The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-13 00:00:00

GROUP XVIII.

LONDON, CHELTENHAM, AND OXPOZD.
The Committee on this group assembled this morning at
twelve o'clock; the Earl of Lincoln in the chair.

Mr. Llewellyn, an extensive coal agent, and agent also
for the Lord-Lieutenant of the county where he resides,
stated that there was an extensive coal-field in the neigh-
bourhood ofNewport, Abergavenny, and Pontypool. He A ould
think upon a fair calculation that it comprised 104,000 acres,
in which there were already a number of pits open and..
actively at work. Leaving out all the seams less than 18
inches thick, he conceived that the bed of coal in the district
could not be less than fifty feet in thickness, while the bet
in the Forest of Dean was not more than 55 feet thick, and
did not exceed 16,000 acres in extent, of which only
7,000 acres covered the best coal. The coal in the
Forest of Dean could not be sold for less than 7s. a ton
at the pit's mouth, while the coal about Pontypool
could be raised for 4s. 6d. a ton, and sent to Newport
and Abergavenny at 10s., and to London for 215., if there
was a continuous railway between London and that district.
At the present time the same coal is sold in London at 245.
wholesale, but by the Great Western line the cost could not
be less than 225. 5%e1., besides the charge resulting from the
break of gauge, and the consequent transhipment of the
goods.
Mr. W. S. Carter, a coal-owner at Pontypool, generally
confirmed Mr. Llewellyn's evidence, and stated further, that
he was a contractor for the supply of Government, and bad
lately shipped a considerable quantity of hand-picked coal
at Newport to New Zealand on public account, but he could
have made the contract on much better terms if he had had
the benefit of this railway accommodation.
Mr. R. Stephenson, the engineer in chief to the line, said
that the course which it was proposed to pursue was to leave
the Birmingham and Bristol line a little south of the Chel-
tenham station, and, running close to that town on the west,
proceeded northw..rds to Dowdeswell, at which place it
reached the summit of the Cotswold range, whence it de-
scends to Northleach,, passed by Burford, Witney, and
Oxford, where it' ooluel to the proposed station
of the Oxford and Bletchley line. It then
turned northward at Henley, and ultimately joined the
London and Birmingham Railway at Tring, a distance of
twenty-two miles and a half from the station at Euston-
square, the entire length being about sixty-nine miles and
a half. The cost of the main line would be 1,378;6001, and
with the branches would beZabout 1,452,7564 The ruling
gradient would be one in a hundred, while that of the
opposing line was only one in two hundred. He pro-
posed to attain the summit of his elevation by
a gradient of short length of one in ninety,
while Mr. Brunel proposed to effect the same objeca
by a shorter and steeper gradient of lin 60. But, although
the general gradient was greater than that of the Gre.,t
Western project, he reached his stations at Cheltenham and
Oxford 30 feet below the site adopted by Mr. Brunel, and,
beside, had the advantage of avoiding the bed of water
by which Cheltenham was supplied. By both the
hues the distance would be 1011/1 nines; and
from Gloucester it would be by one Fne 109 miles,
and by the other a furlong further. By the present route
the distance from Gloucester is 114 miles, and thus five
miles of distance would be saved, and a continuous commu-
nication would be made on the narrow-gauge system from
the west, the south-east, and the north.
Mr. TALBOT cross-examined on behalf of the Great
Western Company, and
Mr. Stephenson replied to him, that there was a number
of roads to be passed on the level, but that would be spt,ken
to by another witness. The present extent of the lines
comprised under the influence of the North Western
Company might be described by Perth as the northern
extremity, Holyhead as the western, and Gloucester as the
southern, and upon the lines now worked a dividend of 10
per cent. had been generally paid. He had laid down the
line generally with a view to avoid residential property.
Since the reduction of the fares on the North-Western line
there had been a difference in the returns made to the 1
share-
holders, but there had not been an opportunity of ascertaining
it precisely.
To Mr. CALVERT'S re-examination, Mr. Stephenson replied
that the district occupied by the Great Western Company
was nearly as extensive as that influenced by the North
Western Company, although not so good for the pur-
poses of traffic. The paid-up capital of the latter company
is upwards of 15,000,0001., while that of the Great Western
Company is upwards of 5,457.0001. paid up, 4,316,0001.
additional
seeking for powers in the present session to raise
debt, and power to,
capital of 11,000,000/. The North-Western Company had a
borrow 3,958,000/. They. were farther
atßaanudershaeda,asroraansgetdo
btporoirnmaktgiontehewfhnwaarrrohfsatwawng.dasauegcasetallbedlilnisehPsutO-ochrtisse line,
north of the river in
communication with the South-Western lines on the other
side of the Thames. They were also about to lay down four
lines of railway from London to Tring in order to accommo-
date the increased traffic that was anticipated.
To Mr. TALBOT'S cross-examination on this latter point,
Mr. Stephenson replied that it would require new powers to
enable the company to lay down the additional lines be-
tween Tring and Watford, but not between the latter place
and London. The tunnels and the roadway were to be
doubled.

It being arranged that the landowners opposition and the
further evidence of the promoters should be got through
to-morrow, and that Mr. Talbot should reply the first thing
on Friday morning,
The Committee adjourned at half-past four.