THE ENGLISH CHANNEL RAILWAY.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1706, 22 June 1874, Page 2

THE ENGLISH CHANNEL RAILWAY.

A Scheme of Mr George Kemington, C.E., for the proposed Channel railway tunnel from Dungeness to Cape Grisnez* has been fully disgussed by the . French Minister of Works and Direction 'Generale dcs Ponts, et Chaussees, et dcs Chcmins de Fer, and it has also been betore our own Board of Trade. Before puttin? forward his scheme for the construe, tion of a tunnel, Mr Remington ascertained, as far Is possible? the nature of the geological srata forming the bed of th» Channel' -and as it is well known that the coast in the neighborhood of Dover and Folkestone consists of chalk, which extend across to the Cf.lais shore it is evident that this formation, purous as it is and containing many fissures^ cannot be suited for tunnelling under a great Head of water. Mr li emingtpn/ on examination^. of the whole line of shore, satisfied hicWF self the Wealdon formation, consisting of very strong slay, beds of freestone, and fresh-water limestone, from Dungeness across the Channel to Cape Grisnez, and having concluded that this was the pro^ per course for the construction of the tunnel, prepared plans and; sections, and laid Viem before the Board of Trade, the Minister of Workes, Paris, and others, in England and France. The line is extended to commenco at tha town of Lydd, where it will join the branch railway from the South-eastern at Appledoor. It will descend from Lydd at an inclination of lin 70 the distance of 3} milesi to.the point of Dungeness, where the level of tie rails will be 240 fcefc belowvtk* level of low water springy tides. 'The rails will then rise from Dungeness shaft 7at th« rate of lin 3795 for about 7 miles ,then fall at the rate of 1 in 1200 for about 8 miles to the centre shaft on a ridge or shoal existing at that spot, from thence fall at the rate of 1 in 3265 for 11 miles, to Cape Grisnez, and then rise at the rate of lin 70 and 1 in 81 to join the French railways near Ambleteuse. The height of the tunnel, as skown in the printed section, will be 26 ft from the soffit of the arch to the centre of the invert, and there will be a clear headway of 20 jt for tlie trains passing. The space between the rail and the invert will occupied by a spacious sewei running along the - centre line of the tunnel, and on each of it two air-tunnel or pipes for tho purpose of providing perfect ventilation. The width of the tunnel will be 21 ft. It will be constructed of brick- work and masonary, surrounded with- concrete. There will be three main shafts of large dimensions; the centre one on the ridge will be protected by v break-water formed of rubble, and faced with ashlars, jrhe strata through which the tunnel is intended to be formed will furnish good building materails, good brick clay, freestone, and limestone. Some square miles of Dungeness are spread over with gravel and shingle to the debth of 9ft or *10 ft. There will be no want therefore of the requisitive materails for the formaiton of concrete in any quantity. Under the data Mr Remington has made an approximate estimate of the probably cost of the works* which he fixes at £5,500,000 for a double line. This amount must 'appear moderate, considering the importance of the undertaking and the greatness of the objects to be attained.