The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-07-23

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 9.-"Two
complete the tunneling of Boring
Straits and within six years the rail-
road that will connect two great hemi-
spheres will be in full operation"
Loicq de Lobel, the French geogra-
pher, who has formulated extravagant
plans for betting the globe with steel
rails and foresees the realization of his
gigantic scheme, which involves a
route beneath the waters that separ-
was in a most sanguine mood when
seen yesterday in his apartments at
the Palace. Other than in a general
way he had little to add to what was
told in yesterdays Call of his great
project, which, in fact, has as its most
enterprising and interesting feature the
proposed tunnel under the Straits of
Boring, a distance of thirty-seven
miles, which he. does not regard as a
very difficult task or one that will in
volve a period of labor of more than
two years.
1t is mainly to the ingenuity of
American engineers that De Lobel |
looks for the solution of the problem |
as to which Will be the best means of |
carrying out his plans in so far as they |
apply to the Boring Straits portion of !
his undertaking. The American, he
argues, is capable of accomplishing the
work which many have been pleased to
refer to as a difficult feat, but which
he regards as being no more difficult
that the construction of a great tun-
mel beneath the channel from Dover
TO Calais, proposition which has been
pronounced perfectly feasible.
A FEASIBLE PROJECT.
In discussing this subject yesterday
De LobeI said:
We propose to have a large and airy
tunnel, possibly two and, if necessary,
.hree. The distance to undermine is
miles and we have tho
'oughly acquainted ourselves with the
of the bottom of the waters
inder which we intend to operate. 1t
s of a granite formation and just the
ort that will best serve our purposes,
n that it will be a safeguard against
eakage and most formidable in resist
ng the great pressure that will have
n no rr-i+h 10 of
he two Diomede islands will be used
for compressed air station
nd repair shops. We have taken +
oundings of the entire breadth of the
traits and find that the average depth
f the water is $50 feet. With these
acts before us, our engineers have es-
mated that it will cost in the neigh
orhood of s65, 100000 to build the tun-
els and their connections.
Referring to his maps, De Lobel
bowed where it was purposed to en- "
er into traffic arrangements with the
lines of the United
tates for the transportation of pas
engers across the country from New >
ard to Seattle, from whence his own a
,mpany will build still farther north u
ard to Boring Straits, by way of ~
uneau, penetrating the various rich
ineral districts of the northern pos "
ession, which he figures will in ten
ears time be thickly populated and @
: yielding enormous quantities Of tin, :
Did, copper and other metals and :
yentually developing into one of the
reatest agricultural places in the
ord. From the eastern terminus of a
lie Trans-Siberian road at Irkootsk,
n the other side, to the coast, north
ard at a point directly opposite the
ONT on the Alaskan shore where the
lnnel is to begin, the company in 4
hich De Lobel is interested purposes I
} also build a road and he says that {
4 understanding has already been had 1
it'll the Russian officials that the ST. 1
erian road viii be Joined in the all /
lii project, with a view of developing J
lie eastern country of the Cars do
ain.
TO EXPEND MILLIONS.
OF these plans De Lobel said yester-
~: