American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-06-06

the engineer, estimates viii be p~ossible-London
will be literally next door TO Paris ana III drect
touch with I'LL Of Europe MI the time.
This will mean two or three days saved by traV-
elers going from New York to Paris-to say notn-
Ing OF the comfort of those who VIII oseape t"e
rough channel trip from England to France Wheh
even the sturdiest sailors frequently suffer from
sea sickness.
There are many "Ifs' about the whole business,
but one IF" exists that has attracted a lot OF ut.
tentlon from the public, and that Is, "f the tnhhel
Is built II viii cost no more thna one days cost OF
wnr-and ut most the cost of two days OF war;
one or two hundred million dollars expended on
any worthy enterprise these days is considered hs
n trinlng sum by even the man in the street.
The announcement Of the project causes no sur
prise on this side of the Atlantic. America IN
rather disposed to wonder thnt the tdhhel WIS h"t
built long ago.
The truth is that when Bleriot flew from French
soil to English soil Just before the war; john Bull
opened his eyes wide and they have not closed
since. Ills mastery isolation of centuries was
gone In II twinkllng. Much has happened since
then. The air Is darkened every day with air
nayies passing to and from London to Paris. Bri-
tRhnia rules the waves under the new league, all
right, but the waves are not all ana no one
knows this better thnn the lady with the trident
who Is giving much of her time to the new medium
of communication. But the point Is that the con-
quest OF the air has given the tight little island Il
new view of things.
The distance between Dover md Calals-a bit
of choppy sen most of the time on the surfnce-S
TO be overcome by tunnel. The government lender
In the British house of commons has so announced.
II Will be Il Joint governmental undertaking 10 be
started ms part OF reconstruction. A matter of o
ID hundred millions to two nations, innOcently be-
Ileved to be bankrupt from the war, Is no barrier.
Tunnel construction Is the steel rod In the ce-
ment Of peace covenants, Both nations are fast
becoming bilingual. The tunnel Will help along the
"cntente cordlale" after the war.
AS n sense Of protection for both nations, the
channel tunnel will be Of avail. II Is main
tnlned that II the bore had been In existence five
years ago things would have been different and a
four-ycar agony would not have fallen upon the
two nations.
FIFTY years ago, when the tunnel project was
dcclnred TO be perfectly feasible from an engineer
ing point, military men opposed It. 1t Is very anus
Ing rending the debates Of those fnr-of days. Eng
land. they said, could never afford to take chances
with Il tunnel the island would be no longer m
island some dark night the enemy would seize tn
two ends of the bore, and 10 and behold! Englan'
would be invaded Strategists condemned tn
plan, much to the discontinue of business.
Before the war broke. when the new discovery II
aviation changed the perspective, tunnel recon
struction was being urged. Now as u war measur
and France and Britain are still taking precau
lions I'm cnse the millennium Is a false nlarm-th
tunnel II approved by army men. Commercial
there never was any question about II. Franc
has sought II consistently for almost n century
France has vision.
International tunnel construction ls 10 be IN
order Of the day. The nnti0ns are 10 be j0ine
closer together. The straits OF Gibraltar are 90 b
tunneled II plans carry, and very likely East an
West-the Occident and the Orient-will be jOine
by n tunnel under the BOsporus. And It is we
within the bounds that this continent may !
FAXED with another continent by Boring stra
tunnel, frs propounded by an early governor
Colorado.