The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-20 00:00:00

,~

THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.

The experience of the first week's working of the
new railway has been highly satisfactory. The num-
ber of passengers who have travelled to and fro upon
the line has been about 225,000. On the opening
day (Saturday, the IGth) the number carried was
38,000, on Sunday there were 33,000, Monday
26,000, Tuesday 21,000, Wednesday 26,000, Thurs-
day, 26,000, Friday 25,000, and Saturday the pas-
sengers were not less than 30,000. On Saturday
the trains ran every 10 minutes, and were remark-
ably well filled, especially the down trains from the
Farringdon-street station. The underground por-
tions of the line are to a great extent free from the
annoyances usually experienced in railway tunnels.
The engine drivers, for their own comfort's sake,
not less than that of the passengers, pay great at-
tention to the working of the engines. No persons
suffer more in tunnels from the sulphurous fumes
and products of combustion from the furnaces than
the driversnind stokers, and when so large a por-
tion of their time is passed underground they are
naturally very careful in the management of their
fires, and as far as possible avoid feeding them with
fresh fuel while in the tunnel. In spite, however,
of all their precautions, a certain amount of sulphur-
ous vapour will be given off from the engines, and
the drivers complain of pains in the head from work-
ing the trains. The tanks below the engines, which
are used as condensers, have been found much too
small, and they will require to be replaced by larger
ones. The steam from the cylinders, having done
its work, passes into these tanks, which, in theory,
ought to have a constant supply of cold water, but
the only time when the water is really cold is at the
commencement of each journey. By the time the
trains have passed through the longer or central
funnel of the line, the water in the condenser is
brought to boiling heat, or nearly the same tempera-
ture as that in the boiler. As soon as this degree of
heat has been attained, it is necessary to open the
valves and let off the steam, for if there were no
escape provided, the condensers would be as liable to
explode as a boiler without safety valves. The steam
is thus often discharged into the tunnel ; it rapidly
condenses, however, and causes no serious annoy-
ance. The sulphurous fumes from the fire boxes
and chimneys are not, however, so easily got rid
of. The extent of this unpleasantness has been,
however, very much exaggerated. Among other
reports was one to the effect that several of the
porters and signalmen had been carried away insen-
sible from the effect of the noxious vapours. It
would be scarcely correct to say that there was no
foundation for the statement, because two of the
porters were really in a very weak and sinking
state when they were taken away from the station.
The cause, however, was perhaps as much due to
exhaustion from long hours of work, and to the fact
that, owing to the pressure of traffic, the men had
really not been able to leave for their meals, as to
what had been very absurdly called the " choke
damp" in the tunnel. The Gower-street station, at
which the men were stationed, is provided with
glazed openings from the gardens in front of the
houses. The simple remedy of opening these win-
dows has since been adopted, and no inconvenience
is now felt at this station. At the Baker-street
station the glass has also been removed from the
side apertures which admit light into the stations,
and the tower at Portland-road has been made to
do duty as a ventilating shaft. From King's-cross
to Farringdon-street the engines are worked on the
usual high-ptessure system, as, with the exception
of the Coppice-row tunnel of 600 yards in length,
this portion of the line is an open cutting. This
I short section of tunnel has one air shaft, and the
smoke and steam from the engine
produce no very
disagreeable effect in that short ran. The same
system of working at high pressure is adopted at
the Paddington end of the line between the
Bishop's-road and the Edgware-road stations. It
is only, therefore, between the Edgware-road and
King's-cross, in the unbroken length of tunnel, that
the plan of condensing is adopted, and in running
this distance, as we have said, the waste steam
raises the water to boiling point. Two things are
absolutely necessary : to increase considerably the
speed of the trains, and enlarge the capacity of
the condensers. Both of these improvements will
be carried out. On Saturday the trains ran every
ten minutes, and arrangements will be made
next week for doing the whole journey in eighteen
minutes, while through express trains will also be
started. Larger condensers are likewise being pro-
vided for the engines. The arrangements for work-
ing the through traffic to and from the Great
Western and Midland Railway at King's-cross are
not yet completed.

Importing Tea 'without colour on the leaf pre-
vents the Chinese passing off inferior leaves as in the usual
kinds. liorniman's Tea is uncoloured, therefore, always
good alike. Sold in packets by 2,280 agents.
BY PROCLAMATION.—Conaidering the success of
President Lincoln's proclamations, the New York World
advises him to issue a proclamation abolishing the Alabama,