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IT was not until the year
1862 that he was called upon to execute any engineering scheme of importance
in foreign countries, but during the next four years the scene of his
principal work shifted to Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Egypt. The project of
the Turin and Savona Railway originated in Italy, and the route had already
been carefully selected and surveyed by M. Peyron, and an influential
Italian Council of Administration formed, with Signor Rarratri, a Member of
the Chamber of Deputies, as Chairman . It was to England, however, that the
promoters looked for the raising of the requisite capital, and with the many
distinguished names which appeared on the Italian Council, their
expectations were in a short time realized and operations commenced. Raising
the capital in England naturally involved the formation of an English
Committee of Shareholders, and several gentlemen of good position were
selected. Previous to the formation of the English Committee, however, the
Italian Council had entered into a contract with certain Italian bankers,
Messrs. Guastalla, to construct the line for the sum of £2,408.000, a
premature arrangement which led to great pecuniary difficulties before the
railway had been completed.
The length of the proposed
line, the construction of which was entrusted to Mr. Abernethy as
Engineer-in-Chief ' 1 September, 1862, was 120 miles, traversing some of the
most fertile districts in Piedmont. Commencing by a junction with the line
from Turin and Carmagnola, it shortly formed further junction with the lines
leading to Alessandria, Milan, and by a new proposed branch, to Acqui, in
Lombardy. Proceeding in a southward direction the new main line passed near
Millesimo, the valley of the Bormida, La Sella; to the Port of Savona, on
the Mediterranean, where it formed a junction with the littoral line leading
to Genoa and Nice, and which was improved and deepened with a view to
meeting the increase of traffic upon the completion of the railroad. There
were numerous works of art along the route of the line, comprising viaducts,
some thirty in number, which were built of wrought iron girders, and nine
short tunnels of a total length of 988 yards, and other works of a like
nature on the branch line from Carcari to Acqui, all of which, however,
admitted of easy construction, and call for no special mention, but the two
principal works of art of engineering interest were piercing the two long
tunnels, La Sella, 4 miles in length, commencing at a point distant some ten
miles from Savona, and the Belbo tunnel, exceeding 2½ miles. That of La
Sella in the inner range of the Apennines was driven through blue schist
clay and soft rock from ten pits sunk at intervals, under the
superintendence of Mr. Cay, C.E., the resident engineer on that section, the
headings from each pit being driven right and left. This tunnel had
originally been designed in the form of a double curve by M. Peyron, but at
Mr. Abernethy’s suggestion the curve was entirely abolished, which shortened
the work by some 570 metres and lessened the difficulty of correctly
carrying the planimetrical course which would have attended the original
design.
The Belbo tunnel was pierced
principally through soft sandstone rock, and it was anticipated from the
nature of the formation, previously ascertained by borings, that the expense
of the greater length of drilling compared with the La Sella tunnel would be
largely compensated by the absence of water, which as expected had in the
latter work impeded operations to a serious extent. This sanguine hope,
however, proved to have been built up on a false character frequently given
to sandstone, and much difficulty was experienced and delay and expense
involved, owing to the frequent appearance of water, but the work was very
energetically pushed forward and successfully completed by an old pupil and
assistant, Mr. Samuel Brown, C.E., who afterwards, in 1878, became the
Government engineer in Cyprus, and thence was appointed by Lord Knutsford
Surveyor-General at Hong Kong in 1889, a post which he held at the time of
his death in 1891.
The journey from London to
Turin during the years 1862-66 occupied three days and three nights, the
railroad communication being at that time completed as far only as Culoz in
Savoy, and the route from this Paint onwards had to be continued by
diligence via Aix-les-Bains, Chambery, Modane, and over Mont Cenis, a
distance of about 106 miles. Diaries kept during this period afford evidence
that visits to the scene of work were frequently paid during the winter
months, and when the road was deeply covered with snow. Entries of date
February 13th and 14th, 1863, record one such experience, and others of
January 16th, 19th and 20th in the preceding year an even more difficult
journey, when sledges had to be requisitioned in place of the diligence,
These, however, became embedded in a snow drift near the summit of the pass,
and were extracated after considerable delay only to get into a worse
position near No. 5 Casine on the road to Susa, where shortly afterwards the
sledge capsized in a snowdrift, and the travellers were compelled to seek
shelter for thirty-six hours in the Casine, leaving the vehicle and baggage
behind to be speedily buried in the drifting snow. While in shelter, in the
hut they were joined by other refugees from the storm, making up the number
of the inmates to sixteen. The second party included some ladies, who were
accommodated for the night in a small room usually occupied by the resident
cantonnie and his wife, while the other apartment of some fifteen feet
square was littered with straw as a makeshift for the gentlemen. With the
outer door closed the air inside this limited space soon became
insufferable, a condition of things which led to some exciting scenes at the
time, and afforded amusement on subsequent reflection. Among the row of
uncomfortable sleepers was a Scotchman of the name of Dairy, who during the
night, strongly advocated a replenishing of the heated air by the colder
atmosphere from outside. “Man,” he said, addressing his compatriot from
Aberdeen, “I canna stand the heat, gae and open the door a wee bittie;” and
the latter being the reclining form nearest to the door, complied with the
behest and unfastened the bolt. The door only too readily opened with the
pressure of the gale against it, and a shower of snow was forthwith
admitted, besprinkling the entire recumbent company. This was naturally
followed by a general outcry in French and Italian accents, and the door was
again with considerable exertion closed and bolted, but the effect of the
sudden inrush of cold air into the overheated room was to produce a
condensation which certainly did not make the apartment any more
comfortable. When all had fully expressed their disapproval of the
ill-considered act, and sleep again taken possession of their limbs, the
Scotchman quietly arose, and stepping lightly over the prostrate
malcontents, soliloquised as he made his way towards the bolt, “I'll hae
that steeked door open again,” which he did with the same consequences as in
the first essay, but on this occasion the exclamations and gesticulations
were redoubled, and he wisely abstained from risking the consequences of a
third attempt to obtain fresh air, and returned to his allotted space on the
floor.
On the morning of January
20th, the storm had to some extent abated, and a chief cantonnier with a
gang of men arrived, and cut a passage through the drift and the party
reached Susa at eight o’clock in the evening.
During several of the many
visits to inspect the line of railway in progress of construction, the
diaries also point to the hospitality of Mons. Fortunatus Prandi, at whose
house he not unfrequently used to stay for one or two days at a time. This
house was situated on high land among the Alps, and from the drawing-room
windows commanded a glorious view of the Alpine range, with Monte Viso
towering into the clouds capped with snow. But reaching the drawing-room,
although on the first floor only, was by no means an easy matter, for on
each of the three landings which broke the monotony of the broad wooden
staircase, a bull-dog was chained as a sentry, with full command (as each of
the animals seemed to be well aware), of the entire range of floor opposite
to his kennel, and these sentries never failed to challenge any stranger who
attempted to pass by.
Mons. Prandi’s career had
been somewhat remarkable. At the age of seventeen he entered the army, but
having taken a somewhat prominent part in some insubordinate conduct
displayed by students at his military college at Alessandria, he made a
timely escape to Savona, and there found shelter on an English collier,
which eventually brought him to London. He continued to reside for some
years in London, earning a livelihood by teaching Italian, and being a man
of good birth and address, succeeded in making friends with several persons
of good social position, among whom Lord Brougham, treated him very kindly.
In 1860 Mons. Prandi returned to his home, where he died in 1870, and was
buried in the chapel close by his house, in which his brother officiated as
priest. |
