Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-22

later the chamber of commerce took IL up,
ana asked for government assistance in
getting preliminary soundings. and also for
a guarantee of interest on the capitai in
vested. But the enterprise looked bigger
than IL does now. and 10000. 600 sounded
like more money then than II does now and
the government was afraid to go into It.
About the only danger now, from an en-
gineering viewpoint, is ths possibility OF
assures in the rock. The various strata
that would he crossed are known to be in
diyidually waterproof. but a fissure where
two strata are joined might spoil the whole
plan, and make IL NJ CesSary 10 find some
other place OF crossing tnan that now
selected, connecting Strlnrae- on the Scotch
side with Aagee l. and, twenty miles north
east of Belfast, N the Irish side. This is
not the narrowesJ point in the channel but
IL is the most feasible. Even here the tun-
mel would have to make a detour Of two or
three miles under water, 10 avoid an espe-
cially deep depression, running along paral-
lei with the Scotch coast. With the route
as at present laid cut, it is estimated that
the tunnel az It's dee pest point would be 500
feet under the surface of the "a, and that
the steepest gradient will BE- one in seven
ty-ltve, which is nothing extraordinary.
Any American engineer would consider
the estimate oil ten years time required for
this job to be rather liberal. for great pro-
gress has been made in the speed of tunnel
digging in TIL last twenty years " hen
The ST. Gothard tunnel was begun In lSI.
the highest rate OF progress was two and a
haf yaros day. E.eVen years later the
average rate OF progress IN the Arlberg
tunnel W2s twelve yards day. Since then
the Increase has been rapid, and Il a chance
is given to American contractors TO bid on
the tunnel. the British public viii be rather
likely TO discover that il wouldn't take ten
years to tie England and ireland together
with steel.
Would Ii Pay.
Not a little doubt has been expressed
about the financial feasibility of this ex-
traordinary undertaking. Would the gov
eminent have to go down into ITS pocket to
find the per cent? 1t is said in reply that
a large part Of Irelands growing commerce
would reach England through the tunnel,
Which would expect to compete with the
channel steamers in price, and, of course.
far outrun them i'm speed. Ii is said, fur
thermore, that the green isle has vast pos
sibilities as yet undeveloped, and only wait
ing for something TO come along and stir
them up. Owing to the efforts of Irish capt.
taliSts, tourists are beginning to take a
greater interest in the island than they ever
took before, and IL it were not such a diff
cult place to reach they could be expected
to go there in shoals. As the route to Scot
land would be SO short and quick. il is ex-
pected that Irish produce would find new
and profitable market in the manufacturing
towns of Scotland and the north of Eng
land. And, perhaps most important of all,
il is rather expected that tunnel would
induce some of the Atlantic transport lines
to make Ireland their terminus-Galway be-
ing the place in mind
j asked a representative of an Atlantic
steamship line what he had TO say about
that plan. He answered that it seemed
feasible. and that il would especially be
worth considering when the day came that
Atlantic liners would be built TO carry only
passengers. He seemed TO think that that
day might come pretty soon.
CURTIS BROWN.