The Tunnel Under the Channel by Thomas Whiteside

"The Tunnel Under the Channel" by Thomas Whiteside is a historical account written in the early 1960s. The book explores the long and tumultuous history of various proposals to construct a tunnel beneath the English Channel, connecting England and France. It details the technical challenges, political resistance, and social implications of this monumental engineering ambition, examining how perceptions of national identity and security played a crucial role in the project's ongoing debate. The opening of the book introduces the daunting physical and psychological barriers posed by the English Channel, outlining the various engineering proposals and societal sentiments regarding a potential tunnel. Whiteside begins by dissecting the geographic characteristics of the Channel, emphasizing its shallow depths and treacherous seas, which have led to a strong desire among travelers to seek a dry land crossing. As he recounts past proposals and intentions from visionary figures over the last century, it becomes clear that not only the engineering but also national pride and identity are intricately tied to the idea of tunneling under the Channel, revealing a complex interplay between innovation and tradition. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Whiteside, Thomas, 1918-1997
LoC No. 62009744
Title The Tunnel Under the Channel
Credits Brian Wilsden, Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 47.2 (College-level). Difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class HE: Social sciences: Transportation and communications
Subject Tunnels -- English Channel
Category Text
eBook-No. 66685
Release Date
Last Update Oct 18, 2024
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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