The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-07
LARGEST TUNNEL IN THE WORLD.
Cut Through the SimpIOn Mountain,
Triumph of Engineering.

a Triumph of Engineering.
From the Springfield (Mass) Republican.
Nov. 49, 1885, work was begun on the
Simplon cunnel. The contract calls for
It's completion in five and one-half years
and the price to be paid is 69,500G00 francs
($13, Alb, 500. 1t will have a length of
twenty kilometers Twelve and four-tenths
miles, and will be the longest tunnel in
the world. When completed it will be the
third one connecting Italy with outlying
countries by direct rail and will accom-
plish a saving of seventy-seven kilometers
(forty-three and fve-tenths niles or from
7 TO 8 per cent. on travel from Paris 10
Milan as compared with the Mount Cents
or St Gothard tunnels. The Mount Gems
tunnel has a length of thirteen kllome-
ters eight miles, and the st. Gothard
length of fifteen kilometers mine and
three-tenths niles.
When. in the SOS, the wonderful prof.
ect 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 ana
fl was calculated that a period OF twenty
wears would be necessary for every i've
i-ilorneters (three and one-tenth miles, of
tunnel drilled Then Engineer Sommell-
lier. in charge of the work, construct led
the first drilling machine, and, although
crude it was satisfactory enough to ac-
complish ten times the work done by man
ual labor and enabled him 10 finish the
tunnel in eleven years. The St Gothard
tupnel was finished in from eight 10 nine
years, r,
The slmplon tunnel begins in Switzer-
land near the little town of Brig, in the
valley of the Rhone Canton Wallis, ana
ends in the valley of the Diver1a, on the
Italian side near Isella. 1t will be perfect
Nv straight. except for a small curve at
the ingress and egress. The contract for
the tunnel provides for a fine of 5000
francs CS960 a day if the time limit is eX-
caeded while a gratuity OF the same
amount per day is to be given if it is nm
ished before the stipulated period A ut
the computation Willis show how disastrous
strikes will be- A strike of ten days has
just ended.
The fundamental principle in tunneling
always has been to drive the hOlef exca-
yate and follow it up with the hnlshlnS
masonry, making provision, of course, Tor
ventilation, which is generally suf11cfent
at first, but which becomes insufficient
when the work progresses towards the
center when the incoming fresh air mixes
with the outgoing gases. The method en-
ployed by Engineer Brandt, who has been
in charge of the undertaking, Is to drive
Two holes parallel within the radius of
the excavations. leaving about seventeen
meters (ffty-hve and three -fourths feeD
i'm advance of the other. These are built
for a single track, and later on the di-
Viding wall can be broken through for
double tracks if necessary. AT distances
of about 200 meters 600 feeO transverse
connections between the tunnels are made
through the dividing wall and are pro-
vided with doors. To obtain sufficient
.T,,I f- IA m
into one side Of the tunnel. which return
through the other side of the divide and
thereby conduct outward all foul air and
bad gases.
Many Difficulties Overcome.
When the air in the interior increases in
heat it is cooled by showers Of cold wa
fer which has been led from the exterior
of the mountain under high pressure.
Through practical experiments in the
mines Of Spain, Engineer Brandt has prov
ed that air at 80 degrees c. 021 degrees
FL by this means can be reduced to Is
degrees c, go degrees F. These same
streams furnish 600 horse power for driv-
ing drills The miners, therefore, always
work in an artificial atmosphere of cool,
fresh air
Engineer Brandts invention is a hy-
draulic rotary drilling machine by which
it is hoped to complete the tunnel in less
in battery form. Prominent engineers
come from far and near to examine this
powerful mechanism. Another of Mr.
Brandt's inventions is a machine for loOs-
ening and removing the debris after the
explosions and blasts. 1t throws a pow
erfui stream Of water in jerky man
ner into the stones oosened by the force
of the blasts. thereby washing away the
dirt This makes the excavation easier
These machines run on rails and when
I'm use follow each other In rotation. The
historical museum Of the Kaserlich and
Koniglich state railroads in Vienna pos-
sesses the first hydraulic notary machine
invented by Brandt which he used in
tunnelnR through the Arlberg, I'm Aus
tria. in 1861.
During November, in which ten days
were lost on account OF the strike, there
was drilled at the south side IA meters
(472 feeD and at the north side 1913 meters
(4Oi feeO. The total since the commence
ment of the work Is ga meters about
two and ono-ffth milesj--l.lis meters Zone
and one-third miles at the north side ana
LAS meters (ninetenths Of a mile at the