The Sun.
London, England, 1870-02-14 00:00:00

THE FAIRLIE RAILWAY SYSTEM.

Further trials of the Fairlio " bogie " engines and roiling
stock have been made at Hatcham, in the presence of a
commission from Russia, a representative from the Swedish
Government, another from Norway, the governor of the
Bank of England, the chairman of the Great Indian
Railway, and other gentlemen from all parts of the world.
The Fairlie system of placing the carriages and engine
upon trenches or "bogies," has excited universal interest.
It is designed to solve that difficult but most important
problem for the future of our railways—of how far
it -is possible to reduce the dead and unprofitable
weight upon railways, to make the locomotive earn more
than it does at present, and thus to secure for the pro-
prietors in them a larger portion of the gross receipts of
our railways. The latest experiments at Hatcham have
proved entirely successful. A double "bogie" engine,
just completed for the Swedish Government, was
first tried, with satisfactory results the course
being round the " Cabbage Garden" which has
become so famed. The steam carriage, which consists of
an engine and carriage, running on a double bogie—the
carriage 47 feet in length, and with about 40 of the visi-
tors comfortably seated in it, was next brought out, and
its performance was not less successful. Standing in the
centre, as the conductor of an equestrian circus might do,
the machine travelled round the circle, gradually in•
creasing its speed until something like 20 miles an hour
was attained. As it passed along, it presented its
broadside full to view ; the next instant the front bogie
had swung round the curve, and it seemed as if the whole
machine were coming full upon the spectator, the front
of the bogie being nearly at right angles to the body of
the carriage. Following the curve, in an instant the train
was on its way along the short portion of the straight
permanent way, instantly to meet with another curve
equally as sharp, and to be overcome in the same successful
manner. The straight lines of the carriage were almost as
long as the chord of the arc traversed by the bogies, and
the effect was not unlike that of a constant attempt to
construct polygons in the interior of a circle, the steam
carriage forming at every stage one of the sides of the
polygonal figures. The motion of the carriage was singu-
larly smooth and even, as might be expected, the perma-
nent way, laid only for a temporary purpose, did not
present that evenness of surface which would be obtained
upon a well-ballasted road. The next trial consisted of
attaching two ordinary ballast trucks,lent by Messrs. Kelk,
Waring, and Co, the contractors, to the engine, and running
these round the circus with the steam horse. These trucks
were fitted with curved heads, so as to admit of their
adjusting themselves to the curves as they passed round,
and were attached by drawbars secured to the centre of
the trucks, instead of by the usual form of couplings.
The train, made up in this manner, passed round several
times with complete success. Not a wheel left the rails,
and the confidence of Mr. Fairlie and his many friends
was shewn by the readiness with which they accepted seats
in the trucks as they were dragged round th e Hatcham circus.
But when an ordinary truck was tried, it got off the line
immediately. " Everyone present could see at a glance
the manner in which trucks fitted with the usual axles
and couplings act on sharp curves, and how frequently
accidents must occur to trains while passing round sharp
curves."

Col. Milward, R.A., has been nominated to sue-
-
coed Col. Boxor in tho Woolwich Arsenal.

A PLURALIST.—The Rev. J. H. Sparke, who died
a few days ago, was one of the last of the pluralists. He was
the sou of a Bishop of Ely. He was prebendary of Ely, rector
of Stratham (X 756), vicarof Cotterham (£770), sinecurerector
of Littlebury,Chancellor of Ely Cathedral,and rector of Lever-
ington (.£2,100). These preferments came from his father.
He was also rector of Gunthorpe with Bale (£584), to
which he was his own patron. The stall in Ely
Cathedral is valued at £307, but this seems doubtful.
Accepting it, however, and putting the sinecure rectory of
Littleburg at its actual value, £24, Mr. Sparke's income,
apart from the Chancellorship, was nearly £4,500 a year.
Littlebury is mentioned in the paragraph whence we quote
as a " sinecure vicarage." There is no such thing. Of
sinecure rectories there are, we believe, sixty-two, with an
average income of £3OO. lid of benefice is certainly
an anachronism.—Clobe.

We understand that Earl Brownlow intends to
appeal against Lord Romillfs decision in the, Berkhamp-
st,ad Common case, which, if necessary, ho mill carry to
the louse of Lords.-Law Times.

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