Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-02-07
ABOUT GREAT TUNNELS
Interesting Information for the
Young People
WONDERFUL UNDERGROUND PASSAGES

How the Railroads NOW So Onoer Nne
East and the Hudson Rivers-Some
Day a Tunnel Between Dover ana
caIais-Kaiser Had a Tunnel from
His Palace.
You must have listened to some
grown persons discussing the possl-
bility of a tunnel under the English
Channel. Have you ever mace the
CROSSING from Dover to Calais, or the
other way round? If you have, you
understand well enough how. although
the distance is not great, the waves
can tumble the little steamers about
in fine style. Did you stand far up
toward the bow, watching the plucky
boat plow its way on between waves
30 high on either side that they almos.
resembled a tunnel? OF course, that
was fine sport Would you be more GLAD
or sorry if some day. you found your
train or your motor slipping from the
mainland down into a safe and dry
real tunnel. leading under those waves
all the way from England to France
There is probability that this will
happen at q time not too long distant.
Why not? There are tunnels unaei
water plenty Of them. The New Iorh
subway goes through one, you KNOW
under the East river between lower
Manhatten and Brooklyn. Have you
never imagined that you could hear
the swishing of the water, as the train
plunges oown, going faster through its
cool, dark passage? The Pennsylvania
railroad has another tunnel under The
Hudson, too; when you travel for IL
stance, from Boston to Washington
your train first crosses Hell Gate orloge
then enters the tunnel under t he East
river (stin q different one than thai
which leads to Brooklyn), comes Out
suddenly at the Pennsylvania statlon'
only to dart into another great tun-
mel which brings it to the Jersey shore.
It is really very thrilling, don't soI
think so? 1t makes you want to kno"
how tunnels are made, how rock Is
broken up and soft earth overhead
kept from caving in.
Then, also. tunnels are not oy any
means modern conveniences you Will
find. The ancient Egyptians kne"
ways of tunneling through rock; SO
did the Nubians and most other an
cient civilized peoples. including the
Aztecs of America One very ancient
tunnel under the river Euphratcs was
made. we may read. by first diverting
the river channel, so that the masonry
could be constructed, in the bed Oh the
river. then turning the waters back
into their regular course. This wa!
would be considered a clumsy one to-
day: when it came to tools for maneu-
vcring the rock, the ancients vert
rather better supplied. For the Egypt
inns, at least. knew much ABOUT
Quarrying.
The Romans were by far the most
skillful tunnelers Of olden times. AS
with their roads, their aqueducts and
their public buildings. they were IN
dustrious, too; there were many no
man tunnels and these people founo
the great rocks which were In their
path. Suddenly they would turn colo
streams of water upon the hot rock
thus causing enormous cracks winch
made their work simpler. They mao
marvellous ideas about how to get tne
hest possible light into their tunnels;
the Romans thought all Of these points
out most carefully and nothing to theIn
was too difficult task to be underIa-
ken.
In the Middle Ages, tunnels were
enemy from farther distant places.
than for the benefit of the public as IN
roads and aqueducts. Those were the
days in which the mobiles lived in strong
castles, often perched upon mighty
rocks, the huts of their retainers ciust-
cred close about the castle for protec-
tion. The one thought was to be well
fortified against warlike neighbors OF
enemies from furthed distant places
They intrenched themselves oenlno
stout walls which scarcely admit'eC
light enough to enable dwellers there
70 see what they were about; there
were drawbridges. inner and outer
walls, moats. And, in many teuoai
castle. there was a secret underground
massage or tunnel, through which the
besieged could make their escape II
conditions looked bad for them anc
their enemies were about to take pos
session. -,
One of the famous castles, hish
ahove the river Rhine. is said to nave
such a mysterious tunnel running lot
ouite a distance underground and nm
a,,v coming up at the very edge OF tne
river. There the people OF the castle
might have a chance Of fleeing py poa'
or swimming through the swift-no"-
ing current to the opposite bank ana
so 70 safety. No wonder they needeo
such tunnels, when castles chahseo
hands so often and so Unexpectedly
Someone has provided hlmseil VIII q
secret tunnel, in these days OF the
Twentieth Century. Didn't you reaa
that the Kaiser had one made ready
for him to make his escape, In case
Allied airships came too near his head
quarters with their bombs? l did; So
YOU see, these old ways have not been
altogether forgotten even yet.
It was not until the days OF gunpo~-
der that the finest of the tunnels couid
be made; this valuable tool was hrs'
used in tunnel work at a place In
France, when the Languedoc canal
was being constructed in the latter
mart of the Seventeenth century. Al
ter that the popularity of tunnels tor
the public convenience and for the FUR
thering of commercial enterprises
were cautious about attempting to
grow rapidly. Tunnels on canals trun'
nels in mines, tunnels on railroads
tunnels under the water, all these have