The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-29 00:00:00

GROUP LI.

GLASGOW, DUMFRIES, AND CARLISLE,
AND GLASGOW, PAISLEY, ICILIVIAIL-

IV OCK, AND AYR (NO. I).

The Committee met this morning at twelve o'clock, ia
Room No. 29. Present, Sir John Yarde Buller (chairman),
Mr. Newdt•gate, Captain Plumridge, Mr. Tollemache, ani
Lord John Manners.

Evidence was called in support of the promoters.

Mr. Knight, managar of the goods and mineral traffic (1
the Glasgow and Ayr Railway, said he had been so for many
years, and was well acquainted with the country traversed
by the different railways; He thought it was essential to
the security of the country that the Glasgow, Dumfries, and
Carlisle Company should be put in possession of the main to
Annan and the branch to Brampton, for no legislative enact-
ment was sufficient to remove obstacles when companies were
prepared to interpose these. Coal was at present brought
in large quantities from Kilmarnock to Paisley, which was
under the management of one company ; thence to Greenock
which was managed by two companies conjointly. Nothing
but the fair competition of the Ayr coal could keep the Glas-
gow coal out of the Paisley market. They had, however,
been unable to get the Ayrshire coal into Greenock and Port
Glasgow ; yet the Glasgow coal passed through Paisley, which
was the common point for all coals. One cause of this was
the fact that different rates were charged by the Glasgow and
Greenock company ; another was that waggons without
springs were objected to; a third was, that Ayr coals were
frequently allowed to lie at the station for hours before they
were forwarded; and a further reason was, that the tires on
the wheels were objected to.
Captain PLUMMDGE asked what the object of the examina-
tion was? Sir Thomas Phillips said, that the object was to
enable the Committeee to infer that the obstructions which
had already taken place at the north end would be followed
out at the south end.

Mr. Sergeant lldtatrint said that he had never contested
the fact that they might thus cut off their noses if they
wished to disfigure their faces. He thought it was un-
necessary to occupy the time of the Committee proving that
they would not do so.—(Laughter.)

gr. Knight's examination continued—lron was at present
conveyed by the joint line of Kilmarnock and Ayr to Glas-
gow, and then by the Glasgow and Greenock line to Greenock,
thus entailing a necessity of an extra carriage of fourteen
miles, besides the expense of carting the loads from one
station to another. The expense of carrying coal at present
was id. per ton per mile, where the distance exceeded sixty
miles; and at this rate the cost of carriage from Canobie to
Kirkcudbright would be 4s. 9id. per ton. They charged
higher rates at one time, but as the traffic increased they had
reduced the charge.
Mr. Knight, cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant Munrwr—
The Act of Parliament gave an unlimited power to charge
any sum not exceeding 2d. per ton, but he did not think
that that amount would be charged. He should think lid.
sufficient, and would recommend them to take that sum. He
had no doubt that there was sufficient coal in the direct line
through Ayrshire to supply them for the next fifty years.
They had ironstone and other minerals in abundance. He
did not remember the amount of minerals carried the first or
the following years, but it did not exceed that on all other
railwaps existing. The amount of traffic in the first year
was .:00/. or 600/., while in a few years after, in 1845, the
return for the carriage of minerals was 12,000/. He had no
doubt, that it they earried a large quantity, say 100,000
tons, of coal from Canobie to Kirkcudbright, they could
afford to carry it at 3s. 4d. per ton. He did not know what
quantity would really be cal tied. He did think that 18,000
tons would pay for wear and tear of the carriages, but lie would
not say that it would give a profit. He did pot think that
it was absolutely necessary, for the safety of the public, that
traffic carriages should be provided with springs. The cost
fromirs
theThpoe
rto oof
railwayA Ayrshire,
dh
neighbouring
of keeping up the way was less on the Ayr than on the
Greenock Railways, and the latter had carriages with
springs, while the former had them without.
Re-examinedcoosi
d e r
obbyl e Sirexport T
trade T. P .
in-
duced
o
although the export trade of Maryport and its
ports still continued.
Mr. Blythe,C.E.—The distance from Gretna to London by
the North- Western system of railroad was 310 miles. ir
e
took the shortest route by the Trent Valley when he said
this. The distance from the same point by Newcastle was
329 miles. There were Bills before Parliament which would
bring this down two or three miles. The gradients on the
latter lines were better, because the summit of Shapfell was
avoided. He knew the country between Hexham and
Durham.
The CHAIRMAN interposed, and said that the Committee
would not receive evidence on lines not before them.
Mr. Blythe's examination continued—The practical diffe-
rence in time between the two routes would be only some
twenty minutes. The distance from Glasgow to Carlisle by
the Caledonian Railway was 101 miles, while by the Dum-
fries Company it was 125 miles. The distance from Gretna
to Peterborough by Rugby, on the North- Western lines, was
281 miles, while by the Newcastle it was only 253 miles.
But there was a shorter distance by the Lancaster and
Carlisle to Penrith, Appleby, York, Doncaster, and Newark,
which was under the control of the London and North-
Western. The distance by this line was 234
miles. The distance from York to Belfast by Gretna,
Kirkcudbright, and Donaghadee would be '261 miles; while
the distance by the London and North-Western, to Holy-
head, Dublin, and so to Belfast, would be 348 miles, 160
miles of which would be under the absolute control of the
London and North-Western. The water carriage from Holy-
head to Dublin was 64 miles, the water carriage' from
Kirkcudbright was also 64 miles; but if this line were ex-
tended to Port Patrick, the water carriage would be only 19
miles. He had, in conjunction with Mr. Miller, laid down
the line to Brampton. He had also laid out the Hawick and
Carlisle Railway, which would have been the shortest com-
munication between the Canobie-fields and Colchester. He
knew the Caledonian schemes as well as their own, and he
thought, on the whole, that the Dumfries Company's Ex-
tension to Brampton was the more preferable, as being
shorter, and havin better gradients. These superior gra-
dients were obtained by taking the line 240 yards from the
town of Brampton. The Canobie branch, promoted by the
Dumfries Company, was
three-quarters of a mile shorter
than the Caledo
thala ttmfOruzer:
man, littt the latter had a better gradieat ,
•