According to report the British Government, as an unemployment palliative, sanctioned the construction of a tunnel under the English Channel (known to the French as La Manche). For this sanction the French have waited almost since the days of Napoleon, but the English, fearing for their security, steadfastly refused to countenance the connecting link.
For some time a French company has been in existence ready to proceed with the work. Half the capital was supplied by the Chemin de Fer du Nord, a quarter by the Rothschilds, a quarter by French banks.
The project is to cost $156,000,000, will take four and a half years to complete. The French will start from Marquise, near Calais; the British from somewhere near Dover. It has been proposed to build a chamber in the centre, to be flooded by either side in case of trouble. It has also been planned to generate power for trains from France to England, and for those from England to France.
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