The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-06 00:00:00

producing a severe shock, which, taken in combi- held at Ilminster on Satuvds.y Mr.J.Lee in the chair.
nation with the causes he had before referred to, The report stated that Cie Act incorporating the
sufficiently accounted for the accident. A very company received the Roy al assent on Aug. 7 last.
slight and comparatively inexpensive engineering An effort to raise capital. on the Stock Exchange
arrangement ',Would be quite enough to prevent had not been successful. Arrangements had subse-
beams from falling under similar circumstances. quently been made with the Bristol and Exeter
Either a strong seaffoNing might be built under- Company for prosecuting a Bill in the ensuing Ses-
neath, or it might be see:tred by trusses and iron sion of Parliament, authorisiog the latter company
bridles ; but, in one way of another, it would to subscribe a further sum of money towards the
be the easiest thing in the wOrld to secure a undertaking.
beam working in such a dangerous p qSitiOn so that The report was adopted, and the retiring diree-
it could not fall down the shaft, if it should un- tors were re-elected. The sum of £l2O was voted to
happily break in a similar manner. the secretary. Mr. Baker =ld Mr. Rutler were ap-
Mr. Thomas Clark, ironfounder, of NeweMle, pointed auditors. The mecAing was then made
said the quality of the metal was very good. Ths'lt I special, and the Bill authorising the Bristol and
was shown by the fracture, for any cast iron which Ex; ter Company to subscribe a further sum of
possessed strength showed an irregularity in the money' was approved, and the proceedings term i-
fracture ; and in looking at the beam he had eb- tutted.
served a great many fragments still hanging to it,
not broken entirely away. This showed great
tenacity. The appearance, too, of the section of
the fracture was very favourable as to its casting,
and its colour also indicated good iron.
The explanation given by Mr, J. H. Murray, of
Cl:esterle-street, iron-founder, of the cause of the
fracture, differed slightly from Mr. Hoskings' ac-
count. The beam had certainly not been broken
by its usal work, but by concussion. When the
engine lost her load in the pit the piston
would strike violently on the bottom of the cylin-
der, and then the beam would be broken. The
fracture of the cross-beam, he thought, proved this.
The proportions of the bean:: were very good, though
it would have been improved by the addition of
more metal in the centre.
Mr. Blackwell remarked that he could not agree
with the witness that the piston
d struck the
cylinder. The spring beam had received a very
severe blow, as he should be able to show.
The next witness called was Mr. H. Warence, of
the Walker Iron Works (where the beam was cast),
who produced an entry from the books of the firm
showing the composition of the casting was one-
third Blenarvon No. 3, cold blast, and two-thirds
No. 1 0.M.0. Scotch.
At the conclusion of this witness's evidence the
inquiry was further adjourned until Wednesday, at
1 o'clock.
The following is a copy of a petition which it is
proposed the miners of Northumberland and Durham
should sign and send to the Legislature t—
" To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled,
the humble Petition of the Coal Miners of Great Britain
respectfully showeth,—
" That from the frequent number of terrible disasters oc-
curring among miners, produced by one shaft, which is
necessarily bratticed, to one mine, as in the last appalling
catastrophe at Hartley Pit, your petitioners are convinced
there is no safety for themselves, or security for their
families from destitution, whenever your petitioners are ex.
posed to the dangerous conditions of single-shafted mines.
That your petitioners have arrived at the inevitable con-
clusion, from sad experience among their class, that
every mine, previous to working coal, should have two dis-
tinct shafts sunk, one at the dip and another at the rise:
with a view to the ulterior plans of the mine ; and also
that, in proportion to the extent of royalty to be worked, a
proportionate number of shafts ought to bo put down, not
only for better ventilation and the security of the miners,
but also, in the judgment of your petitioners, for the cheaper
and more advantageous working of the mines. Your peti-
tioners therefore humbly pray that your honourable house
will cause inquiry to be made into the present system of
ventilation and working of mines, with a view to the better
protection of miners from the appalling disasters that ars
perpetually overtaking them. And your petitioners will
ever pray, &c."

SALISBURY AND YEOVIL.

A special general meeting of this company was
held yesterday at the offices, .Leadenhall-street—
Mr. It. R. Notman in the chair.
The secretary having read the notice convening
the meeting,
The CHAIRMAN explained the object for which it
had been called, and concluded by mov.ing the fol-
lowing resolution—" That the directory be autho-
rised to borrow on mortgage, under the vrovisions
of the Salisbury and Yeovil Deviation Act, 1860
any sum or sums of money not exceeding in the
whole £49,500."
Mr. HUGGINS seconded the resolution, and it
was carried unanimously.
The meeting then separated.

STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON.
The report of the directors state that the re-
ceipts for the half-year ending the 31st of De-
cember, including £558 from the preceding half-
y.9ur, amount to £215,342. The expenditure,
innincL'ing interest, amounts to £116,502, leav-
ing a ta,:ance after payment of the preferential and
guaranteed dividends of £49,000, out of which the
directors rem.'' mend a dividend at the rate of 81
per cent per annum (making the dividend 81 per
cent. for the year 18t?l), leaving a balance of £1,346.
The arrangements entei-esfl into with the Ndorthu-
cordially cot
Eastern Company have beet
during the past year. The }:den Valley line from
Kirkby Stephen to Penrith will probably be opened
for traffic next month. The capital account shows
that £3,144,470 had been expended to the 31st of
December last, leaving a balance in hand of
X 145,910.

RAILWAY BILLS.
Yesterday the following cases were disposed of
before the Examining Barristers of the Houses of
Lords and Commons :--
EASTERN COMITIES.—To vest in the company
the powers of th© Epping Railway Company, to
abandon the railway from Epping to Great Dun-
to Crouch-street, Colches.
now, to make a railway
ter, to raise £140,000 by shares, and borrow
£46,600.
NEWPORT AND ItYDE.—TO construct a railway
from Newport to Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, and
raise £lOO,OOO.
make a rail-
CANNOCK CHASE EXTENSION.—To
way to connect the Cannock Chase Rai; way with
the South Staffordshire Railway, and to raise
£40,000.
The other railway bills disposed of were the
Shrewsbury and Hereford (for lease to the London
and North-Western), the Shrewsbury and Welch-
pool (to widen and improve their main line, and to
raise £80,000), the Newtown and Machynleth (to
make agreements with the Great Western Com-
pany), the Furness, to enable them to make a branch
line to Hawcoat Quarry, to vest in them the Ulver-
stone line, to enable them to purchase and hold
steam vessels, to raise £142,000, and borrow
£40,000.
The bill for the Carlow, Tullow, and Newtown-
harry Railway was withdrawn.

RAILWAYS AND OTHER COMPANIES.

GREAT NORTHERN.

The directors of this company have determined to
recommend to the proprietors, at the general meet-
ing, on the 22d inst., to declare a dividend for the
half-year ending the 31st of December, 1861, at the
rate of £7 15s. per cent. per annum on the original
stock of the company, giving for the half-year
£3 17s. 6d. per cent. to the original stock; £3 per
cent. to the B stock; and £4 15s. per cent. to the
A stock. These rates will make the dividend for
the whole year 1861 as follows—viz., £slss. per
cent. on the original stock ; £6 per cent. on the B
stock ; and £5 10s. per cent. on the A stock.

COUNTRY MARK-CIS.

..- v

HULL—FEB. 5.
To-day a small supply of English wheat, with a slow-
sale, at is per qr cheaper. Foreign generally held above
the ideas of buyers.
Wheat.... Old white per qr. s4s Od to stss ~°d,,
Old red
New white .. „
New red .... ,
Dantzic, Konb , '&c. old white 56s Od to 62s 041
Dutch, Belgian, and. French. 58s Od to 62s Od
Baltic and Hamburg, red .
St. Petersburg and Riga, Old. 50s Od to 52s Od
Barley.... English malting 3ss Od to 38s Od
Grinding
Saal and Oderbruck
Holstein and Danish 3ls Od to 36s Od
Grinding 303 Od to 31s Od
Oats English, old
Archangel and Riga, per st osl2ld to 13a
Friesland and Dutch osl3d to 0313-0
Swedish and Danish osl2id to NMI
Beans ....English, old, per qr
New pigeon 42s Od to 44s 0.1
New tick. 4os Od to 42s Od
Egyptian
Peas Foreign breakers .
Grinding
Tares ....Spring —s Od to —s Od
Indian Corn
Linseed, feeding s2s Od to 56s Od
crushing
Linseed cakes (Hull) £lo 0 0 to £lO 5 0
Foreign' Bl5 oto 910 0
Rape cakes 517 6to 6 0 0
Bones 5 5 oto 610 0

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE —FEB. 4.
At our Exchange to-day there was a fair attendance of
farmers. The sales were excessively dull, and prices for
wheat were unchanged. The weather has been 1111SCatiell-
ably mild during the week.