South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-08-25
To START WORK
ON BIC TUNNEL
UNDER CHANNEL
No More Opposition to Rail-
road Tube Under Eng
gIiSh Strait.

! LONDON. Aug. z5-Opposition TO
the proposed rauioa1 tunnel under
the English channel connecting Eng
land and France has practically dis
appeared and it seems certain this
great project will be started at the
close Of the war. if not earlier.
Arthur Fell. member of parlia
ment today described the plans for
the tunnel or rather tunnels, as fol-
lows.
England and France were separat-
| ed ears arc by the Eruption of the
North sea through that Straits OF
| Dover. but Nature. whilst dividing
the two countries. provided them
with an easy means OF future access
| by depOsiting at the bottom OF the
water of the Straights a thick layer
| of grey chalk, imperyious To water
| but very easily excavated 10y tubes
and tunnels
In this deposit of chalk. which is
l150 feet thick and which extends
/ from under the cliffs Of Dover right
across and under the cliffs at Cape
Girls Nez. in France it is proposed
/ 10 drive the Channel tunnel one
mouth OF the tunnel will sc in the
valley behind the cliffs of Dover and
! the ether near Wissant, behind tne
cliffs at Cap Girls Nez.
There viii be two tunnels, each
of 20 feet diameter. parallel with
each other. and about 40 feet apart.
| but connected with each other by
/ frequent passages. These tunnels
viii be of a size necessary TO take
full size sleeping and restaurant cars
of the modern great express trains.
To facilitate the construction of
the two tunnels "a tube about . feet
diameter Will be first driven in the
grey chalk right across and joining
up the two countries. This tube will
prove the ground and show any fis-
sures or faults which may exist, and
Will afterwards serve as "A drainage
tunnel for the two railway tunnels
a bove II.
Tunnel i'm Both Directions.
This tube will greatly speed up
/ tive construction of the railway tun-
nels. IL will have a light railway
track. and from it chambers viii be
eXcavdtod in the chalk, from which
! il will be possible 10 drive the tun-
nels in both directions, removing the
chalk excavated out by the tube by
this means instead of only driving
the tunnels from the two mouths in
| France and England 10 meet in the
middle. they viii from these cham
1 bers be driven in both directions to-
ward the shores. and the tunnels will
/ by these means be completed in half
the time. or about FIVE years.
/ There will be a hive OF industry
/ deep down i'm the chalk under the
middle of the Straights. where the
men will be working 10 meet the
men coming from the shores.
] The trains will be run by electri-
city through the tunnel, and the
! power stations for this will be on
each side of the channel and some
I FIVE miles from the coast Possibly
/ the railway from London to Dover
/ viii be electrified before the tunnel
service begins and then the trains
would run without stop from London
10 WisSant i'm France. where the mo-
tor would he exchanged for the To-
connective which would take the train
/ on TO Paris.
| The trains would run through the
tunnels at about thirty miles an hour
and at ten minutes intervals. which
means at about five miles apart. and
four hours each night would be re-
served for changing staff i'm the tun-
mel and doing necessary renewals.
The gradients and the curves. eN-
cept i'm the cliffs of Dover. will he
very slight. 50 the trains viii run
! very easily, and power of 10000
| kilOWatS would he more than sufti-