The evening times., 1900-01-27
The TUNNEL OF SIMPLON
Another Connection Between Ita,y
and Switzerland
when Completed IL VIII Accomplish
IA saving of Seven or Eight Per
Cent on Travel From Paris tn Nil
Ian-NeNv Methods Employed In the
WOrk-The system of Ventilation.

The State Department has received from
Consul A. L. Frankenthal, at Berne, the
following communication concerning the
simplon Tunnel The contract calls for its
completion in five and one-half years. and
the price to be paid is Sl2 413.5OO. II will
have a length OF 12.4 miles. and will be the
longest tunnel in the world When com
pleted, It will be the third one connecting
Italy with outlying countries by direct rail.
and will accomplish a saving Of 435 miles.
or from to per cent on travel from Paris
to Milan, as compared with the Mount Ce-
mis- or st. Gothard tunnels. The Mount Ce-
mis- Tunnel has a length Of miles and the
st. Gothard a length Of SO miles.
when in the fftIes the wonderful pro-
ject Of drilling the Mount Cents Tunnel
was undertaken, fathered by the courageous
Italian Minister OF State Cavour. no ma
chimes for drilling were in existence. and
II was calculated that a period OF twenty
years would be necessary for every 81
miles OF tunnel drilled Then the Engi-
neer Sommeillier. in charge OF the work
constructed the first drilling machine, and.
although crude. IL was satisfactory enough
to accomplish ten times the work done by
manual labor. and enabled him to finish
ard Tunnel was finished in from eight TO
nine years.
The Simplon Tunnel begins in Switzer-
land near the little town Of Brig. in the
valley OF the RhOne. Canton Wallis and
ends in the valley Of the Diyeria on the
Italian side near Isella. II will he -0--
fectiy straight except for a small curve
AT the ingress and cgTess. Inc oJ--.---t
for the tunnel provides for fine OF 1865
per day II the time limit is exceeded while
a gratuity OF the same amount per day is
TO be given if il is finished before the stip-
ulated period a little computation viii
show how disastrous strikes viii be. a
strike Of ten days has just ended.
The fundamental principle in tunneling
always has been TO drive the hole eXCa-
Vate, and follow IL up with the finishing
masonry. making provision, cf course. for
ventilation. which is generally sufficient al
irst but which becomes insufficient when
the work progresses toward the centre.
when the incoming fresh air mixes with
the outgoing gases. The method employed
by Engineer Brandt. who has been IN
charge Of the undertaking is 10 drive two
holes parallel within the radius Of the eN-
cavati0ns. leaving a dividing line. one hole
being eXcavated about - 3-4 feet In ad-
vance OF the other.
These are built for a single track and
later on the dividing wall can be broken
through for double tracks If necessary.
At distances Of about 656 feet transverse
connections between the tunnels are made
through the dividing wall, and are prOvid-
ed with doors. To obtain sufficient ven
JilatiOn, powerful air blasts are blown iu-
20 one side Of the tunnel which return
through the other side Of the divide aHd
. thereby conduct outward all foul air and
. bad gases. When the air in the interior
| A. /. III an.H
{ OF cold water which has been led from the
exterior Of the mountain under high pres
sure.
"Throught practical experiments in
the mines of Spain. Engineer Brandt has
/ proven that air al 121 degrees Farenheit
/ by this means can be reduced 10 80 degrees
I Farenbeit These same streams furnish
! 900 horsepower for driving drills. The
miners therefore. always work I'm 9u aTu-
I fetal atmosphere OF cool. fresh air
/ Engineer Brandt's invention is a hy-
/ draulic rotary drilling machine. by which
/ iJ is hoped TO complete the tunnel In less
( than contract time. Il is used sinEly and
/ in battery form. Prominent engineers
/ come from far and near 20 examine this
| powerful mechanism
/ Another Of Mr.. Brandts inventions is
/ machine for loosening and removing the
/ debris after the explosions and blasts. Il
throws a powerful stream OF water in
I jerky manner into the stones loOseued by
! the force of the blasts. thereby washing
/ away the dirt. This makes excavation cas-
/ ier. These machines run on rails and
/ when in use follow each other in rotation.
/ The historical museum OF the Kaiser
Itch Uud KOniglich state Railroad in Vi
/ emma possesses the first hydraulic rotary
/ machine invented by Brandt which he
/ used in tunneling through the Arlberg, in
/ Austria. in 1867.
During November. in which ten days
4 were lost on account OF the strike there
/ was drilled at the south side 472 feet and
/ at the north side 404 feet The total. since
/ the commencement OF the work. is about
| two and One-haf miles-one and one-third
miles az the north side and nine-tenths OF
I a mile at the south side
"On November %. 1899 the telegraph
/ brought the news Of the death of Mr.
Z Brandt"