The following is Mr. Remington’s estimate:—
| 56,320 yards run of tunnelling of £100 | £5,632,000 |
| Three main shafts, at £50,000 | 150,000 |
| Ten temporary shafts, at £19,800 | 198,000 |
| Six miles of approaches, at £20,000 | 120,000 |
| 36 miles of permanent way, at £4,500 | 162,000 |
| Stations | 100,000 |
| ————— | |
| £6,362,000 | |
| Contingencies | 636,200 |
| ————— | |
| Total | £6,998,200 |
Is it practicable? An excellent authority, although, no doubt, a little of the “go-a-head” class, says, “Yes,” and informs the world that there is judicious “provision for gas lighting, water pipes, electric telegraph and proper drainage, and indeed all that can be desired to make the passage through the tunnel as safe and comfortable as transit on the Metropolitan Railway.” On the other hand, there is the opinion of Mr. Hawkshaw, whose borings we have just referred to. Have they been extended as far to the westward as the diagonal line, or course, proposed by Mr. Remington, and do the “faults” extend to a depth of from 80 to 130 feet below the bed of the ocean? At all events, thinking it would interest our readers, we have had engraved the section of the tunnel from the drawing of it, which was recently published in Engineering, and it is herewith inserted.
There is no incident or occurrence in life, no matter how solemn or serious it may be, that cannot, in some way or another, contribute to travestie and amusement. We shall therefore, conclude our notice of “Tunnels suggested,” with the following piece of pleasantry extracted from a recent number of the Scientific American—“A gigantic engineering project is now the sensation out West—a tunnel under the Atlantic for a railway! The plans are already supposed to be drawn up, complete in detail. Even to lighting the cars with the magnesium and electric lights. The undertaking is to employ one hundred thousand men for thirty years, and when completed it will take the trains but five days to do the journey from Newfoundland to Ireland, viâ the telegraph route. The amount of capital required is estimated at two billions five hundred million dollars.” Well may the Editor of Engineering lift up his hands and exclaim, Good Gracious!
