The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-11 00:00:00

Projected Railways and Works in the City.

Mr. Haywood, the engineer to the Commissioners
of Sewers of the Corporation of London, has pre-
sented a report upon the projects of the railway
and other companies applying to Parliament in the
present session for powers to construct works within
the city. These projects, he states, are 24 in num-
ber; 19 are for railways or works connected with
railways; one is for the acquisition of property to
form a site for a public building; another for the
formation of a high level roadway and new streets
in connection with it ; one for laying pipes for the
transmission of parcels and letters by pneumatic
agency ; and, lastly, one for the formation of a sub-
way or tunnel beneath the Thames. The sum of the
areas scheduled for projects of all descriptions
amounts to about 211 acres, but many parts are un-
der notice by two, three, or four companies, and the
actual area scheduled is probably about 160 acres,
or about one-fourth of the entire city. The total
length of the various railways proposed to be made
within the limits of the city is about 20 miles. The
various public ways of all descriptions which are
interfered with numbered. 300, more or less ; but
in comparatively few cases are the levels to be
altered when the works are executed. As to the
sewerage works within the city, a very large por-
tion of them, he says, will be annihilated, and will
have to be reconstructed upon an entirely cliff:Tent
plan. Two companies propose buying up and
utilising the Thames Tunnel ; two propose crossing
the Thames west of the Tower of London by bridges
with spans of 820 ft, and with heights of 100 ft above
high-water mark; another bridge, equally ambi-
tious, is to cross at Limehonse, while to the west of
London four or five bridges, although of less im-
posing dimensions, are in contemplation. The
Monument, Temple Bar, Drapers'-gardens, Fins-
bury-circas, and Apothecaries'-hall are also sche-
duled, as are some of the city halls and the Admi-

ralty at Whitehall. Several lines propose taking

possession of part of the Thames Embankment, and
one of the centre of the Thames itself. The line of
the Fleet sewer, throughout its length within the
city and a considerable portion without, is to be re-
constructed; the sewerage of several square miles is
to be disturbed, and property to the value of many
millions sterling is put under notice. Some of the
schemes are for railways upon viaducts, those which
propose making junctions between the north and
south sides of the Thames being necessarily so. The
greater part of them, however, are intended to be
below the surface ; and nearly the whole within the
city are to be in tunnels or covered ways. The pro-
jects to which this description applies are-1.
Blackfriars Embankment, Roadway and Railway.
2. Charing-cross Railway (additional lands for sta-
tions, &c.) 3. East London Railway (Thames Tun-
❑el line). 4. Great Eastern Railway (Metropolitan
Station and Railway). 6. London and Blackwall
Railway Extensions, &c. 6. London, Chatham,
and Dover Railway Bills, Nos. 1 and 2—(new lines,
_ _

&c.) 7. London Low Level Railway. 8. London
Main Trunk Underground Railway, and connect-
ing branches. 9. London Union Railways. 10.
Metropolitan Grand Union Railways. 11. Metro-
politan District Railways. 12, Metropolitan Rail-
way (Extension to Trinity-square, Tower-hill.)
13. North and South London (high level) Junction
Railway. 14. North London Railway (additional
powers).'r,ls. Oxford-street and City Railway. 16.
Thames Viaduct Railway. 17. Tottenham and
Farringdon Street Railway. 18. Thames Tunnel
Railway. 19. Victoria-station and Thames Em-
bankment Railway. 20. Courts of Justice Concen-
tration (acquisition of site). 21. Holborn Valley
Improvement. 22. Pneumatic Despatch Company.
23. Tower Subway.
The whole of the schemes carefully avoid touch-
ing churches; indeed, portions of most of those in
the city are curved in various directions, apparently
for the sole purpose of avoiding them. The church-
yards are not treated with the same respect, as lines
are to be carried through many of them, and in
several cased very near to the walls of the churches,
although the fabrics are to remain untouched. Mr.
Haywood observes that some of the projects are de-
signed with the view of affording complete measures
of railway accommodation for the metropolis, and
others in which the wants of the city in that re.
apeet have evidently been studied with great care.
Most of the designs2-he also adds, bear evidence of
being laid out so as to accord with the views ex-
pressed in the third report of the Committee of the
House of Lords upon Metropolitan Railway Com-
munication. It should, however, be stated that since
the report of Mr. Haywood was prepared seven of
the projects above enumerated have either been
withdrawn or have not passed standing Orders—
namely, Blackfriars Embankments, Roadway and
Railway, East London Railway (Thames Tunnel
line); London Lori Level Railway; London Union
Railways; North and South London (high level)
Junction Railways ; Thames Viaduct Railway ;
and the Tower Subway.
With respect to the Holborn Valley Improve-
ment, to which a good deal of attention has of late
been directed, the scheme which is promoted by the
corporation of the city of London, is described as
designed " to form a viaduct or raised way across
Holborn-valley and new btreets and improvements
therewith, and for other purposes." It is proposed
to take down the property upon both sides of Skin-
ner-street and Holborn between Hatton-garden
and St. Sepulchre's Church, and construct a high
level roadway between those two points, and more
upon the southern than the northern sides of the
existing roadways. Farringdon-street is to be
crossed by a bridge, having a minimum central
headway of 21 feet. Flights of steps will be made
at the angles of the bridge for purposes of com-
munication between the upper and lower levels.
A bridge will also cross Shoe-lane, leaving
a clear headway of 16 feet. The gradient
of the new part of the lane will be 1 in
30, and the street will be continued northward,
30ft in width, to a new street which is to be formed.
Farringdon-road will be widened as far as West-
street to the present width of Farringdon-street.
The levels of parts of Farringdoa-street and Far-
ringdon-road are to be altered. A rise will begin
from Newcastle-street, with a gradient of 1 in 45,
and continue at that slope to West-street, whence
there will be a decline northwards with a gradient
of 1 in 100 as fer as Charles-street. Two new streets
are to be made between the upper and lower levels,
and both starting from Farringdon-road. The
western street is to begin opposite that now in course
of formation by the corporation, and join the upper
level at Hatton garden, the gradient being 1 in 45.
It is with this street that Shoe-lane wili be connected,

It mill not only connect the upper and lower levels,
but will form a direct communication to the new
market from Holborn. The eastern street will start
a little north of the bridge over Farringdon-street,
and join the upper level by St. Sepulchre's Church,
at a gradient of lin 45. This will, practically, be
in substitution of Snow-hill, and will not only com-
municate with the viaduct, but, by an improved
gradient, with King-street, Smithfield, and Long-
lane. The gradients of Hatton-garden, Ely-place,
and of nearly all the courts and places abutting
upon the high level roadway will be improved. The
scheme, of which this is a general outline, may be
subject in the carrying it out to variations both in
levels and lines of streets. The area scheduled will
admit of much variation. Powers are sought to
widen King-street from Snow-hill to Smithfield,
and to complete the widening of the western end of
Newgate-street. Other powers are asked to form
subways for gas and water pipes, and to construct
dwellinghouses for the labouring classes. The streets
and ways, when formed and completed, are to be
placed under the charge of the Commissioners of
Sewers, to be maintained, cleansed, and lighted by
them like other public ways within the city.

MR. BAINES, M.P., AND THE REDUCTION OF THE
FRANCHISE.-Mr. Baines has given notice that on Tues-
day, the Bth March, he will move for leave to introduce a
bill to extend the franchise in boroughs in England and
Wales,

A PRINTER'S ERROR.—A ludicrous blunder up•
pears in a Ripon paper, caused by a line which properly
belonged to a meeting report having been accidentally
placed between two announcements of births. The record
read as follows :—" On the 3d instant, at Ellingtcn, the
wife of Mr. Terry, schoolmaster, of a son. He spoke in-
distinctly, but was understood to say that, on the sth in-
stant, at Bond-gate, Ripon, the wife of Mr. Joseph Loris-
dale, tailor, of a daughter."