, 54.70 mitres; St. Co., thard, 54.60 mitres; Simplon, 95.20 mi tres.