The Washington times., 1901-10-20
THE GREAT SWISS TUNNEL.
Cutting a Hole Through the Alps
at SimplOn.
A Stupcndous Task Now BEING Com
Observation-Disclosures Overcome by
Modern McthOda-The Engineering
Fcats-TyvcIye Miles in Length.

Visitors to Switzerland who in the
! course of their travels have visited
1 BTigue will know that it is the present
terminus of the Jura- -Simplon Railway
| (the most important line in the coun-
| try) in the Valley Of the Rhone some
seventy-two miles above the Lake of
Geneva. AT this point the nigh noun
! tains on either side come close to cne
| another. leaving in places but a narrow
valley through which the river in
! course of ages has cut Itself passage.
In order that a correct idea of the
! task may be given it will be desira bic
! to recapitulate very briefly what has
! already been done in the way of tun-
neling the Alps. The Mont Gents Tun-
| mel has length of nearly eight miles,
| and all trains have 10 attain at altitude
| of 4,24S feet above the sea level. The
| Arlberg is six and one-third miles in
length, with a height of 1900 feet. The
! st. Gothard is nine and one-third miles,
with a maximum altitude o. 3,1SS feet
! The Simplon Tunnel, now in rapid
! course of construction, viii be twelve
and one-fourth miles in length, but
ers that its traffic has not IL be taken
! to a greater altitude than 2,314 feet
above the sea level, or 1,474 feet less
than in the case of the st. Gothard In
other words, the level of rails at their
( highest point is only 60 feet above the
present railway at Brigue station, so
that no costly approaches nor helical
! tunnels are required to gain access to
the tunnel at its north end, nor viii the
haulage of trains be so heavy as in the
case of the other tunnels.
The work will at first consist of one
single line tunnel, lined with masonry
throughout, and one parallel passage or
heading" ~ feet in width by feet in
height, preparatory to a second tunnel
placed So feet apart axis from axis.
When the traffic necessitates second
tunnel it can be completed for about
one third of the cost of the first tun-
mel. The experience gained during the
construction Of the previous tunnels is
being turned to very good account, and
is resulting in great saving of life,
in much greater comfort fer the men,
and in a greatly abbreviating the Pc
riod of construction.
BY the end of the present month the
aggregate length of mountain pieced
Will be about 9.S6S meters, or 10, 100
yards, out of a total distance of ~, 73O
meters, or ELSA yards; thus rather
more than half the distance will prob
ably have been pierced. The work was
begun toward the end of 1885, during
which year the progress was 447 yards;
ty the end of 1899 the distance attained
was 4,227 yards; by December. 1g0O
7,947. and by the end of this month it
viii be about 10. 100 lineaI yards.
The rock through which the tunnel is
being driven is exceedingly hard, CON
sisting of granite and gneiss, with
veins of white quartz, but in conse-
qeunce Of the adoption of the Brandt
drill the galleries on the north side are
being advanced daily by a distance Of
no less than p feet inches. an Lnprec-
edented result, and certainly four TO
five times what has ever been attained
in tunnels in the United states through
similar material. The drill is three
inches in diameter. slowly rotating. but
kept up to its work by hydraulic prs
sure OF 1900 pounds to the iech, or OF
ten tons on the cutting point Of the
drill, and as all the waste water is dis
charged along the axis Of the tool, right
Up 10 the cutting edge, the temperature
Of the steel is kept cool and the de-
bris is washed out Of the hole. The
ventilation is excellent; the air is sup
piled TO the men right at the end of the
galleries in great volumes. over 5S, 900
cubic feet of air a minute being sup
piled. Owing to the height of the noun
tain and the great superintendent
mass over the tunnel, the temperature
OF the rock is as nigh as SO degrees
Fahrenheit, and special arrangements
are made by the employment of spray
and of ice for cooling the air. The to-
tai quantity of water flowing from the
tunnel. inclusive of both north and
south entrances. is rather under 5000
gallons minute, and is carried in eff |
cient side drains cut in the rock
The greatest care is taken for the |
welfare OF the men; they change shifts /
every eight hours, and are brought out |
in train loads. They are not allowed to |
encounter the cold Alpine air when |
emerging from the tunnel in their wet |
clothes. but are landed il a covered |
building or station, in which there are /
cubicles for changing their clothes fit /
ted with hot and cold douche baths. |
They take off their mining clothes, !
which are at once hung up in heated
rooms to dry. ready for their next days !
work. Adjacent is a restaurant at
which they can get all their meals, of /
excellent quality and at a very low
price. Breakfast, dinner, and supper
are provided at charge Of I'D Il day,
and beds are provided in rooms with
three others, furnished with electric
light, for further charge OF I'd night
Everything is kept is an excellent state
Of order and cleanliness. and the organ
ization throughout is quite without
precedent.
a strike took place recently owing to
the advent of two or three agitators, |
but the men themselves We're not aware
Of the reasons for striking, and they re
turned to work without having gained
any concessions. The cooperative sys-
tenn is in force. and the men have
direct interest in their work. If they
succeed in doing more than certain
rate Of progress. they participate in the
results.
The contractors for this great work
are Messrs. Brandt, Brandau q Co,
and are ably represented by Colonel
Locher. This gentleman was anxious
that Sunday shOnld be observed and |