New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-08

,.s eyer-ree uIiihe ..
OK There was discussion
,he Tunnel Presently my
~ 'sssor. whom l did not know re-
So cav nothing. should like TO
y, a,st YOU think about it
I'm an American and US no.
nnsrsl" or,r,on
gas , think the
Tpnncl will only 10 built Nhen
r,slish people have taken 'esNe o'
AZ senses 5 NTH 3
surprise. asked
=. YOU know who l am
SIP Frederick BrsmwelL
nov that as the name Of a sreat
greer go, don't
NAT am Consulting Engineer
4, channel Tunnel
I'D known could not have said
lido. but no offence was meant
..s.r and the talk went on.
-, must have been some twenty
r,srs ago. IN the days when Sir
- Watkin was pressing the
-. =, the interest Of the South
,,.-n Railway. Of which he was
- He had strong following
80 House Of Commons, where sat
..sxtv or seventy railway directors
y. acre IN the habit OF voting 20
-, m railway matters. he had
'.,,r-ed Mr. Gladstone. who by that
.hss made his memorable 6eclara-
II. srowing himself ashamed that
- Engishman could base his opposi-
-. ~ the Tunnel on distrust Of the
..,-sship q France: country with
..,,s England had been for HUNDREDS
,,,.-s 81 war. There existed A. the
-. ~ good understanding between
,.s,srd and France. but Mr.. Glad
,,,..s views o. fore gn relations were,
!. rule. personal Military opinion
80, A. now. vas against the scheme
10 volseley AZ the head OF IT, the
r,,,.st English soldier Of his time
,,b the most scientific knowledge Of
,r and Of war problems
r., then. a. now. there was great
.sy OF commercial and economic opin-
u. ~ favor ~ project which prom
- commercial and economic ad-
u,tsges. There always is in this
..strv. There are always men whose
,s,on any public question depend on
,.5a In that sense England, or one
,.sr,ul section Of the English COM
,-ry. is to-day what Napoleon
s.dra hundred years ago and more
,s,ion Of shopkeepers. In respect 10
,,aers which they understood. the
ar.sspers and manufacturers are
ns- q great ssgacity. In matters OF
oar which depend on something else
ssr the Board OF Trade returns they
70 eftsn sadly 70 seek. Their acute
as Of vision serves them well tiil they
IN. 10 the coast line Beyond that
',.if vision grows dim.
81 Frederick Bramwel was kind
so8gh to explain 10 me the engineer
~ contrivances 10y which. as lie in
ntsd. all risk Of invasion through The
-urnel could be met. need not re-
xsi them because most Of them have
sns been abandoned as inadequate.
nd none Of them. nor all Of them to-
,,hsr. touched the gravest objections
. the Tunnel He had the art n stat
n even engineering technicaliies IN
way which made them ineligible 10
10 lsymsn. His mind worked like ole
. bis machines: with perfect precision.
listened in q spirit OF docility. II was
Ee'cundly interesting and, if YOU ar
',red his point Of view, convincing.
Wien he had finished ventured to tell
In 20. and he replied as one who had
riumphed
Then ] have converted YOU
Vel, Sir Frederick. l should rot
ram OF disputing with YOU on mat
~ o. engineering But there is still
~ point on which ! should like 20
ssf YOU II seems clear that these
'uaoerful mechanical devices are not
nc can not be automatic. In the last
's'i they all presuppose the action Of
n human will. by which only can
~ he set in motion. They involve
. obstruction Of the tunnel. or OF
'a'srisl parts Of it.-an enormous re-
'Dasibility. some one man must az
" mat responsibility; must decide,
w Perhaps decide in q moment,
Wv &c ~ SCI - AliiilAifilA tiVNt,' 4
y 'Ss'fy him. on the one hand. IN sac
~1's { enty millions sterling OF
''''fr'y or. on the other. in rlsking
va me immediate possibility Of a
's use Of the tunnel. He has 10
Between those two alternatives.
want 20 ask you is whether
ave invented a machine which
make II certain that, al such n
.''shl The brain and the will power
us ne man shall be in such per-
~ working order as 20 insure his de-
~t tightly and not wrongly. The
w Of the Tunnel and the safety Of
'tAnd depend on that"
'sN Sir Frederick.
'Vu are applying a psychological
70 problem in mechanics. II