The evening times., 1900-01-27
THE TUNNEL OF SIMPLON
Another Connection Between ltaiy
and Switzerland
When Completed IL Will Accomplish
Saving of Seven or Eight Per
Cent on Travel From Paris to Nil
Ian-New Methods Employed in the
WOrk-The System of Ventilation.

The State Department has received from
following communication concerning the
Simplon Tunnel. The contract calls for it's
completion in five and one-half years, and
the price to be paid is 3,413, 500. 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 saving of 43.5 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 length of 9.3 miles.
when in the fifties 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
it was calculated that a period of twenty
years would be necessary for every 81
miles of tunnel drilled. Then the Engi-
neer Sommellier.. 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
the tunnel in eleven years. The St. Goth
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. 1t will he ~or-
fectly straight, except for a small curve
at the ingress and egress. The oo-4.--.-t
for the tunnel provides for fine of 1865
per day if the time limit is exceeded while
a gratuity of the same amount per day is
to be given if it is finished before the stip-
uated period. little computation will
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 hole, eXca-
yate, and follow it up with the finishing
masonry. making provision, of course, for
ventilation. which is generally sufficient at
first. 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 to drive TWO
holes parallel within the radius of the eX-
cavatons leaving dividing line, one hole
being eXcavated about 80 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
tilatiOn. powerful air blasts are blown in
TO one side of the tunnel which return
through the other side of the divide. and
rd al fnul a and
bad gases When the air in the interior
increases in heat. ii is cooled by showers
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 at 121 degrees Farenheit
by this means can be reduced 10 so degrees
Farenheit. These same streams furnish
1000 horsepower for driving drills. The
miners, therefore always work in an arti-
fetal atmosphere OF cool fresh air.
Engineer Brandt's invention is a hy-
draulic rotary drilling machine. by which
il is hoped TO complete the tunnel in less
than contract time. 1t is used singly and
in battery form. Prominent engineers
come from far and near to examine this
powerful mechanism.
"Another er of Mr. Brandt's inventions is a
machine for loosening and removing the
debris after the explosions and blasts. II
throws powerful stream of water in
jerky manner into the stones loosened 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 und Koniglich State Railroad in Vi
emma possesses the first hydraulic rotary
machine invented by Brandt. which he
used in tunneling through the ATlberg. in
Austria in 1867.
During November. in which ten days
were lost on account of the strike, there
was drilled at the south side 472 feet and
at the north side 40i feet. The total, since
the commencement of the work. is about
two and one-half milestone and one-third
miles at the north side and nine-tenths OF
a mile at the south side
ION November % 1899, the telegraph
brought the news of the death of Mr..
Brandt"