The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-05-06
FOR A GREAT TUNNEL
Thirty.fYo Millions Of Dollars Likely
10 be Spent,
FROM SCOTLAND TO "AOULD" IRELAND
\ Marked saving In the time aud
~ Rough Passage by water Avoid.
ed-Wiii Greatly Facilitate the
Handling OF Freight.

consideration plan for the greatest sub
marine tunnel which the mind of man
ever conceived. IL provides for a pas
sage way, to be lighted by electricity,
beneath the Irish sea, or the North chan
mel, as it is called, from a point in Scot
! land, just north Of Point Patrick to a
point in Ireland just west OF Carrickfer.
IIs, and several miles north of the arm
OF the sea stretching up to Belfast lake.
| The total estimated cost is $50 900 900,
and the plan which the government is
considering is that submitted by syndi-
cate which agrees to bind itself to bring
the project to successful accompl shment
| EngIishnCn are supposed to be exceed
ingIy wary of anything that ssvors of the
| illogical, but the ideas OF the synd cate
which proposes to build this tunnel are
anything but chimeriCal. 1t is argued
that the traffic which would surely seize
upon the avenue OF commerce between
the islands that constitute Great Britain
would be more than sufficient to pay
| udli1ooIhS rae VI INTEREST upon Tue IN
vestment-not less than q per cent This
would require net profit Of 49,, 100000
a year, and when one considers those
figures in comparison with the returns
from the freight and passenger traffic be-
tween England and Ireland, it is easy to
see where the syndicate finds basis for its
belief 1t is also stated that the syndicate
! has asked fOr government guarantee or
| sub'iiy, but this statement has not been
verified.
This is not the first suggestion of a
-ub-aqueous connection between the d.
vided portions Of Britain. The previous
plan contemplated tunnel beneath what
| is called st. Georges channel, this being
the southern entrance to the Irish sea
The project was carefully considered, for
| the Unsuitable commercial eye of this
country overl0oks nothing. Marine en-
| gineers who were questioned concerning
the matter were emphatic in their state
ments that any such idea was impractic-
able because OF the exceptionally stormy
nature and powerful currents OF St.
first suggestion has been held in abey-
ance until the fate of the second one
shall be decided. 1t may, now, how ever,
he said to be practically dead, as the plan
which the government is considering
seems entirely feasible.
The quickest way to get from England
| to Ireland at the present time is from
Holyhead to Dublin, distance of GA
miles. The direct route 10y sea from Llv-
erpuol ID 1873 miles. From Cork, which
is practically Queenstown, to Liverpool, it
| is 2S3 miles. On a basis of miles, the
land and tunnel route, according to the
| proposed plan, would he somewhat longer
than the more direct water route of today.
! Considering the fact that no storms would
he met with aud that stress of weather
would at no time interfere with traffic,
this apparent drawback disappears. Not
only that, but it is far easier to ship
goods by rail than by water. The saving
Of time in loading and unloading is tre-
mendous. Again there could be regu
larity in the transhipment of freight, no
matter what the mount might he, which
is not at present enjoyed and never can
be 10y water route.
The members of the syndicate " no are
willing to discuss the matter say that
they have reason to believe the passenger
traffic would he a considerable item in
| the receipts Of the road. Such a
tunnel would undoubtedly give tre-
mendous impetus to railroad building in
/ Ireland, conservative business say, and
/ this would mean the infusion of COM
mercial spirit which is at present sadly
! lacking. lnasmuch as close commercial
! ties generally become sinews of friend
ship, the advocates of the tunnel declare
that their plan is well worthy of patriotic
support as possible key to the solution
OF the Irish problem.
The statement made in the beginning
OF this article that the tunnel is the
largest conception of the sort in the his
tory of the world, is shown beyond per-
adventure by comparison with the great
tunnels completed or in prospect. The
tunnel between Dover and Calais, or
England and France, would be no more
OF an undertaking so far as the building
OF the tunnel is concerned, than has been
accomplished half dozen times Beside
that the Dover. Calais tunnel is in statu
quo. In 1881 some 20O0 feet of expert
mental borings were made through the
chalk and mari, beginning at Folkestone,
but that is about all that has been &C.
plished.
There are tunnels under the Mersey,
the Severn and the Thames, the second
being the greatest of the three, brt the
/ bull ling thereof was as child's play COM
pared to this. These tunnels and the
one in the United States between Port
| Sarnia and Port Huron, and under the
Detroit river, comprise all of the sub
aqueous undertakings of this sort of any
note.