BRIDGING THE CHANNEL

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1688, 19 November 1925, Page 7

BRIDGING THE CHANNEL

A novel proposal to connect Great [Britain and the Continent has been placed by M. Jules Jager, a Swiss engineer, before the London Chamber of Commerce and various commercial bodies in France and Switzerland. The proposal is to build two parallel jet-

ies between Calais and Deal. On each jetty there will be a double railway line and also a roadway for motor lorries. It is claimed that by this route trains could run direct from Nancy, or even from Bale, to Glasgow, or Bristol, at a far lower capital cost than the building of the Channel tunnel, a scheme that for the time being at any rate, ha s not found favour with the Committee of Imperial Defence. In case of war these railway lines and roads could be defended by the fleet and by coastal forts, or even blown up as a last resort.

The stretch of water between the jetties would be so sheltered from storms, and in war time from submarines, that barges and trawlers would be able to pass from the Continent to England (says the Morning Post). The plan proposes to connect the Thames ;by a canal with a single lock from Deal to Heme Bay. This cross-chan-nel canal could in time of war be protected by a lattice work of strong metal nets. The route proposed saves at least 56 miles in distance, avoids one or two transhipments, and makes certain economics like the diminution of insurance premium, packing costs, reduction of crew possible. Given this canal, a barge "would be able to go direct from London to Budapest without transhipment.

One estimate of the cost of building a Channel tunnel with four railway lines is £80,000,000, whereas the cost of these jetties is estimated at £75,000,000 at the most. In order that the plan should not interfere with shipping the scheme allows for the provision near the two coasts of ;broad open passages bridged over by gigantic viaducts. The open space under these viaducts is so arranged as to be capable of passing even Trans-Atlantic vessels.