The Newark journal., 1919-06-05

 started, before Napoleons career was finished at the battle ef Waterloo. And now more than 100 years later, the plans being gone over for the htueth time. perhaps. and all indications point to speedy beginning of actual work.
 Costing only S1000O000O and being at most seven years job, the whole task is being ap preached with confidence that is typealIy Brit lsh. Compared to expenses tine $190000000 Is trliitng The French favor the plan.
 Napoleon himself first officially suggested the plan of connecting continental Europe with tue British isles by means of tunnel According t0 the story still going the rounds in Europe Na- poleon.s inspiration came from engineer of the name Of Matheq in the early days of the last cen tury during the peace of Amiens
 Now members of the British cabinet and parlia- ment are trying to get operations started at once and for some weeks interchanges of views have taken place between the various interested ele- ments in England and with officials of the French government without any official cold water having been thrown in sufficient quantity 10 dampen the ardor Of the several promoters
 During the war a tunnel under the straits of Dover- the site approved by all promoters of the plan-would have been embarrassing 10 the Eng nsh. 10 say the least, military critics state Twice al least before the Germans were finally defeated the whole progress of the would have been affected, to the disadvantage of the allies. had the English field marshal been compelled to try to protect the French entrance to Il tunnel
  1914. tunnel entrance the French side would have placed the English general in the dilemma of either retreating toward the tunnel to save 1t or keeping fin touch with the French in the general re- treat and thereby preserving some kind of a con tinuous front against the Germans By breaking from the French and falling back on the tunnel the British force would have been surrounded and probably forced to surrender. it is figured out by prominent army men in England
 Before the war there was considerable army and navy objection in England to the tunnel project And when the came 1t was found that DOS session of tunnel in the first stages of the war would have been liability rather than an asset Now, however. with the advancement of on. eineerng knowledge old difficulties are removed It Is planned to install in the tunnel an arrange mcnt whereby one mile of the tubes cnn be flooded without actually destroying the whole structure thereby preventing the possibility of invasion of q hostile army.
 Actual steps have been taken to sound official opinion in France Bonar Law of Great Britain has communicated with Prime Minister Lloyd George in Paris, asking him to approach the French government for it's view on the subject
 It Is believed by official circles in London that the whole proposition is one for the French and British governments to settle, and not a subject for discussion at the peace conference.
 An Old Proposition.
 Many years ago the first tunnel was started from the English side beneath the straits of Dover At the present time the old tubes still extend 2O00 yards toward the French coast. The newer plans however will require two tubes, running side by side 300 feet beneath the surface of the sea One tube would be used for French bound rafe entirely and the other tube would be used for English. bound trains.
 Investigation has shown that the water in the straits of Dover is from 1G0 to 1S0 feet deep at the most The bottom of the sen Is kind of chalk formation that has been rendered watertight by tue fniltration of clay sediment. This chalk bed is about 100 feet thick, so that tunnel 300 feet beneath the surface of the sea, following the chalk strata would probably be safe enough, the en. gnecrs believe.
 At fairly close intervals the two tubes would be connected with oblique cross tunnels, which will assist in ventilating the long tubes By using cleo. tre trains the great objection of smoke from the usual coal-burning or oburning locomotives is re. moved.
 On account of the formation of the chalk bed Sir Francis Fox believes the two tubes should be curved enough to keep both lines well within the limits of the chalk formation.
 Jondap will be connected by rail with ail fhe