Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-02-07
UNDER GIBRALTAR
Ere French Want mt to Connect Africa With
Europe.
AMBITIOUS TUNNEEING PROJECT

AMBITIOUS TUNREtlNG PROJECT
What Engineers Of the Past Have
Done In the Way .. Dissins Under
prso,und Passages and How These
Engineers Have Been outstripped by
Moderns.
while New Workers. are specu'ating
about the building of a tunnel under
tthe narrows to, connect Staten Island
with Brooklyn, Frenchmen are discuss
ing the possibility Of the construction
of a tunnel under the Straits Of Gibral-
tar. so .,st5,I.gAX la;fS
.;sub-sea and aerial travel are COM
paratively recent; sub land communi-
cation, which is infinitely harder to
achieve but involves less scientific
knowledge is as ancient as. the Egyp-
tians and American, Indians," !, says a
bulletin from the Washington, D c.
headquarters of the National Geo.
graphic society.
"The possibility of rail connections
between points like New Jersey and
Brooklyn, orlloading freight train in
London. for virtually. ,all-rail trip to
Cape Town, South Africa, is more than
the imagination Of the ancients con-
tempiated. A political aspect Of the
latter project is the putting Of France
in direct communication, via Spain,
with her colonies in North Africa.
Europe to Africa, by Tunnel? !.
Though it is probable that the much
discussed tunnel beneath the English
channel will not materialize for some
time to come, tunnel Joining the con-
tinent of Europe with Africa, should a
study of the geological conformation OF
the Mediterranean prove 1t feasible
would put France in direct communi-
cation through Spain with her colonies
in northern Africa. aa
Though modern tunnel projects
make the ,layman gasp at the audactity
with which engineers burrow through
age odd mountains, ,unmindful of SEEM
ingiy impossible barriers, tunneling
has been known since very early times.
Egyptians, Numidians and Ameri-
can Indians followed out underground
passages to their tombs or temples, and
early inhabitants on. the Euphrates
temporarily diverted the waters Of that
mighty river aside while they bored in
to the soft ground beneath the river,
and walled up the passage with brick
masonry. The. Romans had more pre-
tentious ideas and excaI ated a 5000
foot passage through the Posilipo hills
near Naples. ..a. ..,.
"Human MoIes" pierce Alps.
Human moles have made tracks
through the rock ribbed bases Of the
proud Alps. The second passage OF the
Smplon Tunnel, the longest. in the
world, will be opened to tourist traffic
early in 1922. Thus win be given an
opportunity of repairing the first OF
these tunnels which has, since its OPEN
ing in 1905, borne the burden OF the
travel between France and Italy
through Switzerland. Above the roof
of this tunnel, the 12l miles OF which
constitute the longest railway tunnel in
the world, rises the Simplon Pass. Ma
poleon saw the strategic Importance Of
this pass and caused the present car
riage road to be built over 1t. ,,r;.
."The simpion tunnel was designed
with a double passage, each section of
which. measures 1912 feet wide, but
heretofore only one has been complet-
ed. One interesting feature of the tun-
mel is that it is straight throughout ex-
cept for short curves at the erds where
the tracks through it join these On the
outside. The trains, driven by cleo
tricity, pass through it in about 25
minutes. ... ,,. ,,.,-.....,-..........
A, Route of Fifty Tunnels.
"One of the most interesting railroad
lines through the Alps is the Gothard
line with, its fifty tunnels connecting
Switzerland with Italy. The st. Goth
ard tunnel, with its between nine and
ten miles length, is older than the Sim
plon. The chief point Of difference be-
tween the two is in the grade. The
Simplon is driven at much lower al
titude and consequently can be used
for express service: and can carry
freight at much lower figure. The
air in the Gothard tame! is fresh and
free from smoke. ......... .~.
Since the building of these and 9TH
er tunnels through the Alps the famous