Posted inCivil Engineering Iron & Steam

Beamish on the Thames Tunnel

By Richard Beamish, M. Inst. C.E.

April 4, 1837

The paper states that several attempts had been made in former years to effect a communication betwixt the opposite shores of the Thames by means of a tunnel, all of which, however, failed. In 1798, Dodd proposed a tunnel at Gravesend; in 1804, Chapman projected one at Rotherhithe; and in 1807, Vazie commenced the construction of a shaft, II feet diameter, at a distance of 315 feet from the river. With Vazie was associated Trevethick, a man of great practical knowledge as a miner, and by indefatigable labor, a drift-way 5 feet in height, 2 feet 6 inches in breadth at the top, and 3 feet at the bottom, was carried 1046 feet under the river. In the spring of 1808, having first ascended from under a rocky stratum, though with a depth of at least 25 feet betwixt them and the bed of the river, the Thames broke in upon them, and not a single brick having been laid, the work was irretrievably lost.

Posted inCivil Engineering Iron & Steam

Young Brunel in the Thames Tunnel

The Thames Tunnel has almost ceased to be a wonder; but the conduct of the younger Brunel on the two occasions referred to below can never lose its claim to admiration. The extract is from an article on the tunnel in the Courier & Enquirer, of Saturday : –

The tunnel has been twice inundated, the first time it occurred, the disorder and fright it caused among the workmen was extreme. Neither Mr. Brunel nor his son were there, but one of the superintending engineers, of the name of Griffiths, preserved his presence of mind, rallied the men, and conducted them in safety to the opening before the water had gained the summit of the arch. In a few minutes afterwards, it was filled.

Painting: War News from Mexico (1848) — Richard Caton Woodville Sr. A man reading a newspaper aloud with excitement as other men look on.
Posted inDaily News

The Mines of Mexico

We should not be surprieed to hear by some arrival of the capture of the mines of San Luis and Zacatecas by two columns of Gen. Scott’s army, under special instructions from the War Department. We understand the expeditions were about to be organized for this purpose when the last official letters left Mexico for Washington. If we may believe the letters from the camp, written even before these expeditions were suspected, the effect will be to deal another heavy blow at the enemy, by cutting him off from some of his material resources. To show what were the speculations upon this subject, we lay before our readers the following extracts of a letter published in the last New Orleans Commercial Times, from a correspondent in the city of Mexico, of the 1st of December:

Newspaper illustration of a man labelled "federal judges"
Posted inDaily News

Federal Judges Facing Criticism

Before the winter is over considerable is likely to be heard about federal judges who overturn laws on constitutional grounds after the ablest lawyers among the nation’s statesmen have spent…
Posted inUS Civil War

January 30, 1861 – The Position of Maryland

A letter from New York on the position of Maryland is published in the Washington Constitution of yesterday. The writer views the arguments of Governor Hicks, in refusing to convene the Legislature, and says:

Maryland is now the great trump card of the Republicans, and is being skilfully played against the more western border States, as will be seen by the numerous Northern complaints to Gov. Hicks for his patriotism, (which word sometimes means love of an office in one’s own State, ) and in the very many articles, so called, of the Herald of this city, (see this day’s issue,) done, apparently, to order, as Bennett does everything, for the laudable motive of increasing the sale of so many more copies of that ever-inconsistent, yet powerful sheet, for good or ill.