The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1905-01-12
WISE MEN IN ERROR
N1sTAKES RETARD
WORK ON sIMPLoM TUNNEL
Obstacles to Big Bors's Completion
Not Provided for In Plans
Enormous Expense
Entailed.

rns1neer Sulzer told the Society OF
kvias ENGINEERS at Winterthur, Swift
,rland. the other day Of the dimculties
that are delaying the completion OF the
nmplon tunnel year beyond the con-
tract time. He said that the predictions
n the xeolosists were incorrect, ana as
The estimates of the cost OF the tunnel
md the time 1t would take to dig it were
,artly based upon the geological prone
mpplfed to the engineers, the estima1eS
we're also wrong, reports . London pa
per.
1.-THE views Of the geologists." said MI.
Sulzer, proved to be extremely lncor-
rect. They told US, for example, that
from their examination Of the dip ana
strike OF the rock exposures they were
,onfldent that we should ind a strata
lifted to more or less perpendicular po-
dtion. which would be favorable TOR e.
aviation
But instead Of crossing the strata
In q practically vertical position, We
found them almost or quite horizontal.
This increased the labor Of perforation
and required enormous sums OF money to
make the roof of the tunnel secure. The
rock was not so solid or cohesive as 1t
would have been II the excavation had
i penetrated vertical strata.
1.-THE biologists told US that we should
encounter little water on the southern,
or Italian, side Of the tunnel. The fact
was, however, that We met great streams
of water. From August, 1900, to the
present time no less than 1922 liters a
second have been pouring from the south
end.
.'The biologists also told us that We
should probably find troublesome
streams at kilometer five on the north
side of the mountain. It was Just here
the rock was perfectly dry.
1.-THE pressure on the roof of the tun-
ael is much greater than it would have
been if the rock strata had been vertical
In one stretch about q half-mile long the
pressure was so great that no means we
had hitherto used were adequate.
Large tree trunks put in for sup
oorts were broken We finally intro
duced many steel pillars supporting
steel vaulting with which we lined thu
roof. The difficulty was overcome onl,
after six months of dangerous work, II
which our average advance in digging
was only Is centimeters day instead o.
~ meters.
Neither had we been led to expect thu
almost intolerable heat We encountered
We had been told that the maximum tenn
oerature at the depth of excavation
would probably be 107 degrees Fahren
heit. This would be bad enough, blu
not intolerable.
But suddenly we reached point II
the work where the temperature aros
to 131 degrees. Science Is unable to ex
plain the phenomenon.
THE refrigerating plant was mad
adequate for this new difficulty and W
managed to maintain the temperatur
at about II degrees Then suddenly tn
temperature fell to it's original leve
We are wholly unable to explain thes
rapid and enormous changes in the tenn
: perature.
I'VE were not troubled with infiows q
ihot water until August, last year, whe
j7O liters a second at a temperature q
118 degrees began to pour in on tn
inorth side of the excavation. w
largely neutralized the effect by refrie
Grafton, but the work was delayed for
time and the importing of hot water ha
a demoralizing effect upon our work
men.
These were the chief difficulties ths
compelled the tunnel company to as
!, for an extension of the contract tim
and an additional appropriation. Th
|. work is now proceeding in satisfas
tory manner.
The first tunnel will be opened I
traffic on April 80, 1905, and the CON
lpany. if necessary, will push the wor
. on Sundays and holidays to have every
!. thing ready on that date"