New-York tribune., 1905-06-13
TO PARIS BY RAILROAD.
Party Starts Tomorrow to Surrey
Route of Behring Tunnel

The all-rail route to make the trip from New
York to Paris possible without an ocean voy-
age and to render the frozen interior OF Alaska
accessible at all seasons of the year has the ap-
proval of well known American engineers. Its
accomplishment Is said to be no longer chimerical
The author Of the project to tunnel under Behrtng
Strait. NJ Loicq de Lobel. OF Paris, who has been
In New-York for the last month. sails on Thursday
on the French liner La Savoie taking with him. SO
he asserts the legally attested signatures of more
than thirty well known American capitalists and
engineers who approve his general plans. and who
viii act as the American executive committee
This organization will cooperate with similar COM
mittees already formed In both France and Russia
Out OF the membership Of the American commit
tee an advisory committee of consulting engineers
has been named. The members Alfred Craven
deputy chief engineer OF the Rapid Transit Com
mission; Edward Bond. OF Albany, chairman Of
the Advisory Board of Canal Consulting Engineers
OF the State OF New-York and Elmer L. Corthei.
q member of the board. who chief engi-
neer in the construction of the western section Of
the West Shore Railroad, and is now identified
with several large engineering enterprises in
Brazil; DR.. John A. l. Waddel consulting engf-
neer in bridge construction formerly OF this city,
and now of Kansas City. and J. L Harrington.
chief engineer of the Montreal Locomotive and
Machine Company
Alfred Craven. at the Offices Of the Rapid Transit
Commission, yesterday said:
regard the project rational and entirely feast
bic. and do not at this time see any insuperable
OF money and management or course II me tun-
miles across the strait Would be- possible. but I
know Of no reason to question the feasibility Of
the tunnel construction
NJ. de Lobel. seen at the Waldorf yesterday, said
The last signature to the membership of the
American executive committee that shall secure
@ @oetore sailing on my way to St Petersburg was
Inony with the plans for the enterprise are now
abroad.
The inception of the scheme for a submarine route
from Cape Prince of Wales. in Alaska, to East
Cape, on the Siberian coast, was in the mind OF
II. de Lobel In 1888 when, a member OF the Paris
Geographical Society. he visited Alaska and made
study Of the ethnography climate and geology
of the country. He made soundngs Of the strait
ana preliminary survey for tunnel in 1sOo and
since that time has given his entire attention to
making known in government. financial and en-
gineerng circles in Europe. and the United States
the possibilities Of the project
The members of the advisory board of consulting
engineers dned at the waldorf q few evenings ago.
and afterward held a business session. at which
Dr.. John A L Wadden was delegated to undertake
the official survey. He starts tomorrow for
Seattle.
DR.. WaddeI said:
OF course the most difficult portion of the project
IS the tunnel construction, but engineering opinion
IS that 1t can be accomplished in four years. The
water over the tunnel route varies from 165 to 1S0
feet at the deepest point. and the underlying rock
is intrusive granite. Midway between the Alaskan
Q! then-the larger OF which will permit the d.
vision OF the tunnel into two sections or nearly
equal length. and Will base for the erec-
ton of works necessary during construction and
also for motive power plant-electrto COM
pressed air-for moving trains and for the purposes
Of ventilation.
The total length of the tunnel, including the
approaches. will be about thirty-eight miles. The
rail route through Siberia will be thrty-eight hun
dred miles in length connection with the
Trans-Siberian road at Lkutsk, and on the Alas
kan end the route will pass Council City, Nulato
and Fairbanks to q point about @ hundred miles
south Of Dawson, where IL Will connect with the
Grand Trunk Pacific, as it's route TO Dawson has
been projected. The mileage in Alaska viii be
about twelve hundred. making total of five thou
The Russian Ministry of Railroads has approved
the project, and the Russian government has given
a concession Of land, eight miles wide each
side Of the route selected for the railroad Tho
next formaIity is the signing Of the imperial ukase
by the Emperor I going directly to St Peters
burg submit to the Gar the evidences of Ameri-
can interest in the matter.
The special committee behalf of the Russian
government to prepare the terms OF the uksse mas
been named. expect no delay. l shall return
to New-York in October. when an American COM
pany Will be formed with ample capital to pro-
ceed with the actual work of construction The
the influential character of the men who make up
the French and Russian committees. leaves no
doubt that all the money needed will be available
The enterprise it is said. will probably be capt.
talized at $3.50 100000 $780, 100, and the money
centres of France. Russia and the United States
will be asked TO share in the financial phase Of the
project.