The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-24

Copyrighted. 1854 By the Associated Press
London Nov "a meeting Or the
Metropolitan District Railway Ssockhold-
ers Association was held here today IA
furtherance of the project Tor Construct
ing TWO deep level tunnels for an up ana
down service Of express electric trains BE-
tween Ea-nscourt and Mansion HOUSE
The stockholders have Endorsed the ACTON
Of their directors In approving the scheme.
and the necessary powers VIA De asked
for at the coming session OF parliament
That they viii be granted II Is toregons
conclusion
Parliament has already sanctioned six
metropolitan underground projects. sn1
two Will De sanctioned al the forthcoming
session There are still otaaers In the air.
all electrical Most Of these lines are
planned TO recsify the ordinary want OF
foresight which practically fcrecade tho
termini OF the great railways 10 adVsnse
beyond what in the days OF their build
ing. were the suburbs OF London. The re-
suit has ever since been that the traveller
consumes a. much time in getting from
one great terminus TO another on the otner
side OF the metropolis as would sufnce 10
carry him fifty miles on his journey.
All Of the new lines. OF necessity, are
buried far below the street level. In some
cases the arrival and departure platforms
OF stations are ninety-five feet below the
sidewalks. while the lines descend stu
lower in many places. diving under the
great sewers and other underground tun-
neis. the abutments of the Thames bridges
and entertainments. and under the Thames
ITSELF
The engineering features of these pro-
5ects are most interesting. The great
head-shield is the most prominent of these.
II was first tried in the construction OF
the City South London Railway, the
frst electric underground lire In England.
The continuance Is an air lock system OF
tunneling. which IL not hindered by any
sudden in-rush of water that may be en-
countered while boring. The boring Is &c
complished BY means of steel cylinders.
fitted with curved knives. which are forced
forward by hydraulic jacks. When. the
shields have advanced about eighteen
inches the soil enclosed In the cylinders
up In segments inside. When the shields
are again moved forward there is. of
course. a space between the outer surface
OF the rings and the inciosing earth, which
is filled by the forcing OF semi-fiuid cement
through the holes left for that purpose.
The tunnels thus consist OF iron tubes.
These tunnels are constructed at the rate
OF sixteen feet per day.
Passengers are conveyed from the world
below to the world above by hydraulic
lifts. The current that works the line Is
to come from the generating house along
q copper cable. Each train will consist OF
six or seven cars. The American system
of car construction Is obligatory, other
wise the increased diameter OF tunnel re-
quired for cars with side doors would aug
ment the construction account by 40 per
cent. The cars will seat forty-eight pas
sengers. twenty-four on q sice. total OF
Is or s3s passengers per train. The speed
Is to be fourteen miles an hour. including
stops. The service is to be train every
two and half minutes, and the capacity
gers.