Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29
is probable that LORD wolseley simply hesi.

is probable that Lord woiseley simply hest
tated out of tenderness for that ideal
That the present-day British parliament
viii continue to hesitate is not probable In
one sense England will cease TO be an island
with the completion OF the tunnel. hut they
now see clearly that she will still be never
theless surrounded by water That not even
the maritime carrying trade Will be mate
rally injured appears plainly from the
whole development of underground railways
in the great capitals. The Paris Metropol-
tan has neither injured cabs nor tramg. ON
the contrary there are more of both than
before the Metropolitan underground exist
Cd. the two systems developing together 10
supply the growing needs OF transportation
ton.
1 have. therefore heard It affirmed I'm cir
Giles where they ought to know that the
present-day obstacle to the tunnels com
pletion is much less English insularity than
the mighty calculation Of ways and means.
Taat the great railway corporations ON
both sides OF tho silver streak have laid
their hands on the project is not 20 be
doubted You may say that the channel
tunnel is good as constructed. That II
VIII be a tunnel also is certain.
How could u be anything but tunnel2
II could be several other things-fur the
sake of economy. principally. and for ono
other consideration. as you shall see. This
~ the English insularity already referred TO.
When the electric trolley system becaDle
fully developed. and when In Berlin and
other parts Of Europe modification OF II
had been applied to elevated railways. and
in particular to suspended one-raii lines. tho
French COmpagnie du Nord actually studied
a plan for a channel bridge.
Might Be a Tube.
About 1903 l heard some fourth hand
whispering about It and described in this
paper Sunday. April 20. 1900 the scheme
of the pneumatque tube for mall and eN-
press packages which I now learn to have
been at that time the proposed opening
wedge to split British prejudice. The tube
was to be suspended by cables hanging he
tween towers built up frol0 the bed Of the
channel.
now am told that the entire secret
scheme comprised the development OF ms
mail and package tube into n magnih-
cent steel bridge reposing on the aforesaid
plies with a suspended one-ratl trolley sys-
TEN hanging from its center.
Such channel eleyated' could not pos
sbly give rise to an invasion scare; but
there was an international difficulty hat
would have probably been sufficient alone
to squelch It, The channel is neither French
nor English. 1t belongs to the world Also
It is the most travelled piece Of water IL the
world Belgium, Holland. Germany, heE-
mark and Russia would all set up hoWl
at such impeachment TO free traffic.
The tube and elevated schemes fell,
while submarine plans remain private
question between France and England.
Why submarine" instead OF TUNER
Because, for the sake Of economy, the great
to avoid tunnel-digging by simply laying
a gigantic steel tube across the bottom or
the English channel.
Such a gigantic tube would. for I'll prac-
teal purposes but one, be equivslenty n
tunnel Trains would run through It at the
same speed, with the same pumping ar
rangements for air supply. The problem
OF the approaches on each side would be the
same. In case of attempted INVASION the
English could destroy II with even greater
CELEBRITY and ease than a tunrei.
But here entered the objection. WHAT X
the gigantic tube should be injured by ac-
cident? What If a big man-of-war or trans
Atlantic liner should sink OF ii and cut II
open2 1t Is seen that there might be a
Observation-Disclosures there be a train In the
tube at the time.
They have, therefore, returned to the tun-
mel, all the more readily because OF tho
ws,zaderful progress of tunnel-borng OF re-
cent times. The distance from Calais to
Dover is eighteen miles. Well, the Simplon
tunnel IS over twelve miles long. That OF
Mt Cents is seven and a half miles long,
while the length Of the St. Gothard IS
nearly ten miles. On the other hand the
Rouen chalk which forms the bottom OF the
English channel from the French cHns 10
the English cliffs will make perfect tun-
neling medium.
'SyNe will pierce II like a cheese" re-
marked one of the Paris Metropolitan en-
gineers, called In as consultant.
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS.