Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-05-16
ABOUT NOTED TUNNELS.
The Mont de Cents, 81. Gothnrd and
Others.

From tho London Standard.
One * the most famous tunnels outside
the United Kingdom Is that 81 the Mont
de Cents or Col dc FgeJus. which has a
length 81 seven ard oue-half miles (aciu-
ally $3.50 f,eu through Mont Gents. and
which connects the provinces Of Savoy
and Piedmont. This wonderful under
taking was proposed by ". Medal. and
plans for i;s construction were drewn up
~ ISIS. but 1, was not until far into the
nitics that the plans were approved and
the undertaking decided on. the late King
Victor Emmanuel Of Italy initiating the
work u excavation by setting the boring
machinery "a motion, or August 81. ls59.
At nrsi the ordinary method OF piercing
b. manual labor was adopted, steam be-
lng employed IL istJ, ana compressed air
afterwards " the finish, the boring being
completed 10 December 1870. Inc en-
Eluerrs engaged OIL this gigantic opera
non w-rc MAI. Grattoni. Grandls and
suEaNellicr, and the total cost OF the work
W@s t@tyV,yJO The nrst experimental
trip Mas made Oh September Is. and occu-
pied forty minutes, AID the tunnel was
formally Inaugurgted ~ the passage
through OF a train Oi twenty-five earrl-
ages 10 twenty minutes, Oh September ",
lN,i. tac regular service commencing on
october IL. ls'l. IN the Arlberg Tunnel
the Wctk WAS commenced Ia ieJv. ana COM
pletel ~ little over three years,
tbs distance being Fix aul one-itth miles,
nous tunnel Is that which passes through
Tie Aloat ~. GuthuGQ. which is the long
est Ia the world. ptlns isStg feet In length.
IL ttuNersea The center OF Switzerland al
"a height VI S.uQQ to 1900 feet above the
tca. IL was commenced IN 1877. and was
upsLe- To- 1872 ten years having thus been
occuIte. .u its construction. IL has had
a very Important eject upon the COM
tnfte. g. tween italy. switzerland and
Germany lMs tunnel was bored out
hN Wtsta ~ mechanical drills. the prog
boz HH.
Ou- ~ the most famous Instances Of
auha4Es OILS -uunf i.iug in tho United
kius4pm Was that OF TIE Severn Tunnel,
Wh4eA runs Ioi a length Of four and one
tnlr4 miles. was commenced IN 1913. and
c9Hp.eitl 10 isse. Messrs. l4nwksh0w,
son. HAyter uIa richardson being the
engineers The bed of the Severn Is
formed principally Of marla. s4ndsiones
ut4 eouSl uUetutts, everything hlghiy-!n-
e.lae4 CoAl measures, slatss ana sand
'a'uats, which ais also exposed 70 the bed
30 tins river. The tuuntl is made almost,
WhoNA .u .Ar ltas and Goa! measure Tor
uaflat-. except 80 IT'S eastern end, where
~ passes through gravel Much water
War met with throughout and IA 1873 the
WORKINGS wete nuo4e- Tor some months
through = large lar4 spring on the Welsh
sieg. aA4 which Waeer had 20 De diverted.
~ Haothtr time she workings were
iu4.ts ut water. which burst through
L1le iu thr fifer-bt1, ana this hole, kiN-
teen ty ttu ttei, had 20 be niled up with
clay, thI the works completed beneath
49, ltf hHfAAEHh NNANWiAk NAhANAAAA az
~ oh- week Wds 500 cubic yards. An
otter iunLvi. though 20 be only one mite
o. length. i- that kuoWu as the MefstY.
th Walle of the excavation IN which,
amounting 10 ~ ~ cubic yards, was got
o3t bN haud labor. as 10 have used heavy
blasting would have shaken the rock.
TLr work took SIX years 10 carry out.
being opened IN lssG, ana Messrs. krunleee
ANA Fox were the engineers. and the total
cost. including approaches, was tl,.a1.uoO.
A Nord may be here given 20 the now
neglected and abandoned projected Cham
mol Tunnel. 10 connect England with
Frauct-a proposal which had It's rise az
TIE beginning Of this century. but IA
which nothing was done Till 1881, though
b1rlpgs have since been carried on Tor a
distance 90 2.N@ yards beneath the sea
from tile folkestonc side, the usual rate
OF progress being nfteen lineal yards
d day Beneath the Hudson river a.
New York a parlinlly-eonstfneted suba-
QGeaua tunnel now lies drowned, an at
tempt having been made % drive q
forming the Fiver-bed. but IN 1870. when
about a hundred yards had been COM
pictcd. the water burst IN, ana twenty
men were drowned. and, though the
works we're Afterwards resumed. the con-
siderations Uf o financial character COM
PEELED their Abandonment, Had u been
finished, The tunnel would have been .
mile IA length. Another abandoned
tunnel ~ that commenced IN IlZs uy Cheese
brough, when he began tunnelllug he-
meath the Detroit river between Canada
NAtN aANAlhNAt AAk " NtNN AAA ~ w aNafA-
doued owing 20 continued Interruptions
~ water after some CO.. yards Of heading
had been driven. other famous tunnels
ARE nh new Grotou Aqusduct tunnel
which is thirteen feet seven inches IN
width and height, nom tat Croton dam
a. the reservoir iu New York, which -
thirty -three anil onC-uunrGer miles IN
lrI 9Th. unt was carried out az the rate %
one and orr-uuurfrf miles per month, all
fhraunh rock fke Honfac $3.50 feet IN
length, the AnrhlstoUea. - go feet In
length the Sutfo. 3 l21 fest long. the
fN4HiNel. 1913 feet ln length; the Nerthe,
D. ia feet iu extent fhe baizy. JAS feet
long. ard ,he Thames ami Atawny, which
runs Ter "A leugth % li.s21 feet. The
carrying out 90 the above tunnels has
beer among the granuest ensinetrins TIT
umpsm OF the world. 81 whichsh hos
the nineteenth century INV
passing reason s2.pe pre-