The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-04 00:00:00

GROUP LI.

CALEDONIAN RAILWAY ANI) nitANcums.
The Committee—consisting of Sir John Yal de Buller
(chairman), Lord J. Manners, Captain Plumridge, Mr. Tol-
lemache, and Mr. Newdegate—met this morning at twelve
o'clock, and proceeded to hear evidence.
Mr. Errington, C.E., knew the maps of the Commissioners
ordered to be printed in 1841. The witness proceeded to ex-
plain the lines as originally laid down, and the alterations
which had been made at the suggestionof the Royal Commi-
ssioners. He also explained to the Committee the position of
the several lines on the map of the Commissioners, dated 1845,
The blue line on that map from Edinburgh to Hawick (the
North British) was not continued to Carlisle. The Board of
Trade map of 1846 was put in. In 1846 the Caledonian line
ran a branch up to Langholm, which was thrown out.
By Mr. NEWDEGATE—It was thrown out in the Commons.
The Caledonian then came forward with two branches to
Dumfries, one through Annan, and the other substantially
the same with the Dalmakedder branch of this year. These
were also thrown out. If the Caledonian were thrown out,
and, the schemes of the Dumfries as proposed this seesion
sanctioned, they would have a thorough line to Carlisle.
which would compete with the Caledonian, being only four
miles longer. A portion, however, of the Dumfries schemes
were thrown out on the standing orders. He had exa-
mined the country, and laid out the branches of the Caledo-
nian Railway, from Langholm to Canobie, thence to Long-
ton, and so on to Brampton.
The Committee objected to going into this evidence, which
had been given so fully before, but
Mr. Errington explained that it would be necessary to
do so, in order to show the advantages as compared with
the North British, which had net yet brought their schemes
forward.

Examination continued—Commencing with the Brampton
branch of the Nithadale, it was some furlongs longer than
the Caledonian—that was measuring from the points at
which a new railway would require to be constructed. He
did not mean to say that the Caledonian was much better ad-
vantaged in gradients, as both lines followed the same coun-
try; but it was alleged by the engineering witnesses for the
Dumfries Company that there was only a difference of five
feet at the juncture, whereas he found that this should be
increased to twenty feet. The table of distances he held in
his hand would give the Committee all the distances of the op-
posing branches, and would show that the Caledonian could con-
struct these branches at a lesser cost of 150,000/., besides a
lesser annual cost of working. The substance of the paper was,
that the comparative length as betwcoen the three companies
to complete the system of communication would be :
Miles. Furlongs. Chains.
TheCaledonian,with branches 36 2 5
North British Company 29 6 4
The Glasgow, Dumfries, and
Carlisle grand total
s compared with 36 miles 2 furlongs and 5 chains of the Ca-
ledonian. He had again examined the system thus laid
down by the Caledonian, and he was more convinced that
there were great advantages in concentrating the traffic
upon Langholm. 150,000/. of first capital would be saved by
these lines, which, with interest and 'annual expense of
working six miles, would average probably an annual saving
of 10,000/. The gradients from Langholm to Canobie exhi-
bited considerable advantages to the Caledonian on the
score of gradients; the Dumfries company seemed to have
given themselves unnecessary trouble to surmount a steep
elevation above the river Esk. A mineral traffic from Ca-
nobie to Carlisle would require to enounter on the Dumfries
Company's line a gradient of 1 in 100, while on the Caledo-
nian the only opposing gradient was lin 330. He was the
engineer of the Lancaster and Carlisle, and he was asked
to open out the fields of coal in the districts traversed by that
line, and it was with this view that he had thrown out this
branch to Canobie. The Caledonian Company and the Lan-
caster and Carlisle had a joint station at Carlisle, which
might be worked very harmoniously, and with greadadvan-
tage as respected the Canobie coal. He did not know how
far the North British intended to build stations at Carlisle,
as their intentions had not been made public. He had laid
out the branch from Gretna to Brampton, and he had sacri-
ficed a little in the gradients in order to obtain " a step" at
Brampton. His steepest gradient was 1 in 63, while Mr.
Miller's was 1 in 75. Mr. Miller's curves were rather
sharper near the point of junction, and this, he thought,
would equalise the speed of both companies.
The formal proofs were then put in.
The Caledonian estimates were—
The Callobie Branch £106,874 9 2
The Langholm Branch
16,505 19 0
The connecting Branchs near Loughton
15,714 7 6
8 428 10 0
7,143 0 0

Total £268,100 2 0
Being for a distance of 18 miles, 6 furlongs, and 51/2 chains.
The branch from Arckdyke to Longtown £ 51,169 12 11
Annan branch 111,539 7 6
Kelhead branch 22,020 17 6

Showing for the last branches a total 0f... .. £133,560 5 0
The Dalmakedden branch

Or a total for these of £585,588 11 0
The Longtown and Milton
Stations, &c

Grand total of £850,000 0 0 1
This would give between 15,0001. and 16,0001. as the cost
per mile.
Cross-examined by Mr. BURKE—Taking the Brampton
Branch throughout he did net think there was any great
difference in point of gradient. The "step" at Brampton
was six chains, which would be of advantage in starting the
train. He could not surmount a gradient of one in sixty-
htree with the same ease as one in seventy-five, all the
things being equal. The branch contemplated by the
Nithsdale Company Effected a junction with the Caledonian,
and would meet no stoppage in the through traffic with
Ireland and th west of Scotland. Ths Dumfries
or Nithsdale t ona any would require only to construct the
same amount of railway as the Caledonian, in order to ac-
commodate Cat ob e, Longtown, and Brampton. Longtown
would be equally accommodated by the Dumfries Company
as by the Ca olio aian. He expected that the Canobie
coal would 1 e useful for cokeing. The Caledonian
had communi, ate t with the Duke of Buccleugh upon
the subject. II a Grace, for some reason or other, seemed to
prefer the North British schemes. The Brampton branch,
projected by the Caledonian Company, was intended to com-
pete with the branch promoted by the Nithsdale Company.
He had no hesitation in calling it a defensive measure.
By the CIIAMMAN—If no other company had laid out the
branch, he should never have recommended his company
to do so. The only stipulation the Caledonian had with the
Lancaster and Carlisle, was to secure equal rates—mile per
mile. The Caledonian Company had an unopposed Bill at
present before the Commons for the purpose of accommo-
dating the mineral traffic of the districts around
Lesmahago, Lanark, and Hamilton, by giving them
a communication with Glasgow. He could not say that this
would preclude all opposition in that country. The Clydes-
dale Junction was purchased by the Caledonian Company.
In fact, it formed part of their original scheme, although
from difficulties in the money market it had been completed
by another company. The Garnkirk Railway was also pur-
chased by the Caledonian. These railways were necessary
for the development of the traffic, and the Caledonian Rail-
way guaranteed the Clydesdale 6 per cent. and the Garnkirk,
what they had been already dividing. He did not know
whether that was 8 per cent. However profitable these
of thon
schemes might be to the holders in these companies, he did
notnot know they were so profitable to the Caledonian. He did
whichia'cltkrieNd out "poverty," 7atshonatt the Caledonian were trying to get possessed
. unx.E—Only
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own and Morningside Railway.
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of examination bore
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upon the subject before the Committees