The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-02-15


"While New Workers are speculat
ing about the building Of tunnel I'M
der the NarrowS to connect Staten is
land with Brooklyn, Frenchmen are
discussing the possibility Of the con
struction of a tunnel under the Straits
of Gibraltar.
"Sub-sea and aerial travel are com
paratively recent: sub-land commune
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.
Though it is probable that the
much discussed tunnel beneath the
English channel will not materialiZe
for some time to come, tunnel join
ing the continent of Europe with Afri-
ca, should study of the geological
conformation of the Mediterranean
prove it feasible, would put France
in direct communication through Spain
with her colonies in northern Africa
although modern tunnel projects
make the layman gasp at the audacity
with which engineers burrow through
age-old mountains, unmindful of seem
ingly 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
into the soft ground beneath the river
and walled up the passage with brick
masonry The Romans had more pre-
tentious ideas and excavated a 5000
foot passage through the Posilipo
hills near Naples
"Human MoIes" Pierce Alps.
"Human moles have made tracks
through the rock-ribbed bases of the
proud Alps. The second passage of
the Simplon tunnel, the longest in the
world, will be opened to tourist traf-
fic early in 1922. Thus will be given
an opportunity for repairing the first
of these tunnels which has, since it's
the travel between France and Italy T
through Switzerland Above the roof |
of this tunnel the 12A miles of which
constitute the longest railway TUNE,
in the world. rises the Simplon pass
''Tlle Simplon tunnel was designed
with Il double passage, each section
If which measures 1872 feet wide, but
heretofore only one has been com
1leted.
lone Of the most interesting rail
Dad lines through the Alps is the
1otthard line with its SO tunnels con-
lecting Switzerland and Italy. The
It. Gotthard tunnel, which is between
line and ten miles long, is older than
lie Simpon.
"Since the building Of these and
ther tunnels through the Alps, the
amous old passes which have figured
0 conspicuously In history are be-
oming less frequented Romance
till clings to Mont Genevre, probably
rossed by Hannibal, and surely by \
'aesar in IS B. G. and to Mont Cents
-hich heard the tread Of the Frankish
ings as they marched into Lombardy
hen there are the little st. Bernard
hich Caesar also used, and the Great
t. Bernard, famous for it's hospice
bundled in $50. and refounded in The
leventh century by st. Bernard Of
[enthon, which gave succor to the
st and needy among the pilgrims
no were on their way to Rome.
'To quench the thirst Of New York
ity men now are cutting their way be-
,atl q part Of the Catsllill mountains
r almost 10 miles so that, during
e season of plenty, 600,O0O,0OO gal
ms of water daily may be diverted
ON The Schoharie watershed into
c Ashokan reservoir
A Long Mining Tunnel
"When the miners in the Cripple
eek gold districts found that they |
Ist dig deeper into the earth for |
2 precious metal water poured in \
on them and hampered their opera H
ms Pumps failed to relieve the 4
uation. so hands got together and it II
IS decided that a tunnel must be II
lit. Thus the Roosevelt Deep Drain II
e tunnel. one of the longest mining Il
lnels in the world, which was com III
ted in 1921, came into being II
'On the Toulouse TO Barcelona rail II
Y through. the Pyrenees mountains, II
ich is now in the process of con II
uciion. there are ten short tunnels III
the region Of the Ariege gorge. the
gest of which is in the form of a III
raj in order to effect climb Of III
feet I'D the mountains. There is III
. an international tunnel on the HI
is to Madrid route which passes III
,6 feet below the peak of TobassO. iii
Tie NnM Zealand Aims have since iii