THE SEVERN TUNNEL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1596, 18 June 1887, Page 3

THE SEVERN TUNNEL.

Among the cablegrams which appeared in our last issue was one announcing the oomplelion of the S vern Tunnel, one of the greatest engineering works of modern times. The Pi ess give the following description ot the work :—The Act for its construction in connection with the Great Western Rmlway was passed in 1872. The idet was to tunnel the bad of the Severn to connect the railway on each side. By October, 1879, seven years afterwards, the Oompnny, who bad sunk five shafts and bored three miles to find out the nature of the ground, were within 130 yards of making their headings meet under the river when a land spring on the Welsh side was tapped and flooded the workings. Mr Walker, of Westminister then contracted to finish the work. About the end of 1880 the water was pumped out. In October, 1883, the sam i land spring broke out at a lower level, and poured into the tunnel a torrent of 27,000 gallons per minute. This difficulty was overcome, and heavy brickwork stoppings put in to prevent any other outburst. The tunnel is 7664 yards long. The entrance on the English side is a cutting one mile and a quarter long, and as much as 60 feet deep at the lower end ; and the approach from the Welsh side is about a mile long. It was necessary to make large sea banks to keep out the high tide, as the approaches tie through marsh lands. The tunnel is lined with brickwork from 2ft 3in to 3ft thick, embedded In mortar of Portland cement. Sir John Hawkshaw was the Engineer-in-chief. Although the formal opening hts only just taken place, the work, which cost about two millions sterling, has been open and in use for spine time. The first coal train from South Wales ran through in January, 1886, doing the journey from Aberdare to Southampton in about eleven hours. On September Ist last year the tunnel was open for goods traffic, and it was arranged to Tim nine trains per night each way. To guard against tmergencies, there were on the spot duplicate seta of pumps capable of discharging twenty-six million gallons per day. The tunnel was opened for passenger traffic without ceremony on December Ist last, and for some time ten trains have been running daily each way. The time occupied in the tunnel is from seven to nine minutes. The tunnel is ventilated by means of a Guibal fan, which can discharge 24,000 feet of air per mioute.