OPENING OF THE MERSEY RAILWAY TUNNEL.

Kumara Times, Issue 2925, 15 March 1886, Page 3

OPENING OF THE MERSEY RAILWAY TUNNEL.

The following brief description of the River Mersey Railway Tunnel is from a Home correspondent of the Christchurch Press, who writes on the 28th January, as follows: This work has at last been accomplished, and the tunnel was formally opened by the Prince of Wales on the 20th inst. The enormous river traffic between Liverpool and Eirkenhead may be ganged from the fact that last year the ferry steamers carried no fewer than 20,000,000 passengers, and 750,000 tons of goods. Over and above local advantages, the accomplishment of this work will connect some most important railway systems. Six years have been taken to carry it through. The main tunnel, which is under the bed of the river for a distance of 1320 yards, is 26 feet in width and 19 feet in height, and is lined with brickwork and cement. The stations on either side of the river are somewheie about SO feet below the street level, and are each provided with an inclined subway approach, a separate staircase, and three hydraulic lifts, capable of accommodating 100 passengcis. The tunnel is ven'ilated by means of four lingo fans, connected with it by a separate air passage bored through the rock, and which draw the air from the tunnel under the river at any given point. Tim p inciple in tho scheme of ventilation is that fresh air shall enter the stations and travel inwards in either direction into the tunnel to tho respective fans, thus keeping the platform free from smoke. Tim quantity of air

thrown by each of the fur fans, which work noiselessly, is about 000,000 cubic feet per minute, so that the entire air of the tunnel is changed every seven minutes. Precautions in the shape of pumping machinery have also been taken to prevent the water which makes its way into the drainage heading doing any mischief.