The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-30
LONDoN's RAPID TRANSIT.
From the Royal Exchange to Shop
herds Bush, Below Cheapside.


herds Bush. Below Cheapside.
London, Jan. 2O.-London will soon be
the owner of the most daring rapid tran
sit ever attempted. line is to be run
from the Royal Exchange to Shepherds
Bush, passing all the way in a nearly
straight line from Cheapside, Newgate
and oxford streets and the Bayswater and
Uxbridge roads. It will be between six
and seven miles long and will contain
fourteen stations The entire distance can
be made in five minutes were it not fer
the stops. There will be both express and
way" trains.
This rapid transit line will lie sixty feet
beneath the street surface, deep enough
down to escape all the sewers with which
London is perforated, deep enough to
avoid gas and water pipes, and further
down than the foundations of the tallest
buildings.
When the Central London Railway OBJ
tanned the franchise to build its rapid treu-
sit 1t was stipulated that the work should
be done without interfering with the sur
face traffic. Not for an instant must the
busy corners of Queen Victoria street, the
Poultry, Princes street, Mansion House
Place. Lombard street, Threadneedle
and Cornhill be interfered with, nor must
any debris cumber the thoroughfares
With these enormous restrictions IN their
naners of agreement the engineers set
to work to build London's rapid transit.
There was only one way to do H. ana
thar was by the Greathead Shield, the IN
vention of the recently deceased ehsihSeI
who designed it for the bulldlng OF the
civ and South London Railway, that
marvellous tunnel affair that runs peneath
the Thames. ...,-.,4 10
Tbis shield tunnels rapidly without de-
tis and though expensive II was aD-
soIutely needed for this rapid transit tuI-
mel. ,..e,,, ,,,,,a,,tion II
consists of a great steer cyliliuc i.. -
front end is closed with strongly -hlaue
hulkhead in which there are small open
;nge The front of the bulkhead IS also
f,I.nisbed with knives and chisels Tor
nloughing their way through the earn.
An kinds of burrowing tools can De htieu
M the front of the bulkhead, accord.hs
~ the substance to be penetrated Ihere
are tools sharp, round, scoop-hAe anu VI
every other conceivable shape:
The shield Is just a little larger imam
mo tunnel which is to be constructed. AT
,be beginning 1t is put in place peneatn
the surface of the earth, at the lls =.
denth and the machinery set gong IL
Is worked by hydraulic jacks. instantly
10 Knives in the front bulkhead begin
heir work. and the shield Is forced for
,,,ard IKE a locomotive As the knives
cut away the sand rock in front OF theh
A. &c forced inside the shield through the
email openings. As the shield mis- up u
is stopped and the earth and rock are sent
IN 10 the surface through the shatts SUNK
al intervals from the street for that pun
pose -. -, o,o,,o
or the rate of sixteen feet per day, which
Is wonderfully rapid. There are twenty
n;gbt of the shields burrowing from each
If the fourteen stations In opposite direc-
mons. and they will keep at work uhth
they meet midway. -,
MEANWHILE the workmen inside the tube
are busv. AS the shield carries them
along they are building up the iron TUBE
which forms The tunnel. This they 40
from inside the shield. As soon as the
iron tube is completed the shield Is moved
along There Is no chance for the earth
above 10 slip. for<the tube holds II up Just
before the tube is moved forward grout-
ing is blown in between it and earth apoVe
Grouting is q fluid cement, when haruehs
and holds all perfectly secure.
one Of the most interesting OF the Tea
lures presented is that of reaching the~e
underground trains. The approach Will be
nv elevator The passenger descends az
the station and finds himself IN very