200 



FUTURE ENaiNEERING. 



transmission of light, lioat, and power, to wliicli reference 

 will be made), wliicli new discoveries and improvements will 

 cause, there is every reason to look with liopo to the future 

 of electrical engineering. 



The next great requirement is the transmission of solid 

 bodies at the greatest possible speed through, space, both on 

 land and water. As greater speed can be obtained on land, 

 endeavours will be made to utilize it to the greatest extent. 

 In either case it will bo essential to choose the shortest 

 possible routes, and this means— by land, the bridging of 

 seas, rivers, and valUiys, and the tunnelling of seas, rivers, 

 and mountains— and by water, the connecting seas, rivers, 

 lakes, and other waterways by means of canals. For the 

 transmission of heavy weights, when cheapness of carriage, 

 and not speed, is the greatest object in view, canals are 

 likely to be made. One great advantage of these works will 

 be the saving of time and labour through not requiring to 

 break bulk. It will bo soon that these engineering works 

 of the future will be of great magnitude and cost, coni- 

 pensating in this way for the large quantity of less expensive 

 work of the past. Works of this nature have already boon 

 completed, such being the Suez Canal, the Mont Ccnis and 

 the St. Gothard Tunnels, the Tay Bridge, the Brooklyn 

 Bridge, and the Severn Tunnel, whilst there are in progress 

 the Forth Bridge, the Corintli Canal, the Panama Canal, and 

 tlie Manchester Ship Canal. In the case of railways across 

 waterways, the question as to whether bridging or tunnel- 

 ling is best will probably not bo settled until several such 

 works are completed. In the case of tunnels being made, 

 there is little doubt that electric locomotives will bo used 

 in the future. Two great works wliich are likely to bo 

 carried out in the near future are the joining of England 

 ttud Franco, and also of Scotland and Ireland, by moans of 



