The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-18
TUNNELING A LONDON CHURCH.
An Engineering Problem in an
Underground Electric Railway.

An Engineering Problem in an
Underground Electric Railway.
From the London Chronicle
A peculiar piece of engineering work now
in progress In London is described in an
interesting way as follows: An extension
is in progress in connection with the I'M
derground electric railway which runs
from Stockwell to the city side of London
bridge. The City and South London rail-
way is the full description of this line A
branch Is being made from 1t, beginning
at the Borough, crossing the Thames on
the down side of London bridge and com
ing along beneath King William street,
Princess street, and Moorgate street, to
Finsbury pavement. Now the route comes
quite close to the familiar church of st.
Mary Woolnoth. 1t stands at the june
ton Of King William street and Lombard
street-that is to say, just where they APP
proach the Mansion house station was
necessary here, aud II Is to be built imme-
diately under St. Mary Woolnoth. There
was a church on this site as early as 1855,
and the present one was built between the
years 1716-1719. The architect was Nicho-
las Hawksmoor, one of Wren's pupils, and
st. Georges Bloomsbury also pertains to
him.
VIII the underground station be called
ST. Mary Woolnoth. Hardly, perhaps. The
name was no doubt derived in some way
from a "wool-beam" which in ancient days
stood In the stocks market a part now
covered by the Mansion house. The point,
however has been this: How to preserve
st. Mary Woolnoth intact, as stable as it
has been, and at the same time get the
station and the railway? 1t is doubtful If
any engineering feat, involving quite the
L. l.. Il. .a1&
with In England. In a word, the old foun-
dations-or most of them-must be remov-
ed and a new method of supporting the
church introduced.
The south wall needed to be entirely
supported on steel Orders, and the north
wall partially. Most difficult of all, a new
foundation was essential for twelve stone
columns which supported the central
structure And all this change, mind you, had
to be carried out without the building be-
ing allowed to bulge hairs breadth. The
decorations of the interior are good and
delicate, and the slightest movement, as
one can understand, would disturb them.
Then think of the weight which had to be
transferred from the old foundations to
the steel girders.
The central structure weighs perhaps 500
tons, the north wall the same, and the
south wall $50 tons-an entire weight of
about 400 tons. The central part of the
site upon which the church stands is es-
pecially important In that a great ele-
vator will be placed there. 1t will carry
passengers to and from the level of the
station down below, and there will be
connection with it from Lombard street
and King william street. On Sunday the
minister will be able, in plain fact. to con-
lure his congregation of the neither pit
They on their side will be in position to
escape from an unduly long sermon, al
though perhaps these are rarely preached
in the city.
Seriously, this engineering task Is a very
remarkable one, and Of course II win go
through with perfect success. Indeed the
chances are, when it has been completed
that St. Mary Woolnoth will rest on dou-
bly, solid basis.