The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-01 00:00:00

GROUP .XIV.

SOUTH-EASTERN AND BRANCHES.
The Committee on this group of railways met to-day at twelve
•,'clock, in Room No. 30 ; pres(nt —Mr. Protheroe (chairman), Lord
Emlyn, Mr. J. O'Connell, and Mr. Grogan.
The CHAIRMAN said that with regard to the correspondence which
had passed between the South-Eastern Company and the Board of
Admiralty, those letters merely contained a refusal to allow the
Greenwich Branch to pass through Greenwich Park, without assign-
ing any reason for that refusal which could at all operate on rational
men. Under those
circumstances, he thought that th Greenwich
Branch was as before the Committee as any other part of the

Mr. MEaREWETIIEtt said that the only reason assigned was the
fear that the vibration caused by the fast trains would interfere with
the delicate experiments that are made at the Observatory. The
Astronomer Royal had declared that such an objection was of no
value, but he declined stating his real reasons for fear of offending
the Board of Admiralty. Tho Astronomer Royal had at length
spoken out, and he (Mr. Merrewether) would no doubt be able to
state and to overcome those reasons.
Mr. GoLDSmiD said that the South• Eastern Company had in their
opening abandoned that part of their line, and ;that being the case
It could not now come under the consideration of the Committee.
The CHAIRMAN said that their duty was not to consider what the
South-Eastern Company had abandoned, but to consider the public
benefit that would result from the formation of any particular line. The
South-Eastern Company had retained the Greenwich branch of their
line upon the map, and therefore he considered it competent to the
Committee to decide upon it.
Mr. Bice, who appeared on the part of the Thames and Medway
Canal Company against the South-Eastern line, called
James Smith, the lock-keeper on the canal at Maidstone, who
stated that there is a lock above Maidstone-bridge, and in times of
flood there is great difficulty in navigating a barge through the lock
at the bridge. It is a very common occurrence for two or three barges to get across the pier of the bridge. The width of the barges
is about 15 feet 6 inches, sod the arch of the bridge was about 24 feet I
span. The barges going through the bridge are much affected by the
westerly winds, and there is difficulty in keeping them straight in
going through the bridge. If there was a bridge formed sixty yards
farther down, the barges would have to be kept straight in going
through both bridges. Even as the present bridge is, the barges
often sustain serious damage in passing through it.
By Mr. Memaxwemen.—Believes that the new bridge will be about
60 or 70 yards from the present bridge. The barges, when loaded,
draw from 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches of water.
Mr. Dewhurst, a member of the Committee of the Medway Navi-
gation Company.—The company owns the river from a little below
Maidstone to Tunbrige, a distance of 15 or 16 miles. The com-
pany are extensive dealers in coal as well as carriers. The Medway
company entirely supported the greater portion of Mid Kent with
coal before the introduction of railways. When railways were intro-
duced they were compelled to avail themselves of the South-Eastern
Company to carry their coal, but that company charged so high that
frequent remoristranCes were addressed to them. The North Kent
Company, on the contr.,' rY, exercised their powers with much fair-
ness. The Navigation CG.'npany at length proposed to ran a loco-
motive on the South-Easton line, but the South-Eastern Company
refused to allow it.
Mr. Mxnaewrrneit objected to that circumstance being taken
into consideration, as it was already the subject of proceedings in
the Court of Queen's Bench.
Mr. Bice considered that it was perfectly:competent to him to make
that circumstance a part of this case.,
The CHAIRMAN decided that the Committee could not attend to
that point, as it was before a civ.l court.
Mr. Bice then addressed the Committee at some length, on the
part of his clients, and commented on the table of charges which the
South-Eastern Company had themselves supplied, and which showed
that the company had charged the Navigation Company for carriage
more than double the amount which they made other persons pay.
At the conclusion of his address, the paper was handed in to the
Committee.

Mr. Sergeant Wiessec nist, on the part of the North Kent line,-pro-
ceeded to call rebutting evidence to the case made out by the South-
Eastern Company. He called
Mr. Vignoles, who stated that the evidence given on the South-
Eastern side had not altered his opinion of the North Kent line. The
low level of the South-Eastern had been adopted to secure easy gra-
dients, but that object hai not been attained. The highest vertical
elevation on the South-Eastern between Greenwich and Dartford is
118 feet, and on the North Kent 135 feet ; but the South-Eastern
Company loses its advantage by the amount of undulation. Be-
tween learttbrd and Gravesend the level is in favour of the
South-Eastern line, but their undtliations again lose the advantage.
Although Mr. Stephenson's summit level is 90 feet lower than the
summit level of the North Kelt, yet his rases are 30 per cent higher
than on the North Kent. Between Gravesend and Chatham the
summit level of the North Kent is 75 feet, and ere: the South Eastern
it is the reverse, there is a fall of 16 feet. The amount of undulation
is greater on the South Eastern. From Chatham to Sittingbourne
the highest point;is 98 feet on :the North Kent, but oil the South
Eastern the highest summit is only 45 feet. There are no rises
on the North Kent in that distance, but the rules of the South East-
ern line are altogether 75 feet, thus losing the advantage they gain
by a lower level. Between Canterbury and Faversham, the highest
point on the South Eastern line is 150 feet, and on the orth Kent it
is 110 feet. The sum of the rises on the North Kent is 150, and the
sum of the rises on the South Eastern is 166, thus losing 16 feet.
Between Dover and Canterbury the highest polet on the North
Kent is 132 feet, and the sum of the rises is also 132 feet, giving no
undulation. The South Eastern's highest level, between these points,
is 276 feet, and the sum of the rises is 356, giving 80 feet amount
of undulation. The amount of all the undulations on the North
Kent line is 61 feet; and the total amount of the undulation on
the South Eastern is 134 feet, giving an excess of undulation of 193
feet on the South Eastern scheme. It is not fair in ascertaining
ruling gradients to take a line in sections—the whole of the line should
be taken into consideration, in order to ascertain the real ruling
gradient. Such a division would only be fair, supposing that a fresh
engine-was to be put on at every section, and regulated to the
amount of resistance it had to incur by gradients. Well, take the
sections of the two lines aril compare them. On the North Kent
line, from Greenwich to Dartford, the ruling gradient is I in 132,
and it is the same on the South Eastern. The distance by the
North Kent is 12 miles, 7 furlongs, and 1 chain, and on the South-
Eastern it is 12 miles, 7 furlongs. and 2% chains; but on the north
loop, over which all their Gravesend and Sheerness traffic mast go,
the distance is 14 miles, three furlongs, and 24 chains. On the North
there Kent
__s et.i.4llre no level crossings, but there are fourteen on the
nutlanct-e, while
the
North Kent has 2,960 yards of tunnelling in that
there are 781 yards. Between
has none, but on the southern loop
dieut of the North Kent rlef n Dartford and Gravesend the ruling gra-
-132., and on the South-Eastern I in 182-.
By the North Kent the distance is 19 miles 6 furlongs and 10%
chains. On the South.: is
it Is 19 miles furlongs and 3 chains
but on their southern loop,p on which on their own 'showing all their
Gravesend tracts must pass,
chains. The North Kent has n'odirvatek"erisoss2inlgsm.lll7t3thiu'ed'sontht
n the North Rent in that
Eastern has three. There is no tunneellin
Fr
distance, hut on the South-East,n there are
Y 4
a rat on them
Gravesend to Chatham the ruling graAlient isaornee
SOUtli-Eastern it is quite level. The distance on the North Kent is
28 miles 6 chains, and on the south loop
Eastern it is 28 miles 1 furlong 9 chains, lantr South-
north loop, 29 miles 7 furlongs. The North Kent on
the
no
level crossings, but the South-Eastern has 7. Between Chatham
o
and Sittingbourne the ruling gradient on the North Kent is 1 in 132,
and on the South-Eastern it is lin 168. The distance by the North
Kent is 3d miles 2 furlongs 6% chains, and by the South-Eastern 39
miles, 4 furlongs 3 chains. The North Kent has LOOP yards of tun-
nelling in that distance, and in the South-Eastern there are 1,790
yards. The South-Eastern has 1,100 yards of viaduct and a swing-
bridge, while the North Kent has neither. Between Sittingbourne
and Faversham the North Kent distance is 447
miles, 2 furlongs,
and half a chain ; on the South-Eastern it is 46 miles,furlongs, and
1 chain. The North Kent Railway gradient is 1 in 330, and the
South-Eastern lin 106. Thera are no level crossings on the North
Kent, and five on the South-Eastern; no tunnelling on the North
Kent, and 242 yards on the. South-Eastern. Between Faversham
and Canterbury the North Kent distance is 54 miles, 2% chains, and
the South-Eastern distance is 58 miles, 8 :chains- The North Kent
gradient is lin 172, and the South-Eastern gradient is lin 100. The
North Kent has 1,500 yards of tunnelling, and the South-Eastern none.
The North Kent has Lone level crossing, and the South-Eastern Ave.,
Between Canterbury and Dover the North Kent ruling gradient
is 1 in 132, and the South-Eastern lin 79. The total distance of
the North Kent, from the Greenwich Railway to Liverpool-terrace,
is 70 miles 1 furlong, chain, anti on the South-Eastern line the
distance is, fromlthe same point to their local station, 73 miles, 2 fur-
longs 4 chains. The North Kent tunnelling is 2,280 yards, and by
the alternative line 2,760 yards,
while the South-Eastern has 4,375
yarOs. The North Kent has only one level crossing, and the South-
Eastern Company six on the Maidstone branch. The North Kent
ruling gradient Pram Rochester to Maidstone is 1 in 132.
There Is a short gradient, half a mile, of 1 in 90.
The South-Eastern ruling gradient, between Maidstone and Rochester,
is 1 in 83. The North Kent distance is 9 miles, 5 furlongs to the
centre of the town, but to form a junction with the Paddock Wood
branch the distance exceeds 10 miles. The South-Eastern distance
is 11 miles 6 furlongs 1 chain. The North Kent has '2OO yards of
tunnel, and the South Eastern 440 yards. The Sheerness branch has
both lines level, and the North Kent distance is 6 miles 7 furlongs 8
chains ; while tile South Eastern distance is 5 miles 7 furlongs 6
chains. On the North Kent there arc two level crossings, and three
on the South Eastern. Both lines have a swivel bridge.
After some farther evidence, of no public interest, the Committee
adjourned until 12 o'clock to-morrow.