The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-06-28

ANN m with a tunnel under the EgliSh chan
Inn mol connecting the Births isles Win
- France Away back in O2 the IDEA
started before Napoleon's career wa nhisheu a.
the battle of Waterloo. And now. nre than loo
years later, the plans are being gone'ver for the
hftieth time, perhaps and all indicatms point 10
4 speedy beginning of actual work.
Costing only $1OO,OOOOOO and bein at most
seven years job, the whole task il being ap-
preached with a confidence that is tyfcally Brit
lsh Compared to war expenses. the lOOoVO'ooO
Is trifing. The French favor the plan
Napoleon himself first officially suggested the
olan of connecting continental Eurol with the
British isles by means Of a tunnel. Aording TO
Ihe story still going the rounds In Nope. Ma
toleons inspiration came from a1 engher of the
lame of Matthew in the early days OF Z last cen
sIry during the peace of Amiens.
Now members of the British cabinet ad parlia-
ment are trying to get operations stars at once
and for some weeks interchanges OF tws have
taken place between the various infested ele-
ments in England and with officials of e French
government without any official cold war having
been thrown in sufficient quantity to dnpen the
ardor of the several promoters.
During the war a tunnel under the traits Of
Dover--the site approved by all pronots of the
plan-woud have been embarrassing tdhe Eng
fish, to say the least, military critics stat Twice,
the whole progress Of the war would We been
affected, to the disadvantage of the aes. had
the English field marshal been compelled try to
protect the French entrance to tunnel.
During the retreat from Mons to the lrne in
1914, tunnel entrance on the French 81 would
have placed the English general In the dillma of
either retreating toward the tunnel to Sc 1t or
keeping in touch with the French in the geral re-
treat and thereby preserving some kind q con.
tinuous front against the Germans. By haking
from the French and falling back on thelnnel.
the British force would have been surround and
probably forced to surrender, 1t Is fguredut by
prominent army men in England
Before the war there was considerable aIy and
navy objection in England to the tunnel cject
And when the war came 1t was found th pos
session Of a tunnel in the first stages Of war
would have been liability rather than asset
[, Now however, with the advancementf en-
cheering knowledge old difficulties are r,oved
II ia planned to install in the tunnel an ange
ment whereby one mile Of the tubes can be eded
without actually destroying the whole stture
thereby preventing the possibility Of invasl Of a
hostile army
Actual steps have been taken to sound6ciai
opinion in France. Bonar Law Of Great dtain
has communicated with Prime Ministerloyd
George in Paris, asking him to approa the
French government for it's view on the suit
II is believed by official circles in Londs that
the whole proposition is one for the Fren and
British governments to settle, and not beet
for discussion at the peace conference.
An Old Proposition.
MANY wears ago the first tunnel was starterom
the English side beneath the, straits of Dow At
the present time the old tubes still extentOOO
wards toward the French coast. The newerans,
however will require two tubes, running by
hop nafh no I'm
tube would be used for French-bound traffic aely
and the other tube would be used for Fish
bound trains.
Investigation has shown that the water the
straits of Dover is from 100 to $50 feet deep the
most The bottom of the sea is kind of Xix
formation that has been rendered watertigby
the infiltration of clay sediment. This chalkd
Is about 100 feet thick, so that tunnel 3O(et
beneath the surface of the sea, following the TX
.trata. would probably be safe enough thu.
gineers believe.
At fairly close intervals the two tubes wouBe
connected with Oblique cross tunnels, whichal
y assist 10 ventiiating the long tubes. BY usinge.
trio trains the great objection Of smoke frone
nsnal coal-bhrning or burning locomotives
moved.
.. On account of the formation OF the chalk
Cir Francis Fox believes the two tubes shoulS
curved enough to keep both lines well within
1S.ssss If the chalk formation.
~ Tc-,,rc will be connected by rail with all