The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-13 00:00:00

THE St7N, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 13, 1864.

that the Lord Chamberlain had laid down this rule, that
an annual inspection of the whole building should take
place by a competent officer, who should maks a report
as to the state of the building in various points, and
more especially with regard to precautions against fire.
Communications were made in every case in which there
was not sufficient precaution for the safety of the public.
That inspection had led to very great improvement in
theatres in all matters in which the public safety was con-
cerned. He believed that the means of egress were much
greater in theatres than in any other public buildings. All
the doors opened outwards instead of inwards, which was
one very great cause of danger in cases of alarm. In many
of the old theatres it was impossible to make such arrange-
ments as were desirable, but in all new theatres the Lord
Chamberlain required that the plans should be submitted
to him, and in all cases in which the means of egress were
not satisfactory, ho refused a licence,

METROPOLITAN RAILWAY SCHEMES.

The report of Colonel Yolland to the Board of Trade on
31 metropolitan railway schemes has just been issued. It
states :

" That the first impression created by an examination of
the various plans is one almost of perplexity, having refer-
ence to the extreme difficulty of offering any opinion as to
the manner in which such a number of bills, involving so
large an amount of capital (L 33,000,000, proposed to be raised
by shares, in addition to upwards of £10,000,000 by loan),
and limited to so small an area as the Metropolitan Railway
District, with lines interlaced in an extraordinary manner,
can be beet examined and dealt with. The most important
schemes are for the proposed construction of outer and inner
circles of railways, or portions of them; for the connexion
of the northern and southern railways, both on the eastern
and western sides of the metropolis ; and for the construc-
tion of other lines penetrating into London either for the
purpose of connecting existing railway termini or for estab-
lishing more appropriate terminal stations for some of the
main lines. A glance at the map of the proposed schemes
for the Metropolitan Railway District will suffice to make
it apparent that the greater portion of these schemes are
prepared for the carriage of traffic in an east and west direc-
tion, in the line, in fact, cf the greatest amount of traffic in
the metropolis. Now if 8. railway map of the metropolis be
examined, it will be seen that on the north side of the
Thames there is already uninterrupted railway communi-
cation about two miles ncrth of the General Post office from
the London and North-Western to the Great Eastern rail-
ways, through the Hampstead junction and the North
London Railways, between Willesden and Stratford—that
a second line of railway south of the previous one will,
when the authorized extension of the Metropolitan Railway
to Finsbury-circus is completed, only leave a short link
wanting to connect the Great Western Railway at Pad-
dington to the Great Eastern Railway at Shoreditch ; and
that a third series of lines, belonging to different railway
companies, and partly in course of construction, shorter
in length, is found about three miles south of the General
Post-office, on the south side of the Thames, ultimately
connecting the lines belonging to the London, Brighton, and
South Coast, the London, Chatham, and Dover, and the
London and South-Western Railway Companies at Dept-
ford, Brixton, Battersea, and Clapham. These three nearly
parallel lines are connected together by the West London
and West London Extension Railways on the west side of
London. The West London Railway was opened for
passenger traffic in May, 1862, and the West London Ex-
tension Railway in February, 1863. The first and second
series of lines are connected together at Willesden on the
west and at Stratford on the east side of the metropolis, but
there is at present on the eastern side of the metropolis no
railway communication between the railways lying north
and south of the Thames, When certain of the authorized
lines of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Com-
pany have been completed, the second and third series of
lines will be connected together between Farringdon-street
and Brixton, through the centre of the metropolis. Portions
of a fourth series, running east and west, are to be found
intermeliate between the second and third series—viz , the
London and Blackwell Railway north of the Thames, and
the Charing-cross Railway south of it, but they are not con-
nected with each other. The first has long been in opera-
tion, and is a most important omnibus line, worked in con-
nexion with the Great Eastern and North London Railways,
and the second was originally designed to supply a west-end
terminus to the South-Eastern R.Ailway. A connexion with
the city was subsequently authorized and is now in course
of construction, and both Charing-cross and Cannon-street
will, no doubt, prove to be excellent stations for the object,
for which they were originally sanctioned.
"The success of the Metropolitan Railway in carrying
a very large number of passengers (notwithstanding the
disadvantages it labours under in its terminal station at
Farringdon-street when compared with what may be
anticipated when the line is finished to Finsbury-circus),
has naturally drawn attention to the desirability of esta-
blishing other lines of railway in the direction of the great
streams of street traffic; anl one of the first questions to be
investigated is whether such east and west lines, if still ad-
mitted to be necessary, should be made in connection with
the existing Charing-crossßailway partly on the south side
of the Thames, or independent of it altogether, on the north
side of the Thames, in the line of the great route of street
traffic, or as near it as circumstances may admit. This will
probably be made to depend on the views that may be enter-
tained as to the comparative advantages to the public of
uniting the railways that run through the crowded districts
on the eastern side of London, in the adoption or non-adop-
tion of an inner circle of railways uniting with the Metro-
politan Railway Extension to Finsbury-circus, or of merely
running to a terminal station in the city. If the Charing-
cross Western Railway be preferred, it must not be lost
sight of that it will certainly be found necessary to widen
the existing Charing-cross Railway,
"Two of the largest and most comprehensive schemes,
drawn up to fulfil the principal conditions contained in the
report of the Select Committee of the House of Lords of
the last Session, are apparently based upon very different
principles. These aro the Metropolitan District and the
Metropolitan Grand Union. The Metropolitan District
scheme consists of a series of railways (35 in number)
mostly but not entirely north of tho Tharuca, proposed to
establish, in connection with certain authorised lines of
railway not yet all constructed, on the south side of the
Thames, an outer circle of railways, and also an inner
circle, taken in connection with the existing and authorised
portions of the Metropolitan Railway and its proposed ex-
tensions to Brompton and Trinity-square. The outer
circle of this system of railway form junctions with
every railway which it crosses in its course, except the
London and Blackwell Railway, while the inner circle is
not actually connected by a junction with the lines of the
outer circle, except at leronepton; but the outer circle runs
close to and parallel with the proposed extensions of the
Metropolitan Railway to Notting- hill and Brompton for the
greater proportion of the distance between those places. The
northern portion of this outer circle is situated partly be-
tween the Hampstead Junction Railway and the authorised
Midland Extension to London Railway, and partly between
the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway(in course
of construction), the Cambridge line of the Great Eastern
Railway, and a portion of the North London Railway. On
its western side it runs parallel for the greater portion of its
length to the West London and West London Extension Rail-
ways, and about three-quarters of a mile east of them; and
on the eastern side it keeps alongside of and crosses the
North London and Blackwell Extension Railways, and is
nearly parallel to the Great Eastern Cambridge and Wool-
wich lines, from Stamford-hill southwards, and it crosses
the river at Limehous3 Reach, joining the South-Eastern
and London, Brighton, and South Coast Railways near
New Cross. With the exception of two all the junctions be-
tween the outer circle and the existing railways are appa-
rently laid out to facilitate a departure into the country and
not an arrival in the centre of the metropolis, on the assump-
tion, possibly, that this outer circle would form the best
means of distributing the traffic flowing into London by the
main lines, and for collecting that which requires to leave
it in the suburban districts, through which the outer circle
mostly runs. The idea proposed to be carried out is that
traffic shall have every facility afforded for passing to or
from the outer circle to the existing main lines of railway
having termini in London, if the railway companies can be
induced to stop their trains at these junctions, or to run
trains along the outer circle from their main lines, and shall
also be brought in close contact with the inner circle from
toßrompton at several exchange stations ; but
it is not intended that carriages shall pass from the inner
circle to the outer circle, or in a contrary direction, and
passengers will be required to change carriages at those ex-
change stations where the two lines are close to each other,
The Metropolitan Grand Union is laid out for a different
purpose, and it will be noticed that many junctions are
formed between the railways proposed in that scheme and
the existing railways in the course of establishing what may
be considered the inner and outer circles. It is proposed
for considerable portion of this scheme there shall be four
lines of railway, not two; that every facility shall be given
for the traffic of any railway company with which it forms
junctions to pass along such lines in the carriages by which
passengers have arrived from or propose to reach the subur-
ban districts, and to allow such trains to run over the pro-
posed railways, to drop and take up passengers at all sta-
tions, and to return by a continuous and different route, if
arrangements can be made with the companies owning the
other portions of such routes. The contrast is continued in
another respect. Several outer circles arc formed close to
the inner circle at the eastern end of the metropolis by con-
necting the lines which stretch from the West London
Railway to the city with the railways having termini at
Fenchurch-street, Liverpool-street (in course of construc-
tion), and the proposed extension of the Great Eastern
Railway to Wortriwosd-street ; so that while the Metropo-
litan District Scheme carries out that particular recommen-
dation of the Select Committee of the House of Lords that
'it might be found convenient to bring the outer circle at
certain points into communication with the inner circle,' by
placing them alongside of each other, from Notting -bill to
Brompton, the Metropolitan Grand Union Scheme makes
the connexion between the two circles,where it is much more
required, in the city itself, and where it supplies the last
short link that was wanting to complete the outer circle north
of the Thames. It is not safe, and not expedient, especially
in tunnels, to mix up quickly succeeding omnibus trains with
through passenger and goods trains, on a double lino of rail-
„ay, because through trains and goods trains will necessarily
and unavoidably be irregular in their arrival in London.
On these grounds, where it hi intended to run omnibus,
suburban, or goods trains into the metropolis at very short
intervals of time from each other, four lines of railway are
absolutely necessary for the public safety, and if the inner
circle is to be so worked four lines of railway will be re-
quired eve,. such portions as are intended for such mixed
traffic. Where the traffic is proposed to be confined to om-
nibus traffic, or to passenger trains, at considerable Intervals
of time apart, intermixed with large numbers of goods, mi-
neral, and cattle trains, as on the North London Railway, a
double line of railway has been found sufficient.
" The number of trains
Blackwell Railway between
mount of traffic
Fen-
church-street only shows what a very large a
ru'e
can be worked under good management. As a gera
Metropolitan
schemes relating to so limited an area as the
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advantage to the public and the least deettuction to property

to widen existing railways, and enlarge existing station ac-
commodation for passengers and goods, rather than to au-
thorise new lines of railway when the necessity is not very

clearly proved to exist, Thus, the North London Railway
Company have bought lands for two other lines of railway
between Camden-town and Kingsland, and are authorised
to lay down one additional line of way, and their authorised
city branch from Kingsland to Liverpool-street is in course

of construction for three lines of way. It seems very ques-
tionable whether it would not be far more desirable that the
North London Railway Company proceed with the con-

struction of the two additional lines for which they have
purchased the land than for any other company to construct
an entirely new line parallel to it at a distance of little more
than a mile north of it.

" There is a very general concurrence of opinion that the
long passenger traffic of the main trunk lines should be col-
lected and discharged at the present terminal stations of
the company by which it is carried from or brought to
London ; but opinions differ as to the best mode of distri-
buting the residential suburban traffic. It appears that it
would be an enormous convenience to that portion of the
public who are represented as amounting to many hun-
dreds of thousands daily, and attended with some saving of
time and some considerable diminution of cab and omnibus
traffic, if the suburban trains can be allowed to circulate
along the inner circle or circles, and to put and take up pas-
sengers at the stations most convenient to their residences
or houses of business.

"Theoretically, the most perfect system of railway corn •
munication for the metropolis would consist in the esta-
blishment of radiating main lines directed to one focus or
centre, but the impracticability and inexpediency of such a
system of lines has long been apparent, and the great com-
panies approaching London in various directions have for
many reasons established their terminal stations outside the
most closely peopled parts of the metropolis, and there they
should be forced to remain, or at least not Le allowed to
penetrate within the inner circle.

" Three schemes are proposed for uniting the Charing-
cross Railway and the south-eastern system at Charing-
cross with the northern lines ; these are the Charing-cross
Northern and the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Ex-
tension to Charing-cross schemes, which propose to connect
the Charing.cross with the London and North Western,
the Midland, and the Great Northern Railways; and the
latter project also makes a connection with the Cambridge
line of the Great Eastern Railway. The Charing-cross
Western and the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Ex-
tension to Ctiaring-cross accomplish much more than the
Hampstead, Midland, North Western, and Charing-cross
project, but they also pass through and destroy a good deal
of property. It would probably be requisite to provide
against making Charing-cross a terminal station for the
Great Northern, ,he Midland, the London and North
Western, and Great Eastern Railways, in addition to the
use for which it was constructed. At the east end three
projects propose to connect the railways north and
south of the Thames. These are the Metropo-

litan District and Metropolitan Grand Union by
high level bridges at Limehouse and Tower-hill, and the
East London, which proposes to utilise the Thames tunnel.
The construction of high level bridges across the Thames
of the dimensions proposed would be works of much greater
magnitude than any which have yet been attempted in this
country, and they could not fail to he very costly. If the
difficulty which has been anticipated in the construction of
a tunnel from the north end of the Thames-tunnel and
passing under the London Docks can be overcome at mode-
rate expense, it would seem desirable to endeavour to utilise
the Thames Tunnel, and save the expenditure of a large
sum of money in the construction of a high level bridge
across the Thames.
" In many instances it is proposed to carry the proposed
lines under the centre of a street or road of great traffic for
considerable distances, such as Tottenham-court-road, Vic-
toria• street, Cannon-street, &e., while some of the compet-
ing schemes kept clear but at the side of the same street or
road, except where it is impracticable to do so. In the former
case there is less cost to the railway company, but much
more inconvenience and annoyance to the public, and pro-
bably miens loss to the occupiers of houses at the sides of
the street dependent on the mode adopted for carrying on
the work and the length of time it is in hand; the other
course is attended with great additional cost to the railway
company for the purchase of the lands and buildings re-
quired to enable the railway to be made clear of the street,
and with great annoyance and in many instances much in-
convenience and loss to the occupiers of the houses who are
required to remove. When the construction of such lines
cannot be carried on without stopping up crowded
thoroughfares, it seems preferable that railways should be
carried behind houses and not under streets. The case
is, however, altogether different when it has been deter-
mined upon to undertake the construction of a new street,
or to widen an existing one that urgently requires it. The
opportunity should not be lost of utilising the space be-
neath the street, and the cost to the railway company will
be lessened without inconvenience or annoyance to the oc•
cnpiers of houses or the public generally.
" Where the proposed railways are ou viaducts it fre-
quently happens that the junctions occur over or near im-
portant streets or roads, and unless the number of lines
which may be laid down over such streets or roads is named
iu the hill, us Is now done with respect to tho uausslug of
public roads on the level, there will be nothing to prevent a
railway company from covering the whole of the width in.
eluded within the limits of deviation shown on the plans
with lines of railway, in order to increase its accommoda-
tion; and thus the street or roadway may be materially
damaged."
The report concludes with an elaborate description of the
engineering features of the various schemes, the lengths,
gradients, curves, and estimated cost ; from which it ap-
pears that the aggregate length of the 31 railway schemes
for accommodating the metropolis is about 170 miles, the
estimated share capital £32,918,000, and the proposed bor-
rowing powers £10,233,930.