Proposed Bridge Across the English Channel.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 450, 1 March 1890, Page 3

Proposed Bridge Across the English Channel.

The memorial handed to the French Government by the Channel Bridge Company, together with its demand for a concession, is (says the Paris correspondent of the 4 Standard ’) an extremely voluminous document divided into three parts. As, however, the English public is well acquainted with the general features of the project, 1 will confine myself to indicating such points in the memorial as merit particular attention. In reply to the question as to whether the Channel bridge could be made sufficiently strong to resist the storms which are often so violent in bheEnglishChannel.the memorial refers to the project for the bridge drawn tip by MM. Schneider and Hersent, who in it- provided for all eventualities that may arise—force cf the current and the strength of the wind. Moreover, attention is called to the fact that several suspension bridges have existed for the last sixty years in the valleys of the Rhone and the Durance as well as on the coast of Provence without having suffered damage from the violence of the tempests. In support of the statement that, the Channel brilge would have nothing to fear from the force of the wind, a letter from the Director of the Paris Meteorological Bureau is quoted. In it the director says that in his opinion there is very dittle or no difference: between the force of the wind in the Channel and in the Mediterranean. It has been objected to the project that the bridge would constitute a real danger for navigation. To this the memorial replies— 4 The system of lights has not yet been settled, but it can be affirmed , that with lighthouses and electric buoys it will be such that the course of vessefs will be rendered easier than it is at the present moment—especially steamers. The passage between the pillars, 500 or 300 metres apart, can present no difficulty for any ship, whatever be the weather.’ Further on this document says : ‘ The consent of England is the only objection. It is well known that the present chiefs of the British Army, having regarded the tunnel as dangerous for Great Britain from a strategical point of view, the Government opposed it, so that the bill for it was withdrawn on the 13th August this year. But we are boo well aware of the practical character of our neighbours and of their love of progress to doubt they will fail to appreciate the advantages offered them by the bridge across the Channel and to believe they will dream of opposing its construction, though they have rejected the idea of,a tunnel. Would it not be puerile to imagine they would have the same apprehensions in presence of a bridge open to the sky and of which each end would consist in a moveable girder, making ic easy at the first alarm to meet any attempt at invasion by creating a. yawning abyss ?’ In addition to this, it is pointed out that-, .contrary to the tunnel, the bridge could be easily rendered useless as a means of invasion by a few cannon shots from a warship, nob to mention dynamite; etc. After a long and technical description of the projected bridge, which it is estimated will cost 860,000,000 f. (£34,400,000), the memorial examines the economic question. The calculations are based on the Board of Trade statistics. But it is needless to say more than that the probable annual traffic is estimated at 5,000,000 tons of merchandise and one million passengers. The average tariff for goods is put down at 20f. 25c , and the charge for each passenger at lOf., which would make the total annual earnings of the bridge 116,250,000 f.