Fergus County argus., 1906-05-15
The eehring Sea Tunnel.

could be secured from the Indians.
The eehring Sea Tunnel.
It is unfortunate that a project for
the construction of a railroad in ST.
IBERIA, to run from Behring Sea to a
junction with the Siberian railroad,
should be handicapped at it's very out
set by identifying it with the absurd
and impossible proposal to build the
railroad tunnel beneath Behring Strait.
Like the English Channel tunnel, the
Behring Sea suggestion is one that
seems to have taken firm hold on
the mind of what might be called the
engineering romanticists, and it takes
only a very slight occasion to open
the flood gates to a whole mass of
rhapsodical outpourings about these
"engineering triumphs" and master
pieces of modern construction" which
are to bring unlimited benefits to
commerce" AS matter of fact, not
even the English Channel tunnel, which
would certainly command from the
very day Of it's opening a heavy traf.
fic, if not profitable financial returns,
is likely to be built for several decades
to come, if ever. AS to the Behring
Sea tunnel, it would be located at d
distance of 5000 miles from the ST.
berian railroad, and about 1000 miles
from the nearest point on the most
northerly of the transcontinental rail-
roads in America.
Undoubtedly the activity in railroad
construction which is evident today
in Alaska will be permanent; and if
the country fulfills it's great promise
of unexplored mineral wealth. no doubt
the Alaskan railroads will be carried
we'll up to Behring strait. It is also
certain that Alaska will be ultimate
ly connected by all-rail route with the
railroad system with the rest of the
United States. The prospects of a
connecting railroad in Russian terri.
tory are at present apparently de.
pendent upon the success of an Amer.
ican company, which has been seek
ing concessions from the Russian gov
eminent. Their efforts, according to
recent cable dispatches, have been
successful. the Car being favorably
disposed toward the enterprise This
company, which believes that Siberia
is as rich in gold as Alaska, offers
to construct a tunnel and build a road
5000 miles long from East Cape tc
Kansk, in the government of Yeni
seisk, where it will join the Siberian
railroad; and in consideration of this
the company is to receive alternate
sections of eight miles on either side
OF the line, together with vauabls
mining concessions. Should this roat
be built, its source of revenue woulc
be entirely local. and any returns mus
necessarily wait upon it's settlemen
by immigration and the development
OF the supposed mineral wealth.
cradle amount of through travel by
way OF Behring Sea is very unlikely
or that Siberian-Alaskan route woul(
ever become, even in the event of The
construction of tunnel, a popular
route between the United States an,
Europe. The construction of the tun
mel would be an enormously costl,
undertaking. With it's approaches i
would be not far from 40 miles il
length. and because of the extremel,
high cost of labor in that inhospitabl,
region, the total cost would probabl,
exceed one hundred million dollars
But the most serious question of all
as showing the impracticability of
tunnel, is that of the great depth t,
which it would have to be carried
The depth of the water is variousl
stated at from 100 to 10 feet. whic]
means that the sub-grade of the tur
mel would have to be at minus 20
feet. in order to secure firm oyerlyin
material, and rock which was i'm
pervious to water. Should any fl:
sures be encountered at this deptt
the tunnel would have to be abandon
ed; for the use of the pneumatic prt
cess would be out of the question, tn
corresponding air pressure of abou
30 pounds to the square inch bein,
OF course, fatal to life.-Scientifi
American.
For Job work In any line, neatl