The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-07 00:00:00

GROUP XXIX.

.....
This Committee re-assembled to-day in room 19. Present, Right
Hon. H. Labouchere (chairman), Sir Wm. Molesworth, Sir John
Duckworth, Mr. J. A. Smith, and Colonel Rawdon.
32.1.TG8Y AND HUNTINGDON.
The evidence on the traffic anticipated by the line having closed
yesterday, the engineering evidence was proceeded with this morn-

rug by Mr. WARREN, counsel for promoters. calling on
Mr. Gibbs, one of the engineers of the line, who deposed as tOl-
lows : —This railway commences at Rugby and terminates at Hun-
tingdon ; its length is forty-eight miles tour lurlongs; its estimate of
cost 1,000,0001. The chief object of the Rugby and Huntingdon line
is to form the remaining link In the chain of cominunica-
tion between Norwich and Yarmouth, on the east coast,
and Rugby and Birmingham on the west ; connecting
Yarmouth and Norwich with Birmingham, and giving railway com-
munication with the midland, northern, and southern, as well its
western parts of the kingdom. Railways are already formed from
Yarmouth through Norwich to Ely, and a line is santioned Parlia-
me:d, and in course of formation, from Ely to ; from
Huntingdon, however, no aline is continued to the west, and this
continuation the Rugby and Huntingdon will supply to Rugby, thus
completing a direct chain of lines from Birmingham to Norwich.
Huntingdon is at present the terminus, at which the three systems
of lines which spread thence over the central, northern, and
southern districts of the eastern counties concentrate. This line
would thus accommodate the whole of the counties of Suffolk,
Nortblk, Cambridge, and part of Huntingdon. Huntingdon,
thus the focus of the eastern railways, is the eastern terminus
of the projected line. Rugby, the western terminus of the pro-
jected line, is also equally a focus of the western railways, the con-
fluence of diese various Miss at the eastern and western termini
of the Rugby and Huntingdon are conclusive of the necessity ha*
such a a connexion as it will form between the eastern and western
systems of railway accommodation to the kingdom. The population
of the eastern counties thus to be connected with the western lines
is 735,286, whilst the population of the districts accommodated
by the western system of railways before enumerated comprises a
large proportion of the whole kingdom. The eastern counties are
peculiarly an agricultural district, producing more than tiny con-
sume. The western districts are much of them manufacturing, con
turning more food than they produce. The eastern will send its
agricultural produce to the west, and receive in return mi-
nerals and manufactures. The interchange of products
which is now made very circuitously would be made direct,
and the salt trade, both for home consumption and for export,
the fisheries at Yarmouth and Lowestoft, and the Norwich trade,
would be all greatly encouraged. The other competing lines would
not accommodate this traffic. On the ground, theretOre, of its general
and local advantages, it was much preferable to the rival railways.
All the works were moderately light, and there were no great en.
gineering difficulties. There would be one tunnel 540 feet long. Did
not think the estimate for the works too high. The gradients were
of an average description. They had one gradient of 1 in 97,
but with the power of changing it five feet it would be changed
to lin 175. The steepest gradient might be taken as 1
in 100. The prevailing gradient was 1 in 131. The proposed line
would pour the northern and eastern traffic into the London and Bir-
mingham Railway at a point where the greatest relief would be
afforded to the latter line ; and in this respect it was much superior
to the South Midland rivalline. The traffic of that portion of the
London and Birmingham line to which lie referred was very crowded.
That over-crowded condition of the line attracted his observation
and that of every one who travelled over it.
Cross-examined—He believed that the London and Birmingham
line was one where the least number of accidents occurred of any
railway in the kingdom.