The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-11-01 00:00:00

BRIDPORT.

BRIDPORT lIALF-YRARLY RAILWAY MEETING.—
This meeting took place on Vi fxlnesday and was
very well attended. T. A. Mitchell, Esq., 51. P., and
K. I). Hodgson, Esq., M.P. (as the London direc-
tors), J. and 11. P. Gundry, and S. Co'fox, Feqrs.,
Messrs. Swath(lgo, Reader. Denham, /cc. Thomas
Legg, Esq., in the chair. The report of the three.
tore states that they have slightly altered the former
account.) of the company by excluding from the
cipitnl count the amount of advances by the Great
Western Railway Company on account of works.
The deficiency on capital account consists of £4,595
due to bankers, exclusive of interest, £5,473,
due to Great Western Railway Company, and
£5O due to the secretary and for unpaid Income-tax,
together £lO,llB. The Act for leasing the Brid-
port Railway to the Groat Western Railway Com-
pany, and for raising a further amount of capital, ra-
mified the Royal assent on the 13th of August last.
The estimated liabilities for which such further
capital is required amount to £19,600, including the
above-mentioned balance. The traffic for the first
half year of 1859 has been nearly 9 per cent, better
than that for the corresponding half of 1858, and
the traffic for July and August of 1859 has been 13
per cent, better than for the corresponding two
months of 1858. The capital account showed that
£87,556 had been received and £97,674 expended,
leaving a balance against the company of £lO,llB.
: The revenue amount showed that £7,903 had been
received for throe half-years, and £6,367 expended,
including £1,382 for interest, leaving a balance of
£1,536 carried to capital account. The Chairman,
in moving the adoption of the report and accounts
now submitted to the shareholders, said it was sails.
factory to observe that they afford an intimation
of improvement of the railways and of the traffic.
The report of the engineer cannot but be a con'
enterable relief to the anxieties of the shareholders,
many of whom may probably have feared the
yVitherstone slip to be incurable. From that report
it is to be hoped that no further outlay on the line
to any oonaitlernbbt extent will be required. The
directors are fatly impressed with the deep import-
ance of closing the account for construction and
works as quickly as possible, and no efforts will be
spared tocomplete arrangements to this effect with
the Great Western Railway Company without any
accountable delay. The amount of estimated liabili-
ties Is composed of several sums, whereof a portion
only are imertained—such as • balance of
£lO,llB la 3d. mentioned in the capital account—
the claim of Mr. Mathiesoo, the interest due to
hankers, the further sums advanced by the Great
Western Railway Company on account of works,
and sundry mall sauna. The remainder consists of
amounts not yet amertained—but only estimated:—
such as the farther outlay for works, land not paid
for, and unadjusted claims. By the Compantsibl
cent Act they are empowered to raire a
capital of £llO,OOO, but the first money raised under
such powers must, to the extent of £7,000 be paid
to the Great Western in disehary of their advances,
and in the meantime, until such payments, this own-
piny must pay to the Great Western interest on the
same at the rate of 71 per cent. To meet these
liabilities, the shareholders will me the necessity of
authorizing the amain of those powers in accord.
anus with the team of the Act. —Mr. W. Smith

begged to second the same. Put and carried man.
mously.—T. A. Mitchell, Esq., M.P., K. 1). Red.
son, Esq.. M.P., addressed the meeting, and con-
gratulated the shareholders on the future prospects
before them. and trusted if the gentry of the locality
came forward (as they bad no (leinbe they would) the
requisite amount, ar before stated, would be speedily
obtained at a reasonable rate of interest, and that a
dividend would bo declared before the end of 1860.
Tue GALS —On Tuesday last a terrific gale visited
the coed, and accounts from various parts of Eng-
land give details as to its disastrous results. We have
not heard of any serious damage in this town. A
wall at the back of the Plume of Feathers, in Bar-
rack-street, was blcwn down, a few trees in different
parts of the town have been prostrated, and some
havoc has been made with tiles and chimney pote,
beyond these, we believe, the effects of the storm
have not extended. At the harbour, however, more
striking evidence of the remarkably boisterous cha-
racter of the weather was given. The west pier hal
sustained considerable damage from the fury of the
elements. The wind was blowing very hard during
the day from the south-east, accompanied with heavy
rains at intervals. About 7 o'clock p.m., it changed
to the south-west. The fury of the sea had been
gradually increasing, but about 7 o'clock, at the turn
of the tide, the violence of the waves was terrific.
The whole of the old works of the inner part of the
entrance of the west pier have been washed away.
The new piles which have been recently driven, still
stand unsupported. The whole of the new beams
have been entirely destroyed, and pieces of timber
from twelve to fourteen inches in thickness may be
seen snapped asunder by the force of the water. Two
engines were carried away within ten minutes of each
other, about 7 o'clock in the evening. One of these
was on the east, the other on the west pier. But
little damage has been done to the east pier, beyond
the washing up of some of the boards, and the de-
struction of the engine just named. The shipping
has sustained no damage whatever, but had the gale
continued many hours longer an incalculable amount
of damage must have been done.
Tux Ittruni—On Thursday afternoon last the
Rifle Corps assembled in full uniform, and marched,
headed by the hands of the company, to the grounds
of J. Gundry, Req., The Hyde, where they under-
went their ordinary drill, including the tiring of
blank cartridges, in the presence of K. D. Hodgson,
Esq., M.P. We understand that Serjeanta H. J..
toppoct and H. D. Gundry are about to proceed to-
Hythe to undergo a course of instruction.