Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-02-16

possible barriers. tunneling has been
known since very early time
Egyptians, Numidfans and American
Indians followed out Underground las
sages to their toIrbs or temples, and early
inhabitants on the Euphrates tenYporar-
lily diverted the waters of that mighty
river aside while they bored into the
soft ground beneath the river and walled
up the passage with brick masonry The
Romans had more pretentious ideas and
ecayated a 1900 foot passage through the
Posislpo hills near Naples
Human moles have made tracks
through the rock-ribbed bases of the
proud Alps. The second passage OF the
Sini2lon Tunnel. the longest in the world,
will be opened to tourist traffic early in
1922. Thus will be given an opportunity
for repairing the first of these tunnels
which has, since its opening in 1905, borne
the burden of the travel between France
and Italy through Switzerland. Above
the roof of this tunnel, the u IA miles
of which constitute the longest railway
TUNE in the world, rises the Simplon pass
Napoleon saw the strategic Importance of
this pass and caused the present carriage
road to be built over 1t
The Simpson tunnel was design ed
with a double passage. each section of
which measures IL 1-2 feet wide, but
heretofore only one has been completed.
One interesting feature of the tunnel is
| that it is straight throughout except for
| short curves at the end where the tracks
through it join those on the outside. The
trains, driven by electricity, pass through
it in about 25 minutes
zone of the most interesting railroad
lines through the Alps Is the Gothard
line with its fifty tunnels connecting
Switzerland and Italy. The St Go. thart
tunnel. which is between nine and ter
miles long, is older than the Slmplon. rh'
chief point of difference between the two
is in the grade. The Simplon IS driver
at much lower altitude and conee
uently can be used for EXPRESS service anC
can carry freight at a much lower figure
The air in the Gotthard tunnel is fresi
and free from smoke.
"Since the buildings Of these and othei
tunnels through the Alps, the famous o.,
l'asses which have figured so conspicu
ously in history are becoming less FIRE
quented. Romance still cEngs to Mon
Cfenevre, probably crossed by Hannibal
and surely by Caesar in IS B. c. and t.
Mont Cents, which heard the tread of tt
Franllish kings as they marched int
Lonrbardy. Then there are the little st
Bernard which Caesar also used. and tn
Great St Bernard. famous for its hospic
founded in $50, and refounded in tn
eleventh century by s.. Bernard Of Men
tfon, which gave suceor to the lost an
needy among the thousands Of pilgrim
, who were on their way to Rome
, To quench the thirst of New York cit
, men now are cutting their way beneat
! a part of the Catslzill mountains for al
, most l Smiles so that during the seaso
of plenty, 6OO.OO0,OOO gallons of waite
Gay may he diverted from the Sehohari
watershed into the Ashokan reservoir
when the miners in the Cripple Cree
gold districts found that they mus di
dea1er into the earth for the preciou
metal, water poured in upon them an
laampered their operations. Pumps fsile
. to relieve the situation, so heads go5 tc
gether and it. was decided that a tunn'
must be built. Thus the Roosevelt Dee
Drainage Tunnel. one of the longe.
: mining tunnels in the world. which wa
completed in 1921 came into being.
con the Toulouse to Barcelona mi
way through the Pyrenees mountain
! which is now in the process Of constru,