The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-02 00:00:00

Milton, Carrington, Cowly, terminating in the parish St.
Clements, at the 53d mile stone on the London-road, about half
a mile from Malden Bridge, where a junction was proposed to be
made at the Oxford and Rugby and the Rugby and Worcester.
The ground at this part was very level. The ex-
treme length of the line was 47 miles, 5 furlongs, and 5 chains ;
the branch to Thame 3 miles, 2 furlongs, and 2% chains; total
length to Euston-square 54 miles, 7 furlongs, and 2 chains. On the
main line there were four level planes, and the worst gradient was
1 in a 100. There were three inclined planes in the Thame
branch-1 in 220, 1 in 167, and 1 in 2,640. At Bledlow there
was a plane of 1 in 136. The gradients were as favourable
as the .nature of the: country would allow, and were per-
fectly consistent with moderate works, and were laid out
so as to compensate the mere level portions of the line : this was
also the case with the embankment and cuttings. There were ten sta-
tions—commencing at Northalt, Uxbridge, Edgley, or Stoke Common,
Wooburn, High and West Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Tetsworth,
Carsiugton, and the terminus at Oxford, which was.well situated for the
purposes of the town. There were engineering obstacles to putting
Thame on the main line. The Lsndou and Birmingham station at
Euston-square, possessed advantages over the station of the Great
Western, because it was two miles nearer the centre of the metropolis,
an advantage which he considered; and Mr. Robert Stepheeson, of
the same opinion, said it was equal to ten miles of railway travelling.
There were two 1 unnels on the line, one at liorsinglen Wood, and
the other under the Cricket-ground at Uxbridge; the first was 457
yards, and the second 325 yards in length. The soil was favourable
at Uxbridge, hut not so at Horsingden, for which allowance
had been made in the estimate. The worst curves were
in the neighbourhood of Woeburn. There were two curves there of
a radius of half a mile and eight chains each. At the junction with
the London and Birmingham there was a curve a quarter of a mile
in length, with a radius of three furlongs each.

ESTIMATE.
For the line, including 10 per cent. for contingencies •• .. £730,875
Land .......... ..... .. . ~...........• • • • 100.600

Total ..
The land required, on the average, would be 61,643 cubic yards
per mile.
Cross-examined by Mr. TALBOT—Several schemes had been pro-
jected during the last ten years nearly along the route of this line,
but they were not proceeded with. Three or four plans were pro
posed for making a line to Oxford, in November, but this line
was the only one which had come before Parliament. This line
was originally proposed to afford railway accommodation west, by
Whitney, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, and so on to Hereford, after
leaving Oxford, but this plan was abandoned shortly after the report
of the Committee on tke Broad Guage line last year. The Commit-
tee of this railway came to the decision of yielding the ground west of
Oxford to the broad guage interest. He was a subscriber to the
amount of 26,0001. or 27,0001. The June ion with the London and
Birmingham was north of the tunnel at Harrow, The line for six-
teen miles from London, ran about 3% from the Great Western line,
towards Kilburn about four miles. They should no doubt run as
many Oxford trains as the Great Western now did to that town. He
had no doubt of the London and Birmingham line being able to afford
them ample accommodation. On the main line there were thirty-
nine inclined pieties and four levels ; but the total length of the levels
from end to end was not more than two miles. The best gradient
was lin 8,514. The deepest part of the cutting at Stoke-common
was 68 feet. They passed about 14 feet below, but parallel to the
present road. The strata was chalk and gravel. There would be a
viaduct of 2,220 yards in length ; the extreme height 112 feet. The
viaduct on the Dover line, at Folkstone, was 100 feet in height; at
Wycombe there was a viaduct 68 feet in height. •
The examination of this witness was not concluded at the rising of
the Committee.