The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-09 00:00:00

TER TO WOLVER,ELA.rTPTON).

This part-heard case was proceeded with.
Mr. i'rovis, civil engineer, was the first times, called. Ile stated
that he was the acting engineer of this line, under the direction of
Messrs. Stephenson and Cubitt, and minutely described its route. The
total length of the line is forty-five miles and seven chains, aid as
the whole of the line, with the exception of four miles, consists at
present of a canal, there will be little or no interference with private
property in the construction of it. The gradients are exceedingly good,
the steepest gradient being one in 100. The general nature of Os*
curves is such as would -not incur any danger. There would be
only one tunnel of eighty yards, and no engineering difficul-
ties. The line would cross one turnpike road. None
of the secondary stations were yet definitely fixed. There would,
however, most probably be one at Market Drayton. The estimated
tunnel, 2,0051. 17s. ;
coat of the works was as folloWs :—Eartliwork, 143,5131. 17s. Bd. ;
purchase of level crossings, diversion of roads, &c., 137,6481. Is. Id.;
57,1031.
35.34. ;
fencel:,iadlui,elt7,2l7l2le;rts,
stations 51 00'vwerayc,anmals:52tc..:
• • W. ; contingencies, at lel. per cent., 67,3391. 17s. Gd.;
archespermanent
purchase ci lands of
of 817,7871. 15 buildings, 77,4451. 18s. 44 —Midair a total
Cr oss- exam ined--Could
not say precisely from what quarter the
trallic on this
cipally come from v :as to come, but he supposed it would prin-.
lice were conatntcted, veirhampton. lie saw no reason wily, if this.
t
proprietors could not compete with the
Grand Junction Company, tar as regarded the district through
which it would pass. This
than the scheme of the Grand
..T.cwould be a mile and a half shorter
were teller. The sum mentioned
tugs and its gradients
tags did not include the purchase of Ith purchase of land and build-
Company,
miles along the route, but he did not think rat!, which ran for 14
construction would be extraordinarily great, that the total expense of
In his cross-examination, Mr. Provis said—lris i
Mr. Stephenson were to bring this line into Wolverhampton
from
same lbvel with the Shrewsbury and Birmingham,aanndalriitoon on the
Ox-
ford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway Company, li theppos g
that the last-named railway entered Wolverhampton on the narrow
gauge, as an engineer he should certainly consider any new scheme
of railway entering the same town incomplete if it did not enter on
the same level, if Parliament sanctioned no other line.
Mr. Robert Stephenson said he had been employed by this Company
as consulting engineer, and he recommended the present scheme. He
had duly considered all other schemes before he came to the decision
that the present was the most likely to confer the greatest benefit
on the construction and at the least expense. This line would
afford the best levels, and it was, certainly, beyond all
question, the best that could be made between Birkenhead _
and Staffordshire. The importance of the heavy mineral traffic that
would flow upon this line could not be• overrated, and this line
would decidedly be superior to the Grand Junction Company's line
in that respect. That line was better calculated for passenger
traffic, and if this line were sanctioned he was of opinion that the
result would be that heavy traffic would pass along it whilst the
light traffic would be carried by the Grand Junction Company. This
line was not mixed up with the competing systems in any way.
Cross-examined—He did not look upon the line as a rival of the
Grand Junction scheme. It was the desire of the Shropshire Com-
pany to convert their bankrupt canal into a railway, and so benefit
themselves as wen as the public. This line, however, would no
doubt compete with the Grand Junction. The object of this company'
in laying down this line was to form the best means of railway com-
munication between Birmingham and Ireland, and he now believed
that it would prove to be so, if formed. He was of opinion that rail-
ways would eventually have the effect of drying up all the canals in
thcerkingdom. The line would take Wolverhampton at a high level, and
after
o . amost minute and frequent examination of the subject, he
was of pinion that a 111th level would be decidedly the best for the
people of Wolverhampton. By adopting a high level he was enabled
to carry the line into the heart of the town. Had a low level been
selected, he should have been
&c. So convinced was lie of Tevereid from doing so by the canals,
elevated stations, that he was at presentbleness of railways having
the purpose of devising how every railway
to some expense for
might enter towns at
high levels. which would have the effect of accelerating the trains at
starting. . _ _

Re-examined—He advised the company not to carry their line at
present into the town of Wolverhampton until soma arrangement
could be made with the other schemes.
Mr. LAING said that the Company's other engineer, Mr. Cubitt, was
at that moment giving evidence before the Committee that had t•
decide on the London and York scheme.

The Hon. OUTMAN said that they had heard sufficient engineer-
ing reidelice, nor would it be necessary to hear the evidence of an-
other gentleman—the manager of the Birmingham and Gloueester
Canal—who was absent on a previous day, and who would give fur-
ther evidence as to the effect which the construction of railways had
on canals.
Mr. Stcc then gave traffic evidence.

Mr. Sergeant KINGLASE here asked whether it was the intention
of the Committee to sit to-morrow ?
The Hon. CHAIRMAN, atter consulting with his colleagues, said.
yes, I think we'll sit to-morrow ; we have have had so many holi-
days of late, that unless we proceed pretty rapidly we shall not finish
our business in proper time.

Mr. Sergeant KixotsiKE —I merely asked for the convenienest of
the witnesses.

Mr. rare was then called to speak as to the tratile; after which
Mr. Cowan was called, and proved that the amount of shares sub-
scribed for was 119,2507., and the amount deposited 313,425/.
Mr. Rouse having given his evidence,
Mr. LAING said that this closed the promoters' case.

Mr. Sergeant KINGLAKE then pro:.eeded to address the Committee
against this scheme, and on behalf of the Worcester and Stafford-
shire Junction Canal Company. He complained that Mr. A asttia
and those Learned Counsel- who were with him had most
prudently endeavoured to keep back from the Committee 'the im-
portance of this subject. lie was not surprised to hear Mr. Austin
and 'Mr. Stephensen say that the canals of this country must be dried

tip to give place to railways, But he contended that the public were
vitally interested hi preserving those C81131.1S for the purpose of keep-
ing alive that rivalry which must exist if railways and canals ex-
isted at the same time. That, in fact, was the intention of the Legis-
lature. In various instances the Legislature had no doubt
sanctioned the conversion of isolated canals into railways, and his
Learned "-tuna air. Austin hail attempted to make the Committee
believe that the present was just as situ* as the cases of those
canals. But that was no isolated canal, for it was the water com-
munication between the great city of London and Liverpool, and

had been used from the time of its opening for the use of the districts
intervening. It could not no considered merely as a communication be•
tweet' Wolverhampton and Liverpool. And if the Committee were of
opinion that the present was a great link of communication between
London and Liverpool, were they prepared to deprive the public of
the great accommodation which this canal had afforded to the public
since its opening ? He doubted whether the Legislature would
sanction the " drying up" of this railway. From what had already
taken place before a Select Committee of the House of Com-
mons, this Committee would find that this matter was not as

trifling as represented by Mr. Austin. That Select Committee
had decided that the public should not, except in very few instances
indeed, be deprived of the present canal communication in England.
For that advantage the public had bargained when the different
railway Acts had passed. Having made these remarks, he referred
. .

the ammittee to the second report of the Select Committee ap-
pointed to consider the subject of railway and canal amalgamation,
&c. Before that Committee sat it became known that the conversion
of this canal into a railway was proposed. The Committee, after
hearing evidence on the subject, came to the conclusion
that the present competition between railways and canals had been
the means of reducing the cost of traffic one-seventh.
The Hon. Cuslamen—That is only in some cases ; it is not general.
Mr. Sergeant KINGLAKE—Of course : the Committee stated that
there were Instances which had come to their knowledge in which
this had been the result. The Committee also stated in their report
that it was obviously of importance that Parliament should not lightly
sanction any arrangement which would deprive the public of the ad-
vantage afforded by the rivalry at present existing between railways
and canals. They also stated that they had come to the general con-
clusion that a most searching inquiry should be made into the merits
of each case before Parliament sanctioned the conversion of canals
into, or their amalgamation with, railways. This subject was not,
therefore, one of the amount of profit which it had produced to its
proprietors, as represented by his Learned Friends ; there
was a question of far higher importance than that,
and that was the interest of the public in the exist-
ence of competition at present existing between railways and
canals. The canal was established for the purpose of giving the
public an independent line of water communication in the districts of
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury, and other important
places. The evidence given before the select Committee to Which
he had alluded went no further than this, that an isolated canal,
which did not form any important link of communication be-
tween different parts of the kingdom, might, with benefit to
the public and the proprietors, amalgamate with, or be converted

ito a railway. But this was no isolated canal ; it formod a most

important lick of communication between London and Liverpool.
Mr. Stephenson was in error when he said that canals could not suc-
cessfully compete with railways. Mr. Scott had given evidence to
that elfe,ct before the Select Committee, and that gentleman was in-
timately acquainted with the subject. Mr. Scott said in
his evidence that he should decidedly object to any
thoroughfare canal like this being converted into a railway.
and lie Instanced this canal at the same time. This, in
that gentleman's opinion, was the best canal
had in t
ae
eseend i kingdom,
lockag and yee
t
they were now called upon to destroy i. It dng
the whole way from Birmingham to Liverpool. If this Bill were
sanctioned the iron grasp of the monopolizing London and Birm
ham and Manchester and Birmingham Companies would be extended
and made stronger.
The Learned Counsel had not concluded lits case when the Com-
mittee rose, the Chairman having announced that they would re-
assemble at twelve o'clock to-morrow.