The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-27 00:00:00

THE EASTERN COUNTIES LINE.

Mr. Georg* P. Bidder, one of the engineers for the
eosstrectioo of Ste branebes of the Em•tere Co., i.e sad

Norf Mc Railway., has communicated to tbie (stream of
the Norfolk line a reply to lb. statements of Lieutenant..
Golenal Wynne, th• government inspector, toochiog tt•
condition of that railway. Mr. Bidder commosees by paid--
lag eat that, although Colonel Wyatt* has roported limey
brultm and viaducts in a dangerous state of decay, " yet
be serum& cite as* solitary cue of secideet." la nay to
the .stem Milammee. teat Wed is nos • soh malaria& fee
nilway strutters., Mr. Biddle, esys:—.“ Iron girders have
comaionelly failed—brick arches have broken down—earth
oneharikments have settled—euttings have slirped sad
turned trains of the line—tunaele have fallen In—va-
rious accidests, from failure of bentwork. earth-work,
sad iromwork, have oecurrod on railways, bat I believe
CO one tan point to is instant* in which aa sextiel•st
has boon shown to arise from maple failure of timber."
Mr. Bidder proceeds tuner to deified the use of wood,
by pointing out that it is more may of Inspection, 11101•
tapible of restaratios, that tin time it will continue in good
repair is easily calculated, rod that the known liability of
timber to decay ia a entails them cnn s • watchful super-
Mesodermal very medal for say railway. Mr. Bidder then
lays down a position that "aperients," and not " icepec-
lion," is the only test of the safety of the hoe, and he qm,tee
two cues (the Torkwy Viaduct and the Westmont mroad
bridge of the South WfttillN CO show that govern-
meat laminators had pronounced ants wuras that the after
.aperients of working for some years had presort to be per-
fectly secure. "Thew Lets sad Matson*. appear to isdi.
use that the railway department of the Board of Trade la
la the lisb.t of receiving from its inspectors rewires and re-
prosentations calculated to excite needle,. slums ; and that
it is also is th• habit of sasumiag, epos those repute, a
position, from which, sooner or later, it is obliged to
mode.'

After pointing .it that the use of wood in the Baster,
Counties bridges was a necessity, owing to the nature o
the ground and the went of iron, stone or brick in the
neighbourhood, Mr. Bidder says: w Wheni theme bride e
were designed and executed It was anticipated by the coo
structon that they wool f last from twelve to fourteen years
—the usual period for the duration of timber in minplar
situations. It was not, h , saticipated that tb,y
would last duties that period without steatitic' and coca-
'Waal repantioa. Everyone knows that when water gets
Into the joints of timber decay is induced ; and that frequent
examination is required to t the consequeoce• li the
ineipiset decay of wood-work is ni t stopped it becalms', as
it were. contagious, and the general deterioration is propos-
boast'', rapid. But if at pped I. time, the mainteaaani
of the fabrics will be proportioastely prolonged.
w Now, bow de those luta app y themselv.m to the present
ca.. of bridges on year line The Tarmoutt bratcb,
which the government inspector reports to be a the worst
state, was opened in 1844, 12 years ego. Dariog a c aside?.
aide portion of that ticst.owiag to the inseffic ency of the
repairs effected by a late superintendent enaineer,the bridges
and viaducts !pan the line have been without any reparation
of any sort. Yet, what have been tee results ? Fow 1844
up to this moment the traffic of the line has b-en carried on
over these timber viaducts and 'midges without a single
accident, and, until within the lost twelve maths, without
the slightest Impediment to traffic!
"These results, then. demonstrate eone:osively ths appli-
cability of timber for railway bridges, its durability to the
full fittest espeetsd Ono' it, sold 011 safety of such works
for all psrpows of traffic. The artryrtiom that bridges
eed viaducts of timber are unfitted ft r railways, sad that
the material is anomie, as Lleyeasat-Ce.wwil Mynas Re-
ports, is proved by these hers re he are sesurptise, bred
upon no esprit/ace, sad communicated w twat considers-
_ _ _

"I hove already adverted to the feet that lbws bridges and
viaducts hart listed the period they were oeuvre.' to en-
dure, end that In c sergastace of the insufßcieocr of the
repairs done bye late sups rinteedent engineer to your es-
ptoyaseat, they have falls• into • much worse state than
they ought to lave been retusitted to hive fallen into. The
ostensive rip irations Teeth r.d upon br.dgee were fully re-
ported to the Eastern Counties Company by t..eir present
engineer, Mr. Peter Broil, at the first meeting alter his
appointment, is February, 186.5. From that period down
to the present time, i e , for nearly (ounces month., Mr.
Bruff acd his staff have Is tha ineestoply engaged in the
work of reparatioa. The gm rennet in.pector, after de.
Blaring, as he says, without essegeratie-n,' that in
many parts the timbers meld be dug out with • spare, like
garden mould,' tells you of the vision on which he in
'pseud these Osbert—. When I inspected it, the repa'n
it was undergoing were near.y camp'. ti d, and I sea able to
report that they are ouch es to folly meet the ezegency of the
case, and to place the structure in perfect security.' "
Mr. Bidder estimates ere cost of the repairs and the Nor-
' folk line (91 miles) at 11,0004, after the wear sod tear of
twelve years." Ile poet on to my :—" Had these bridges
bees built of brisk or iron, they would hart cost at least
60,001. more than they did out. The interest os 60,000!,
at 6 per cent I. 2,6001 • year, which in twelve years
would bare amounted to 30.0001. lastesd of 30,00 W. inte-
rest, we have, after the expiration of twelve years, to pay
only 11,0001. to pit the whole tithe bridges in cimplete nod •
effectual repair."
Mr. Bidder concludel ss f Abu In order to legal»
and report estiefectarily respecting a re Tway, it is num
eery that the inspect ire should be penoas of enlarged
esperieeoe, sccustomed not only to the 0 ,ustractiam of
railways bet to their deify use. Is the present, and la
other coon, the reports to the Board of Trade you rall•
wart, their working, and their condition, have been made
by a gentleman who his never himself been engaged in the
constrution of a single mile of railway, or of a single
bridge, who pneticelly knows nothing abut either, and
whom only source of practical acgssiatance with the subject
on which he so simnel, reports, it that pesetas of iesue-
tion of new railways which, for oil ue.lol purposes, every
civil smitten knows to be valueless and absurd When we
remember that, with a lust of amines' Alan of engines*
employed in the Crimes, her Majesty's government, never-
theirs, thought it proper to entrust prestic .1 Moil engineers
(the principal of wit-te was engaged in the onostreet on of
our linq with the duty of laying down Piz miles of railwayfrom Balaklava to the heiphtr, it certainly does apprar not
a little uomalous that that government should thick it
proper to suit the fosse ion of the railw,y works off rat-
tied Sell engineers to men of the very elms to whom
they meld note malt their c matractioe. If inspection.
sad reports of this sort are persisted in, I ask, la cesielusioa,
what will be the musequeere ? At the present time, is ease
of amidents upon • line, the law sapiens the railway com-
pany on woos line it occur, to very wrists liabilities and
posaltier. That law was sdopted in the belief that it would
affthd the public the best security against ral.way accidents.
Bet U railway director* and maser re are to be Utilised
with, lot only when widest• sent, but whew they do not
ocur, the result will be that railway directors and managers
will decline the respossibilities they en. undertake, and
sharp them Ryon those who assert the right to control their
memagement. if government will 'sorters, it is to govern.
meet the public mast look for safety, and foe compensation
wins their safety I. het scared."
This report is addressed to the chairman and director of
the Norfolk Railway Company, and is dated Much IS.

EASTER TERN.-Yesterday,

es the lineiestiss of the holidays, Um several law OE4I
TISSINdi ballot**, whoa the lists sif amen for the firth.
amain Easter Term were exhibited. la the three vistaless
law courts the slumber is only 71. At the seminar coast
afloat term, the number (inclusive of matters is the mows
paper) was 161. Is the Pseisn's Busch, for seat terse, then
are 27 robs; last term there were 73 la the Cos,. se
Cosmos Fleas the number entered is 19; last tens thin
were 29. Aed In the Comet of Exchequer there are 26; lest
tens there were 62. For the enssiug term are, is the
Nen of Queens's Bernell, 2 sew tri 1 rules, 10 rules is the
eve al paper, sad 9 enlarged rules. Is it,. Court et 0•••
ass Plow, 3 enlarged rules, 7 for new trials, 1 nalle
isersent, sad 11l demurrers uttered; whilst, is teCeselef
Eatheqesr, there are two roles is the peremptory p.m
2 is the opeclal paper for j•Aiment. sod 6 f•• ',gamut,
betides there are 16 sales for sew trials. There is s
prod deal of beldam.' in the commas law sour% sad the
beneficial operation of the Commas Law Procedure Act is
betas felt both is the despatch of asses sad the diminished
costs sow charged by the professios. Is setioss is whieh
judgment is allowed to to by default ihe 'barges are
trilling ; asd is the bill now he'ore parliament to 'mead the
lenity seurts, a decreased male will he settled, se that it
will be a wetter of consideration wb eh is the cheapest, the
superior c tart a? the county court, for the suitor to enjoy
the pleasures of litigation.

CRYSTAL PLIACL--0913 81311.1in0 DAY, MARCIE
26.—Resksksas es payment, 3,1791 gitts by sews lisksl9,
847 i Mal. MCC