" The _personnel_
of the enterprise were not the only ones, however, who were uneasy over
the constantly occurring difficulties in the way of the work, for the
company itself and the Swiss Federal Council made known to Favre their
fears that the execution of the work would be delayed. He, however,
calmed their fears, and exposed his projects to them, and the seances
always ended by a vote of confidence in the future of the undertaking.
Favre certainly did not dissimulate the difficulties that he should have
to conquer, but he execrated those who were timorous and always tried to
put confidence into those who surrounded him. But, singular phenomenon,
he ended by deceiving himself and, at certain times, it would not have
been easy to prove to him that the St. Gothard was not the most easy
undertaking in the world. Those who have lived around him know the jokes
that he sometimes made at the expense of poor Gothard, which paid him
back with interest, however, and did not allow itself to be pierced so
easy after all.
Such confidence as existed in the first years, however, was not to exist
for ever. The tunnel advanced, the heading deepened, but at the price of
what troubles, and especially of how many expenses! Day by day one could
soon count the probable deficit in the affair and the silent partners
began to get a glimpse of the loss of the eight millions of securities
that had had to be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council.
Pages:
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45