The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-07 00:00:00

, way Company, finding the inconvenience of two stations
( (namely, the Bricklayers'Arecs and the London-bridge),
c used to spli: the trains at Deptford, and now run alter-
, riae!y, for this very reason, that a man never knew which
station he was going to in London ; and the!ef re, if
he said to his servant. " You will meet me at the Dover
Railway, on Friday ;" he said, " Which station am I
to go to, the Bricklayers' Arms or the London-bridge?"
Supposing you split the train at Euston-square, and
brought it partly here and partly there, the difficulty
would be just this, that unless a man always knew which
stationihe was coming to, as a west-end man, his servant
would never know which station to go to, b, sides the
inconvenience as to luggage.
In fact, you think a double station an inconvenience
to the public ?—Yes ; the present Dover Company run
one train now to the Br: cklayers' Arms, and the other to
London-bridge, on purpose to obviate this very difficulty,
independent of saving time and safety.
Is there not now this difficulty, that a man may go to
the wrong station?—lt is right enough now ;if a man
goes there he is told that no train is coming in, and that
he must go to the Bricklayers' Arms ; but before a gen-
tleman mu:t wait, if he was undecided, till both trains
were in. Another thing is, that you lessen the accommo-
dation to both, because, if you only start at the Euston-
square alternately, you only accommodate the Euston-
square man that once, and in the same way you only
accommodate the other once.
And it is an increased cost to the company, and con-
sequently an increased cost to the public, by having two
passenger stations ?—Yes ; I do not think the South-
Western can do what I believe they can at London-
bridge ; they take the number of the vehicles outside
the gates daily that pass through their gates.
At the South-Western they do that, and also the place
to which each cab is going?—Now they do at the London
and Birmingham, that is exactly what we do, and the
estimate which I have given is taken from such
data. These details are from Mr. Creed ; we keep
the account for the London and Birmingham ourselves,
therefore this information must come from us. The
next question is, is it necessary in the estimate to
take a season of the year when there are many more
persons ? I have taken from March to April. If you
take from July to August, instead of being 26,000 people,
we should bring it up to about 40,000 for the West, and
about 20,000 for the City. If you toke March and April,
and July and August, or about that time, you will have
the average of the two seasons, which will be better.
Do the proportions differ much?—Oh, yes.
The proportions, not the numbers?—Oh, yes.
With regard to the proposed goods station on the
Southwark side of London-bridge, on the Southampton
line, can vessels get up there?—No, only lighters.
How will vessels get through London-bridge 7—A
lighter from London-bridge to the docks would be a very
trifling expense, and there would be a very ready access,
and by going to the docks in a lighter, you save the
charge of the docks themselves when by land.
You would not calculate upon coasting-vessels getting
up to that station ?—Coasting-vessels can get up there ;
hoys can ; they can get there if it is put where I pre-
sume the station will be ; somewhere about Mr. Hum-
phrey's wharf.
How will they get under the bridge : the billy-boys
and things of that kind ?—I apprehend what will go
principally will be from the docks, the same as we have
to fetch things, and take things to and from the Cus-
tom-house, and not vessels.
What will be the difference of the expense, instead of
coming to Vauxhall, as is done now ?—They would be
taken for ls. a ton. Then there is this saving, that if
we take them by our waggons iuto the docks, they have
to pay dock charges, but not if they go by lighters.
What will be the difference of expense?—About 3s.
per ton, and .the saving of time will make some differ-
ence; it will be about three hours in time.
Why should it be so?—lt takes about three or four
hours now, and would be less to London-bridge.
It is only a tide after all. What is the advantage of
going up to London-bridge, as you have a station at
Vauxhall?— It makes a great difference upon the horse-
draught. I do not mean to say it makes all that difference
that is necessary as for a commercial district. The pas
sengers, no doubt, would receive an immense benefit by
coming into the city, because the amount of traffic is so
very large. As regards the London and Birmingham
Railway Company, I understand that they wish to get
to the Docks direct from Camden-town ; of course, if
they do that, it will lessen our cartage very considerably.
By coming under the City?—By the outer line, I think
we carted sixty tons in one cargo only the day before
yesterday from the Docks to the Birmingham Railway.
I can furnish the Commissioners with the absolute num-
ber of the passengers moved for twelve months by
omnibus from the Great Western, from the South-
Western, the London and Brighton, the London and
Dover, and the London and Birmingham.
And by cabs, too?—Yes, we can give you it partially
by cabs, not all by cabs, but pretty near the mark. You
will see the small quantity which we take to and from
the Brighton and Dover Railways.
But that does not include all the people who are moved
from that station by omnibus?—We take the whole
district by Charing-cross, and no other omnibus goes to
the station but our own, excepting the London Convey-
ance Company omnibuses, which go by Holborn to Ox-
ford-street ; I believe they go to Paddington ; beyond
that there is no other.

There may be passengers by the London Conveyance
Company omnibuses ?—They go to Holborn, and up Ox-
ford•street. We want to take out the Charing-cross
omnibus, but the Railway Company will have our omni-
bus in as a matter of regularity in connexion with them.
You say we shall see the very small number of pas-
sengers which you have conveyed from the Brighton and
Dover Railways?—Yes, you will find that they go by
cabs; they do not mind the additional money; they pay
the additional money, and thereby produce six vehicles
to one. It is not so with the London and Birmingham
quite in proportion.