The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

Yesterday th 3 committees appointed to decide upon the
merits of certain new railways met for the first time in the
north corridor of the House of Commons. where the attend-
ance of the public and of the parties interested was un-
usually large. The first committee, consisting of Mr. G.
Hardy (chairman), Sir J. Acton, Sir H. Bruce, and Messrs.
Bellew and Walker, had referred for their consideration the
following suburban railways : —Edgware, Highgate, and
London—Tottenham and Hampstead Junction (A., exandra-
pa,ll Extensions)—Hammersmith and City—Hammer-
smith and Wimbledon—Crystal Palace and South London
Junction—Crystal Palace (new railways)—Finchley, Wil-
lesden, and Acton—Kew, Turnham Green, and Hammer-
smith—Kingston, Tooting, and London—London and
South- Western (Kensington, &c., Extension)—North and
South-Western Junction—Tooting, Merton and Wimble-
don—Watford and Edgware Junction—and Wood-green
and Enfield Railway. The committee selected for conside-
ration the Alexandra-park railways—the Edgware, High-
gate, and London—and the Tottenham and Hampstead
Junction. Mr. benison, Q.C., with whom was Mr. Wilkin-
son, opened the case for the promoters of the Edgware,
Highgate and London at great length. The object was to
make an extension from the main line, which would be
completed by the end of the year, and which runs from the
Great Northern, through Highgate, Finchley, and Hendon,
to Edgware. The extension, though only 1 mile 54 chains,
was most important, since it would commence at the Great
Northern at Hornsey, and connect Alexandra-park and
Muswell-hill with the metrapolis. Lord Fermoy, M.P.,
chairman of the Alexandra-park Company, and Mr. J.
Everett gave evidence in favour of both the proposed Alex-
andra-park lines. They would prefer, however, that they
should stop outside the park-gates, and that the line within
it should be made by the Park company. Mr. Cawk-
well, manager of the London and North-Western, and Mr.
Fuller, surveyor, were also examined in favour of the Tot-
tenham line. Mr. Merewether, QC., who appeared for the
competing line, the Tottenham and Hampstead (Alexandra
Extension), stated that it would be 2 miles and 15 chains
from a junction with the company's authorized line, near
the north side of the Holloway.road, to Bath-lodge, Mus-
well-hill ; and that the second portion would be one mile
three chains from the last point to a junction with the Great
Northern at its Colney-hatch and Southgate station. After
some further evidence, the committee adjourned to 12 o'clock
this day.

The Dwellings of the Poor in Shoreditch,

Yesterday an adjourned inquest was resumed by Mr.
Humphreys, the coroner for 'Middlesex, at the Blue Last
Tavern, Curtain-road, Shoreditch, touching the death of a
child named Ellen Kenealey, aged 1 year and 3 months.
The evidence in this case disclosed a painful state of things
with regard to the habitations of the poorer classes in a part
of Shoreditch. The deceased, it may be stated, was one of
two children dwelling with their parents, labouring people,
at 26, Harris-buildings, Union-gardens, Shoreditch. They
were both taken ill three weeks ago, and on Sunday last
deceased died. The mother thought they had the measles,
but there had been a rash, &c., and the medical man who
was called in after death could not account for the fatality,
but he said that the state of the place was such that the
want of oxygen would cause asphyxia, and so death, if the
child had been debilitated. The house and neighbourhood
were described as follows, by witnesses who were manifestly
reluctant to be examined :

Mary Kenealey, 20, Harris-buildings, said that her house
contained but two rooms, one over the other. Witness, her
husband, her two children, and her husband's brother, all
slept in the top room. They broke a window to let in air.
The rent was 3s a week, There were two privies for eight
houses, and only one dustbin for 20 houses. The dust was
not regularly removed, and it had to be thrown about the
place to dry up and harden the ground, there being no sewer,
The houses were very damp, as the water and slush remained
in the yard until it sank into the earth. There was only one
water-tap for 13 houses, and the water was laid on some •
times for only 10 minutes, and never more than a half hour
in the 24. There were no water-butts, and the water had to ,
be kept in pans and tubs in the houses. Two persons in the
court had sheds to keep their water in. The witness said
that the deceased was naturally a healthy child, and she
never thought it would be snatched away from her so
suddenly. Mr. Long was the landlord-
Eliza Cooper, 3, Cook's-place, Harris-buillings,said that
she was used to the smell in the place, and it was no incon-
venience to her. When the water was kept in the house
for a day it became bad, and had to be thrown out. The
walls of the houses were crumbling. The slush used to flow
into witness's house, and she got a severe illness from it.
When the people constructing the new railway came they
set that right as they had to construct a sewer. The in-
spector of nuisances never came. Once " two railwp, gen-
tlemen" put their heads over the paling and asked how were
the closets, and on being told they were very bad, the gen-
tlemen had them trapped. Tho one dustbin of the neigh-
bourhood was right opposite witness's door, and the dust
used to be blown in about the house. It was an agent who
collected the rents.

Mr. F. G. Gant, F.R.C.S., pathological anatomist to the
Royal Free Hospital, said that by direction of the coroner
he made a post mortem examination of the body of the de-
ceased. The deceased was a well-nourished child. The
congested state of the lungs and veins proved that the child
died from asphyxia, resulting from a failure of the supply
of arterial blood from the heart. Having arrived at that
conclusion, he proceeded to inspect the premises. He found
the place undrained and unpaved. The woman told him
she was so anxious to get the yard paved that she had begun
to collect paving stones. She got one somewhere on each
Sunday, ands beginning had already been made. There
was green stuff and water lying about in the yard. One
watercloset had to serve for several houses. The smell that
would arise from the yard would be most prejudicial to
health. The supply of water was deficient. He should
certainly suggest that a drain should be made to carry off
the stagnant water from the yard. It was quite possible
that the deceased's suffication in this case may have arisen
from the result of measles.
Mr. Ellison, surgeon, concurred with Mr. Gant'a state-
ment.

The Coroner said that he had received a letter from Mr.
Long, the landlord, stating that he would be most anxious
to carry out any improvements that might be necessary,
and the necessity of which had escaped his observation.
The Jury returned a verdict—" That deceased died from

asphyxia from natural causes," and the jury requested that
the coroner would call the attention of the landlord of
Harris-buildings to the danger to the public health arising
from the state of the premises, and the want of a proper

_ .
supply of water, of a proper number of privies, and the
unpaved state of the yard,

The Coroner said he should act upon that recommen.
dation.