Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 1891. The Simplon.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 10 September 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 1891. The Simplon.

Railway coummnication between Switzerland and Italy is blocked by the grand Alpine range. The nearest point reached by the Swiss ' railways is the town of Brieg, on the northern slope. From there to the 1 most northern railway town of Italy, Domo, communication is maintained by a road over the Simplon. These railways have naturally been brought to this one passage across the mountains, and now the earnest desire is to bore through. The scheme has been tested, and it is estimated to cost eighty million of francs, or roughly some four million pounds to construct a tunnel, and that eight and a half years would be required to do the work in. It is a strange contrast, this friendly desire to facilitate the communication between these two States, to the origin of the mountain road that is now used. Napoleon I, in the years 1801~7, had the road made for anything but peaceful purposes. The road is described as rising 6594 feet, and winds up passes, crosses cataracts, and passes by galleries through solid rock, and has eight principal bridges. The number of workmen employed at one time varied from 30,000 to 40,000. This is probably more than will be employed in the tunnel, if it is executed, owing to the vastini provement in machinery in these days. _^