The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-13

tered In a mountain tunnel when Il has
attained q certain length.
II Is well known that the air frows cool
er with ascent. Similarly. the air grows
warmer as one desccnds. aud ". instead
of going down from level surface. as IN
the copper mines Of Lake Superior, one
simply pushes ahead horizontally into "A
mountain q mile or 80 below It's crest the
temperature will be observed TO rise la
the same manner.
During the construction of the Monte
Gents tunnel a maximum Of IS degrees
Fahrenheit was experienced. and In the
81. Gothard 81. II Is estimated that for
something like six miles of the Slmnion
tunnel the rock. when first laid bare, will
show temperature 81 ioi While the ST
Gothard tunnel was being cut no less than
800 lives were lost among the workmcn,
most OF them Indirectly. In consequence
OF this heat After engaging for hours
Tn vigorous physical toll inside the tun-
mel the men would 20 out into the Alpine
GOODNESS. take cold and die.
New Metsss:= Necessary.
But II such results followed the con-
struetlon Of the ST. Gothard tunnel, what
might be expected OF temperatures fifteen
or twenty degrees higher for much
longer distance? Il was this consideration
which gave rise TO what = the most inn
portant innovation In the slmplon tunnel
improvements there will be-. OF course.
In methods of drilling. blasting and re-
moving the fractured rock. but the chief
novelty has been planned for the sole
purpose Of abating the intense heat that
would naturally be- encountered.
The other great mountain tunnels OF
the world. even when designed to accom-
modate two railway tracks. are single.
The Slmplon tunnel VIII really be q PAIR
of parallel passdgewayH whose centers
are ffty-nve feet nine inches apart. Each
will afford room for only one track. ~
intervals OF 90 meters 85S feeO. as tho
workmen advance. they will cut small
cross tunnels 90 connect the main ones.
These openings will be closed with DOORS
an except that which at any particular
time happens TO be the one fariGest IN.
IA will then be possible BY forcing air In
through the other, 90 establish me CIR
culation For that portion Of the mead
ing which Is beyond the last aoor SUP
pls, Of air viii b. furnished through "A ten
inch nine by hydraulic blowers The air
viii he artincially cooled by "a water spray
before being pumped into the tunnel Al
ready this system Is In operation az the
routhern. or Italian. end. but for the
nresent a different plan has been en-
ployed az the northern end.
Accommodations of Foul AIR
When a tunnel OF this kind has been
uuished A slowly cools of inside. The
,emp.rature a. the middle Of the Mont Co
nla tunnel g. now ahout - or - degrees
Fahrenheit and Va the -. Gothard tunnel
between y and "a ana u remains substan-
ttaflv stationary the year round. IKE
Improvement may be expected TO occur In
me simplon tunnel. but more speedily than
IA the other instances on account OF the
plan Just described.
san. even after the heat has been as
posed Of. other evils have been experienc-
"a in the past. II has been deemed too
costly 10 cut vertical shafts from the tun-
mel 10 toe upper air for ventilaung pur-
poses. Accordingly there has been dis
sressing accumulation OF smoke and foul
gases from the locomotives. The products
81 combustion are imprisoned near the
middle OF the tunnel. because there is an
40 grade from each end to promote drain
age There is a tunnel IN the Apennincs,
between Bologna and Florence. In which
for a long time passenger and trainmen
suffered greatly from this cause on one
occasion. when one OF the crowned heads
81 Europe was riding through this tunnel.
the engineer ana fireman both became un-
conscious. AZ legth an engineer Of Boiog-
ma, signor saccafdo. proposed 20 nv bis