The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-07 00:00:00

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trb
4.

SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.

NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—Notice is
hereby given that, In c3mpliance with the sessional orders
of the Houses of Parliament, a SPECIAL MEETING of HOLDERS
of SCRIP and BANKERS' RECEIPTS in this undertaking, will be
bald at the Palatine Hotel, in Manchester, on SATGRDAY, the 16th
Instant, at one o'clock In the afternoon precisely, and that at such meet-
ing a copy of the Bill now pending in Parliament, to empower the
Company to construct their proposed railway, will be submitted for
consideration.

Parties attending this meeting 4411 be required to produce their
scrip or bankers' receipt, and to furnish the Secretary with &memo-
randum of their name and address, denoting the numbers of the scrip
produced. In order to facilitate the business of the meeting, the
Secretary will be in attendance at the Palatine Hotel two hours pre-
vious to the meeting, to receive the scrip and take the denoting num-
bers thereof.

THOMAS BIRKBECK, Chairman,
EDMUND SHARPE, Secretary.
Company's Offices, 107, Jermyn-street, London.
•
may 6th, 1846.

RAILWAY COMMITITES
(THIS DAY.)

GROUP IV.
The Select Committee appointed to consider the merits of the Bills
comprised within thil group re-assembled at the usual hour this
mornings and proceeded with their labours, Mr. W. B. Hope in the
Chair.

PERTH AND INVERNESS.
-
The business of the day was commenced with the
cero linexamine-
e, by Mr.
lion of Mr. Joseph Mitchell, the acting engineer
load Company. ith
B. Andrews, on behalf of the Great North of Scotpany. The
length of the line frcm R ~ n
miles, 3 furlongs,
Redgorton to Nairn was
15%
*lid 5 chains, and from Nairn to Inverness miles. The line
ould not run right into Nairn, but tbere7
miles in length.
would 'w be a short branch to
accommodate the main traffic o f about
From this point of junction to Redgorton
single line of rails, with the exception there would be only a
of
a short distance, Athol
Valley, where there would be a double line of way. Thehighest
elevation of the line, which was about the station at Inverness, was
1,450 feet. The Caledonian line had an elevation of 1,050 feet, and
the Sheffield and Manchester art elevation of 800 feet. From In-
verness to a point near Nairn, a distance of ten miles, they ascended
396 feet on gradients of 1 in 84 for seven miles, 1 in 200 for two
miles, and lin 144 for one mile. They, however, adopted the alter-
native line, which increased the distance. The line descended till it
reached the Tinder river, where it ascended. Here there was a
curve of three furlongs radius, the gradient of the curve was 1 in
100. The bridge at this point was I in 339, on a straight line
crossing the river, and 1 in 100 atter crossing it of five miles,
three furlongs, and ten chains in length. The total ascent
from the 100th mile coming from Perth, and going northward for the
first 29 miles, was 1,121 feet. From this point to Inverness they
were on an ascending gradient of 1 in 147 for 6 miles, 1 in 7i for 8
miles, 1 in 104 for 8 miles. There was always a good deal of snow,
rain, and mist at this point. There would be 15 stations on
the whole lh.e. Between Inverness and Nairn they would
not occur more frequently than at other whorls of the line.
They would to equally divided throughout the whole line.
From Elgin to Nairn there would be four stators. He con-
templated refining four passenger trains, two Sunday trains,
and one goods trains each day. The mail coach from Perth to In-
verness was often sent round by the coast in winter, in consequence
of the contractors finding it more profitable to send the bags on horse-
back, and sometimes in consequence of the roads being stopped up with
Snow. The Edinburgh and Glasgow incline of I in 42 was worked by an
exPensive stationary eneine ; and this ob-ervation applied also to the
Llckay incline on the Birmingham and Gloucester. The line termi-
nated at Redgorton, where it joined a branch of the Scotch Midland.
Ile did not know whether it was contemplated to make the Scotch
Midland at this point a double or single line. He was aware that a
Meeting of sharehf lders adverse to further progress of the Bill had
been held in Aberdeen, but he had been creditably informed that It
was got up by the Great North of Scotland Company. To make the
line a double one it would require 203,561/. more than his estimate.
The estimate for the Great North of Scot/and, with double lines,
would be 10,562,0001., and ofthe Perth and Inverness, and Aberdeen,
'Banff, and Elgin 20,816,000 The capital of the line from Aberdeen
to Perth was 1,500,000/. The Perth and Inverness, and the Aber-
deen, Banff, and Elgin, had 81 miles more of rail to make than the
Great North of Scotland. The price of the Scottish Midland from
Perils to Redgorton would be 50,000 e, which would have to be added
to the 20,816,000/. His estimate for working a double line was 40/.
per cent., and a single from Nairn to Elgin 331. per cent.
On re-examination he said the Great North of Scotland Included
in their system two branches to Frazerburgh and Peterhead, which
be had not taken into consideration in snaking the comparison he
had just made. He understood the Great North of Scotland line was
to be amalgamated with the Aberdeen and Perth Company, whose
shares were at an enormous discount, while the Great North of
Scotland shares were not rateable at ail ; and he was apprehensive
that, in the present state of the money market, if the two were
united, it would be some time before the lines would be opened
for traffic. What he meant by his gradients being
favourable was that they could be worked by an ordinary engine.
There were many gradients already in existence of a similar charac-
ter worked by ordinary engines. But many of his gradients which
were considered objectionable might be avoided altogether. It was
not that a coach could not get along the Highland road that the mail
Was not run sometimes in winter, but because the mail contractor
found they made more prod t by sacrificing the passengers and running
the mails with 1e5",":"..71:1417the-Y 'had in large numbers for posting
in summer, v;isile in winter they would he idle we 'e it not for the
mails- detail of his estimates agreed with Mr. Gibbs's. His
own Prices were. somewhat higher, while they were much higher than
what he was in the habit of paying. The highest point of the Great
lifo'sth of Scotland was about xis hundred feet.
Mr. ERRINGTON, who is associated with Mr. Lock as an engineer,
was the next witness called.—lle said he bad, in conjunction with
his partner, examined tee nitre of the proposed line, and he could
confirm the evidence of Mr. Mitchell in every respect. From the
nature of the country, the works were of remarkably small magnitude.
'The gradients were good, there were few curves and slopes, and only
one tunnel of 400 yards long ; and from the experience he had with
estimates made out upon Mr. Mitchell's principle for Scotch lines he
had no hesitation whatever in saying the work could be completed for
the sum given Inc by Mr Mitchell. There was no doubt that a sub-
stantial contractor could be got without difficulty to undertake
the works upon Mr. Mitchell's estimate ; indeed, he had works under
his control which were being executed at much lower prices. He
had no hesitation in saying that the trains could run over the line
notwithstanding whathad been said about the gradients at the rate
of 30 miles an hour. It would not take more than 3,0001. a year to
obtain the power on the Perth and Inverness, with its severer gra-
dients and plains, that was proposed to be used by the Great North
of Scotland , while, at the same time, there would he a saving of
I Is. 2d. per ton on the through traffic. In a through and a circa-
tious line, the one that hati,the ead, or last link of the line, would
have power to decide which way the passenger traffic should go
and he was afraid no regulations could be made which should insure
fair play to both companies. The best way was to leave the
last link in the hands of the through line, because there
could not be any doubt that the local oughts to be
subservient to the through line. With proper precautions, it was al-
most impossible that a line could be obstructed with snow, for, in
fact the power of the railway was used for keeping it clear in snowy
weather

On cross-examination by Mr..Auvrry, he said he was decidedly of
opinion that sooner or later a direct line would have to be made, and
certainly thought the through line ought to be made before the coast
lute. There certainly were some gradients of no ordinary character
on this line, but this was all a matter of expense. They were not such
as could not be worked by an ordinary powerful engine.
The Committee adjourned shortly after four o'clock.