The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-29 00:00:00

GROUP XIII.

This Committee met to-day at the usual hour, Sir William Clay
En the chair, when the case was resumed on behalf of the

CALEDONIAN (INANGHOZIV/
and in opposition to the case of the promoters of the

NORTH BRITISH (CARLISLE EXTENSION).
Mr. Collister, civil engineer, was recalled and examined. He said
there were one or two points which he had not explained on Tues-
day. One was that he had not added to the estimate of the North
British scheme the expense of the application to Parliament for their
Bill (30,000/0, which would make the total estimate 850,0001., in-
stead of 660,000!., as stated by them. The other point was in re-
ference to their entering the Carlisle station. The North British
proposed to use the same station as the other lines that converged at
Carlisle—the Lancaster and Carlisle, the Maryport, Ste. The level
of the former line was different in level to the others, to the extent
of eight feet, whereas, the Parliamentary deviation only admitted
of two feet. Besides, there was not room for more than the four
companies that intended to use it, and tksre was not land scheduled
to make up the difference.
Cross-examined by Mr. LIDDELL—There were no lines of railway
in Carlisle at present north of Crown-street. He was aware that there
was a branch of the Maryport line on the same level as the North
British line up to Crown-street. The same was the case with the
Lancaster and Carlisle line. He was not aware that the North
British scheme had scheduled land at Crown-street, in order to effect
a junction. The difference in the levels took place at Borough-
street. The Lancaster and Carlisle line rose from Crown-street to
Borough-street, which It crossed at 18 feet elevation
ee4
accordingwheresthteo
North British crossed at an elevation of only 10 feet,
the plans. He was aware that the land for the joint station was
between Crown-street and Borough-street. If land in that position
was obtained, and the North British sanctioned to join
the Maryport line, then the junction would take place
by the North British with a gradient of lin 270. That was an ob-
jectionable gradient at such a position. Though there w•ts a station
at the place of junction, still it would be a through traffic that would
pass along there, and therefore the gradient was objectionable. Sup-
posing the North British line to be elevated two feet in crossing
Borough-street, that would flatten the gradient all along to about 1 in
500. The Caledonian, In its approach to Carli.le, went up on a
grtdient of 1 in 110, and again descended on a gradient of 1 in 420.
There was not much objection to this, as the descending gradient
being so slight, it overcame the effect of the ascending gradient.
The CHAIRMAN admitted that they need not pursue the point fur-
ther, as it did not appear from the evidence that there was any seri-
ous engineering difficulty. It was more a question of property than
engineering.

Witness—lle had set down the expenses of the Caledonian appli-
cation to Parliament at 40,0001., of this about 8,0001. was set down
for the Langholnt branch. He did not know whether it was usual
to add such expenses to the estimates of a line, but he always
did it. He was not aware that the surveyors of the North
British were interfered with by the orders of the Duke of
Buccleuch as well as the Caledonian surveyors. The
Caledonian line was the first he had been engaged
on. The works were not let by competition, but they were let before
the passing of the Bill, conditional on its enactment. He thought the
system of public competition decidedly objectionable, as they could
get works done that way at any price. He knew that Mr. Miller
had had extensive experience in making railways in Scotland. Mr.
Miller had constructed large works last year on the Edinburgh and
Glasgow Railway, but in that he had made a tunnel which he esti-
mated at - 6.0001., but which cost 1,800/. The original esti-
mate of ,the tunnel was for a single line of rails, and
ake
it was made for
_a double, but that ought not to
the differ:nce. The base of the embankment he calculated amt_ten.
yards brea7dth. The slopes be set down at one to one-half. .D.H
Miller calculated the breadth at the base to be thirty-twow_. feet.stene
The price of cutting he set down at 3s. a yard fore nin
18. I Id.
rock, and ordinary earth ls. 3d.; red sandosto,en
t nearly the
. a yard. He estimated the quantity of cutting
to
great differ-
same as that furnished by Mr. Miller;
but
embankment, which
ence between them was in the quantity °ft, enirice set down for
he made 717,000 cubic feet more, and in tl-eh(1),
estimated it to be
the various works. With regard to the tunnreep
501. a yard. The breadth of the tunnel he
ard. He was not
21.re:Tted to be 28 feet.
The tunnel Mr. Blythe had set down at 3