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 DESCRIPTION 
 
 OF THE 
 
 THAMES TUNNEL. 
 
 PRICE 13i CEJTTIS, 
 
 ■rlXIOi 1 ii. PALttStJR, VU VTf:R8, '20 WIi H Altf- TR ' liT, NK W-YORK. 
 
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lACORPOKATED JUNjE 24, 1824. 
 
 DIRECTORS, 
 
 Elected at the fourth General Assembly of Proprietors, held at the 
 City of London, Tavern, the 6th March, 1827. 
 
 Chairman^ 
 
 WILLIAM SMITH, Esq. M. P. 
 
 Deputy Chairman, 
 
 GEORGE HYDE WOLLASTON, Esq. 
 Directors, 
 TIMOTHY BRAMAH, Esq. 
 THOMAS BRANDRAM, Esq. 
 THOMAS BRUNTON, Esq. 
 BRYAN DONKIN, Esq. 
 HUGH GRAY, Esq. 
 RICHD. PICKOVER HARRIS, Esq. 
 BENJ. HAWES, Esq. 
 ROBERT HUMPHREY MARTIN, Esq. 
 FREDERICK PERKINS, Esq. 
 W. H. V\ OLLASTON, M. D. & V. P. R. S. 
 
 Auditors, 
 
 AARON ASHER GOLDSMID, Esq. 
 JOHN SOMEKVILLE, Esq. 
 R. SILVESTER, Esq. 
 
 Engineer^ 
 
 M. L BRUNELL, Esq. 
 
 Solicitors, 
 
 Messrs. SWEET, STOKES, & CARli. 
 
 Bankers, 
 
 MESsns. WILLIAMS, DEACON, & CO* 
 
 Surveyor, 
 
 WM. MONTAGUE, Esq. 
 
 Clerk, 
 
 Mr. CHARLES BUTLER. 
 
THAMES TUNIVEL COMPANY. 
 
 The Thames Tunnel has created an incredible 
 degree of interest, boihin Great Britain and in all 
 foreign countries. It is, on the Continent, a constant 
 subject of inquiry of persons who arrive from Lon- 
 don ; and foreiirners arriving in London, especially 
 men of science, make a point of visiting these works. 
 
 The Directors have therefore been under the ne- 
 cessity of limiting the admission, and even to con- 
 fine them to particular hours of particular days, un- 
 til they could make ihe present arrangements for 
 gratifying the public curiosity without disturbing 
 the workmen, or giving to visiters the trouble of ap- 
 plying tO'them for tickets. Every day (Sundays 
 excepted) any person may descend the shaft, and 
 proceed unto the western archway, under the bed 
 of the Thames, as far as may be found not to inter- 
 rupt the labours of the numerous workmen. 
 
 With the increased confidence now gained from 
 experience, no doubt can remain as to the practi- 
 cability of finally effecting the intended subaqueous- 
 intercourse: and a sanguine hope is entertained 
 
that it will be an additional honor to the nation — 
 another attraction to its metropolis — a manument 
 of fame for the engineer, and a permanent record 
 of the public spirit of the proprietors. 
 
 This novel undertaking was projected by Mr. 
 Brunell, under whose direction, we trust, notwith- 
 standing the many impediments that have occurred, 
 itwill ultimately be executed. Ft is intended to form a 
 communication between Rotherithe and Wapping, 
 by means of a passage under the Thames, and will 
 certainly, when completed, be one of the most ex- 
 traordinary constructions of ancient or modern 
 times. 
 
 The Tunnel will consist of two brick archways ; 
 /and in order that there be no obstruction to car- 
 riages, those going from north to south will pass 
 through one, and those from south to north through 
 the other. These passages will be paved or Mac- 
 adamised, and there will be distinct paths for foot 
 passengers. In the centre between the two arch- 
 ways, and dividing the two roads, will be a line of 
 arches, spacious enough to admit of persons pas- 
 sing from one road to the other, and in each of these 
 arches will be fixed a gas-light. 
 
 The approaches to the entrance of the Tunnel 
 will be formed by circular descents of easy declivity, 
 not exceeding four feet per hundred feet: one of 
 
 1 
 
small dimensions for pedestrians, and another of 
 larger for carriages : the descent will be so gradual 
 that there will be no necessity to lock the wheel of 
 the heaviest loaded wagon. The first stone of the 
 descent for pedestrians on the south side of ihe river, 
 near Roiherithe Church, was laid by W. Smith, 
 Esq. the Chairman of the Company, March 2, 1825. 
 
 That portion of the Tunnel which is complet- 
 ed, is open daily to visiters, on payment of one 
 shilling each. 
 
 Bimensiom of the Tunnel. — Length, 1300 feet; 
 width, 35 feet ; height, 20 feet ; clear width of each 
 archway, including foot path, about 14 feet; thick- 
 ness of earth between the crown of the Tunnel and 
 the bed of the river, about J 5 feet. 
 
 It is not a new thing to desire to have a subaque- 
 ous carriage communication between the shores of 
 the Thames below London Bridge, where the con- 
 stant passage of ships would preclude the erection 
 of a bridge. This has been a desideratum for 
 many years, and has been twice attempted. 
 
 The late Mr. Dodd projected, in the year 1798, 
 such a communication between Gravesend and Til- 
 bury, but the work can scarcely have said to have 
 been begun, for the only thing that was done was 
 the sinking of a deep well through a chalk rock. 
 Again in 1805, Mr. R. Vazie projccled a Tunnel 
 
between Rotherlthe and Limehouse, and actually 
 drove what the miners call a driftway nearly the 
 width of the river, of only five feet in height, two 
 feet nine inches average of width, and supported 
 only by timber; yet with this slight protection the 
 excavation was made good as far as 1015 feet, and 
 within 140 feet of the north shore ; but about this 
 time the ground on the southern shore being en- 
 gaged to form the Commercial Docks, the act of 
 Parliament procured for the Tunnel having expir- 
 ed, and the plan being deemed impracticable, it 
 was totally abandoned. 
 
 In 1823 the subject warmly attracted the notice 
 of Mr. Brunell, who, feeling confident that the ob- 
 ject might be attained, set himself seriously about de- 
 vising means to accomplish a point which would in 
 this, as in other great works performed by him, 
 prove as beneficial to the country as to his profes- 
 sional fame. 
 
 At a meeting of gentlemen to consider the propo- 
 sal, and the suggested means of success, it was re- 
 solved to carry into execution the plan which had 
 previously received the approbation of gentlemen 
 of the highest scientific talents. 
 
 During the passing of the act for the incorpora- 
 tion of the Thames Tunnel Company, which re- 
 ceived the Royal assent on the 24 th June, 1S24, the 
 
bed of the river, in the vicinity of that part through 
 which the Tunnel was intended to cross the Thames^ 
 was bored in many places, and other borings were 
 made also to a sufficient extent within each shore; 
 these, with the information derived from the sinking 
 of some deep wells on both sides of the river, for 
 other purposes, were also of a most encouraging 
 nature, as it regarded the securities of the under- 
 taking. 
 
 A spot a little to the eastward of Rotherithe 
 Church was fixed upon for the shaft for the work, 
 and a strong wood curb being provided, forming 
 a circle of fifty feet diameter, a brick cylinder, of 
 three feet in thickness, bedded in Roman cement, 
 was raised on that curb to the height of forty feet. 
 From tbis curb rose, vertically, forty-eight iron 
 rods cased in wood, which with thirty-five circular 
 wooden battens (of 4 1-2 by 3 inches,) were worked 
 in the cylinder; and on the top of the brick-work 
 awother wooden curb was strongly screwed down 
 by nuts on plates, through which the ends of the iron 
 rods came up from the lower curb. This immense 
 brick cylinder was estimated to weigh one thousand 
 tons. On the 2nd of March, 1825, the chairman, 
 William Smith, Esq. M. P. accompanied by the 
 other directors, and many scientific gentlemen, 
 laid, in a stone embedded in the brick, a brass plate^ 
 
with an appropriate inscription, coias, &c. as usual ; 
 and this may be considered as the commencement 
 of this important work. 
 
 The cylinder beina^ finished, this immense weight 
 was, by undermining, gradually and successfully, 
 without crack or shake, sunk, till it rested at a depth 
 of about 33 feet on a bed of compact clay ; and 
 was then underpinned from a depth from the sur- 
 face of seventy five feet. 
 
 The shield having been placed in position, the 
 Tunnel-work coTiin^*nced in December, 1825 ; and 
 although, in passing through the ground before 
 reaching? the south embankment of the river, there 
 were difficulties and interruptions, they have been 
 conquered and removed by the ingenuity of the en- 
 gineer. On the 28th Febuary, 1327, the double 
 archway was completed to the length of 465 feet 
 from the shaft. 
 
 Through the whole length of the middle between 
 the eastern and western arcades, there are many 
 arches for the accommodation of foot passengers, 
 and four for carriages in case of need : but car- 
 riages from the north shore are to pass through the 
 eastern, and from the south shore through the wes- 
 tern archways. 
 
 The Tunnel will be lighted wholly by gas. A 
 steam engine is employed in letting down bricks. 
 
stone, cement, and other materials for the work ; 
 and at the same time in working the railway in the 
 eastern arcade, ^nd bringing up from the work the 
 gravel, clay,"and other soil. 
 
 The descents for carriages will not be begun till 
 the Tunnel shall be completely carried within both 
 shores ; and neither these nor the carriage-ways 
 within the Tunnel will have an inclination of more 
 than four feet six inches in 100 feet, which will be 
 scarcely felt by the draught horse. 
 
 The entrance to the Tunnel appears as represen- 
 ted in the picture ; its dimensions are from the foun- 
 dation to the top of the brick-work 22 feet : in width, 
 outside of the brick-work, 27 feet (being sixty times 
 as spacious as the drift- way made in 1805;) the 
 arches will, from Carriage-path to centre of the arch, 
 be in height 15 feet 6 inches; each arch-way 13 feet 
 6 inches wide; each footpath 3 feet. The depth of 
 water over head is- at spring tide high-water about 
 36 feet. 
 
 This wonderful undertaking is here offered for 
 public inspection, and is an exact representation of 
 the Thames Tunnel. 
 
 Admittance, 25 Cents; Children half pricco 
 Reason tickets 2 Dollars. 
 
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 W^W^_ 
 
LIBRARY OF .aSiSl 
 
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