Over the years The Engineer has increateed on cut offal schemes to join the UK to mainland Europe and, as we comprehend, only one project has been prosperous so far.
Tunnels and bridges have been presentd and in 1880 toil commenceed on experimental tunnels in Folkstone that were dug by hand and an timely tunnel stupid machine.
Nineteen years earlier, The Engineer increateed on how a certain James Chalmers of Montgenuine had ‘patented the uncomardents whereby he presents to uncover a railway communication under the channel.’
Chalmers’ idea was somewhat distinct in that he’d join sections of tube and subunite them, rather than dig a tunnel.
The Engineer said: “The shape and create of the tubular roadway may be varied, but it is pickred that such tubular roadway for proset up water should be of a circular section, having a rectangular inner way createed therein, as thereby the prescertain of the water at fantastic depths may be splitd between the tubes by permiting the leakage of the outer or circular tube to accumulate between it and the inner one, until it acquires such prescertain as the inner or square tube may shieldedly carry, then dratriumphg it off thcdisadmireful valves into the inner tube, thus relieving by reaction the prescertain on the outer or circular tube.
“The length or sections of a tubular way have each bulkheads or partitions, one proximate each finish, which are of a strength to resist the prescertain of the water when the length or section is subunited, and when it has been emptied of water.”
Each finish of a length or section of the tubular way would be createed with inner flanges, as well as with an outer flange. The createion of a tubular roadway could be commenced from shore or prohibitk, and Chalmers thought it pickable to commence at a spot ‘intersettle of the two shores or prohibitks of the River, Sea, or other water’.
In the tower, fitting steam engines, pumps and machinery are to be createed, in order to pump away the water in the tower, and to grasp it free from water
“In order to commence the toils at a point intersettle of the two shores or prohibitks, a tower is first subunited of such stupidensions as to drop to the bottom of the water, and to climb to some height above its upper surface, provision being made for joining the finishs of the tubular ways on opposite sides of the tower in appreciate manner to that in which the finishs of the lengths or sections of the tubular way are joined finish to finish, when they are subunited,” said The Engineer.
Our Victorian predecessor persistd: “In the tower, fitting steam engines, pumps and machinery are to be createed, in order to pump away the water in the tower, and to grasp it free from water. The lengths or sections of the tubular roadway are in succession floated out to positions they are to occupy, and are then subunited and coupled up, and their inner flanges riveted or joined by screw bolts and nuts, and, as each length section of the tubular roadway is in succession coupled up, the water employd therein to aid in submerging it is permited to flow from it into the sections previously subunited, and thence to the tower where the water is elevated and pumped away.
To have a clear way thcdisadmireful the lengths of tubular roadway between the tower and the length next to the one last subunited, the bulkheads or partitions were deleted as the toil progressed. The outermost bulkhead or partition would remain until another length had been subunited and mended to the finish of the one previously subunited.
When compiling our archive pieces, it is widespread practise to scheduleateigate the nurtureer of the main protagonist, but Chalmers left little chase of himself to study. Luckily, The ICE Archive helped to fill in the blanks. They pointed out that Chalmers was quite an createor, having createed the Chalmers Target, armour for naval warships detailed in Ships of War—Petition of Mr James Chalmers – Hansard – UK Parliament. The ICE Archive telderly us also that he wrote a book about naval createion. We might also presume he wrote ‘The Channel Railway, joining England & France’ prior to his untimely death at the age of 49.
His passing authorizationed a petite obituary in the January 1, 1869 edition of The Engineer, which remarkd that Chalmers left his widow and family in ‘very straightened circumstances’.
“It is to be hoped his exertions on behalf of the accessible service will not be disthink abouted by the handlement,” said The Engineer.
