Tunneling The Simplon

Little has been heard lately of the project for tunneling the Simplón, bul it would appear at last to have taken final shape, if the Allgemeine Zeitung Is to be trusted, saya the Manchester Guardian. The tunnel when completed will be the fourth to plerce the Alpine barrier, but it differs considerably from either the Mont Cenis, the St. Gothard, or the Ar'.berg tunnels because lts great length of about twelve and -one-third miles, half as much again as the length of the Mont Cenis tunnel and nearly twlce the length of the Arlberg tunnel, has made the work of construction peculiarly difflcult. To secure proper ventilation will be far from easy and the engineers will have further to devise a means for lowerlng the temperature, which, it is estimated, will be 104 degrees Fahrenheit, for the tunnel will be very deep, 2,372 of superincumbent earth rising vertically from it In one place to the summtt of the mountain. lts course may be roughly descrlbed as the chord of an are made by the famous Simplón road, which was constructed by French engineers between 1801 and 1806. The northern opening is near Brleg, the southern near Iselle. The distlfictive feature of the project Is that two parallel tunnels are to be constructed about 220 yards apart and connected at intervals by galleries running diagonally from one to the other. Each tunnel Is elghteen and one-third feet high and fifteen feet broad at the level of the floor and will contain one line of rails. Both tunnels will be constructed simultaneously, but at first only one is used for traffie, the other being reserved and utllized for purpoees of ventilation. Meanw!;ile the existence of two connecting tunnels will greatly facilítate the task of excavating either of them. Rubbish will be more quickly removed, machlnerjf wil! be more easily brought to the rock face, and If any falls of the roof occur It will be poseible to rescue the workmen and repair the damage. The work is to Be pushed on from both sldes at once. The galleries have for the first few yards to be excavated by hand, and it is estinatd.that the progress then made will " ■ oaly %t the rate of a meter a day.