Show SUBMARINE RAILWAY BETWEEN FRANCE AND ANID ENGLAND A project I 1 for connecting england and france francea tva eia via the straits of do dover ver has long been beeh talked about an and d varied have been the schemes that have been broached for its accomplishment but hitherto nothing has resulted but talk among some of tho the leading engineers of the two countries the distance between dover and calais the nearest points on the english and french coasts is twenty six miles and to traverse this distance in a more satisfactory manner than by steam and sailing vessels it has been proposed to build a line 01 of railroad to rest on a series of bridges at the most convenient distances from coast to coast across the straits another idea was that of building a railroad in an iron tube which should rest on the bed of the sea while still another plan Is to construct a submarine tunnel in which a railroad may bo be built the railroad on bridges is the most popular from the fact that tb at air and daylight in unlimited quantities quantities uan might be enjoyed by all who esteem such things as necessary to their comfort while traveling but it i has teen deen abandoned as impracticable the iron tube resting on the bed of the ocean met with little or no favor and is discarded but the project for a submarine tunnel a french idea seems to be meeting with considerable favor and it is said that the emperor napoleon is really intent upon the execution of the project Investigation investigations 8 in relation to the nature of the bed of the channel and other matters materially affecting the success of the enterprise have been made end and the reports seem to favor the idea that at no distant day submarine travel between E england and france BO so long talked of will be un jait fait ac compit borings bolings made in st on ou the english side and at about ahr three ee miles east from calais on the french alde aide show that the bed of the channel is composed oom posed of a stratum of white chalk one of gray chalk and then green grea crea sandi sand band 1 and itis it is conjectured that til ali the e soil over ove which the sea flows is of the same nature the whole dista distance uce tunnelling Tun nelling through chalk is a matter about abbout which there ia is little difficulty and the depth of the channel is such that it would offer no obstacle to the successful accomplishment of the project the only point upon which dubiety is is said still to rest is the possibility of the existence of a fissure in the channel bed so considerable as to admit water into the works in too great quantities to be controlled it is thought that land shafts sunk on each coast and a preliminary driftway driven under the sea would settle this point and so determine the feasibility of the successful performance of this great engineering enterprise the estimated cost of the work is clo cio 10 about a fearful amount to spend on nn an enterprise for which there really seems so little need and promising such small returns but then it is a novelty and napoleon knows that it is a necessity with his people the nation must have something exciting to occupy their time either in the arts of peace or war at home or abroad and if ho he does not find it for them they may one day serve him as they served his predecessor and others of the same class and had better be spent in a work as useless as a submarine tunnel and railway between england and france a work of peace pea ce than in war and bloodshed |