The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-18 00:00:00

GROUP XIV.

The Committee appointedio—ascerrain the merits of the respective
Bills comprised in this group re-assembled at the usual hour this
morning, in the Vice-Chancellor's Court, and proceeded with the case
of the

zrorail rei:Erv:v Lzr4E.

The first witness called was Mr. Vignules, the engineer of the
line, who stated that he was the engineer of several large and im-
portant lines. He first looked out a line in North Kent in the
autumn of 1839, and that project had since been resumed more than
once. Plans were deposited for the scheme in 1841 and 1842. His
experience of the county bad made him thoroughly ac-
quainted with the district of the North Kent Railway
long before the commencement of last year. In 1836, he
re-surveyed a line for Colonel Langan,who bad planned out a railway
through North Kent, but that scheme fell through, and It was not
until 1839 that he surveyed the district on his own account. Neither
of these projects was prmoted by the South Eastern Company, and
he believed they would have been referred to Committees as com-
peting lines to the South-Eastern. In 1842 he laid out another line,
promoted by Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmith, but it was ultimately aban-
doned. In the following year, just previous to embarking for Ger-
many, he looked over the county again, with a view of sketching out
a line, and on his return from Germany in 1844, he de-
vised a plan for crossing the river Medway at Rochester.
His plan was, for erecting a bridge which should unite
the two advantages of a road traffic and a railway bridge. The trustees
of Rochester-bridge were at the time anxious to rebuild a bridge
across the river, and he thought this a favourable opportunity for
publishing his plan. At this time, however, he only contemplated a
line to Margate and Ramsgate, but subsequently, finding that he was
followed by the South-Eastern Company step by step, he determined
to extend the line from Chatham to Canterbury. A short time
afterwards.the South-Eastern Company carried their line from Ash-
ford through Canterbury to Margate and Ramsgate, and this induced
him to abandon for the motnent that portion of his line going in the
same direction. The South-Eastern Company commenced surveying
for a North Kent line in 1b44, long atter he had enterer upon
his own surveys, and long alter. the prospectus of his own
project had been published. The first notification the South-Eastern
Company published was put forth in June, 1844, when they stated
Mgr illtelltl9l2 to make II line from London to Gravesend, and trout

Gravesend to Rochester and Maidstone. In the autumn of 1844,
he settled his line from Chatham to Chilham, but it was thrown out
last year. At this time he contemplated extending the line from
Ceilham to Canterbury, and a fork to Deal and 'Aver, but the plans
and surveys wero not in a sufficiently forward state to justify it
being brought before Parliament. The South-Eastern Company also
introduced a scheme into Parliament last session, for a line from
London to Chilham, n Welt was also thrOwn out. Since the
close of last session he had re-surveyed his line, and added
a London station, which he did not contemplate last
year, and now he thought it was perfect and complete in every
respect. The London terminus was about a quarter of a mile from
the river at Southwark-bridge, but there was an existing scheme for
extending the line across the bridge into the City, and of another for
carrying the line on to Waterloo-bridge. The station would be in
Union-street, in the Borough, at the point where it crossed the
Southwark-bridge-road, and the spot was exceedingly well adapted
for a railway terminus, both as regarded being well circumstanced-
for immediate room and future extensions. The line passed nearly
due south to Walworth,where it crossed the canal and struck through
Peckham and Camberwell. It then ran in the direction of Black-
heath to the north of Telegraph-hill, and crossed the Croydon Rail-
way a short distance from the New-cross station. At this point there
was a short junction, which gave an access to the Loudon-bridge
stati n, to Portsmouth, to Brighton, and to Southampton. After
passing the Croydon Hallway, the line passed the Raven's Pond
Valley, and then the line was to extend under Blackheath by means
of a tunnel. At the end of this tunnel there was a loop commenced,
which ran through Woolwich' and joined the main line at. Plump-
stead-common. The station at Woolwich was in the centre of the
town, near William-street and Powes-street, and was well and con-
veniently situated. The main Ine was. continued by tunnelling
under A oolwich-common, of 1,060 yards in length ; and here a branch
might be struck out for accommodating her Majesty's arsenals and
deck-yards, crossing Plump: tead-common, a thickly populous neigh-
bourlscod, the line ran through Welling, Bexley, and Bexley, heath
From thence the line passed Crayford to Dartford. The line of the
South-Eastern Company, which was 24 miles in length, avoided the
population of the district, while his own ran through the country
where the population was centered, and was only 14 miles in
length. Both lines passed from Dartford to Gravesend in
the 'same direction. At Gravesend the South-Eastern
line joined Gravesend and Rochester. His own line passed
through Milton and under the chalk-hills by means of a
tunnel, and then entered upon the banks of the 3ledway on a
viaduct and crossed the Medway at a considerable elevation. He
proposed to effect the passage of the Medway by means of a bridge
which united the qualities of a road and a railway bridge. It was
upon three arches, the centre one 186 feet span, and the
two side ones 180. The Rochester side of the bridge
would be on a screw, and might be converted into a draw-
bridge. His plan was approved of both by the Admiralty and the
local authorities, in preference to the bridge of the South-Eastern
Company ; in fact the Government would not allow any bridge to
cress the river which was not on his own plan, but, independently of
this fact, the South-Eastern Company could not make their bridge
within the limits of the deviation line marked on their Parliamentary
plans.