The Simplon Tunnel

New Zealand Tablet, 2 August 1906, Page 33

The Simplon Tunnel

A few weeks ago the Simplon tunnel through the Alps, between Italy and' Switzerland, was TormaUy opened by the King of Italy. The tunnel, which is one of AcA c n g nn c nnn St " ndert^ kin g s of modern times, cost oiver ib.J.uuu.OUO. Over seven years were spent tn its construction, which was not an excessive time, considering the many unforeseen difficulties that the engineers had to contend with, and its great length of 12* miles-two miles more than the distance from Dunedin to Moseiel and a mile and three^uarters less than that from Christ! church to Ka-iapoi. It reaches from Brig, in Switzerland, to Iselle, in Italy. It is the lon^'railway W cn\i\^m^l d -- lhe St.-Gottard tunnel, which also h m! 1 ?°' 1S !!- ne miles r - nd a third in length, and long S> h C ° St £2>soo>°oo,2 > 500 >°00, 'is eight miles Difficulties, unexpected, and at one time regarded with dismay as bang well nigh insuperable, accompanied the wor^w^T 6 ? ,° f - th J s glgantlC work ' T,hTp P reh f minary work was started in August, 1898, and the actual diX Vovem&TlJ™?*™™™? 7^ bo !! h Sidesof the mowrtail November 13 1898. In December. 1901, the engineers rock wnTrh i lan + Sl^ encountere " 120 feet of rotten rock which kept caving in continually, cost eighteen months' incessant labor to overcome, and retarded the The^came ?L^ a - f^ h^ ond Swiss end' th tSr torren1 + s of moving san ;l, which swept away the tim>bfcr supports. Finally hot springs were tannprf ItTtSSe^ the tUbe d *° Ye out tl?e me? 'o^s mosTly 3 g r ?anite hr ° UTU TThh h WMCh the S + implon tunnel P asses * s necStver^^i^, o^^ 0 Parallel con' netted every 300 feet hv transverse galleries The two boring parties met February 24, 1905 The Simplon If