The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-19 00:00:00

NORTH ICEATT 7.41/E.

The first wittiest,' called was air. Vignoles, the engineer of the
lia, who stated that he was the engineer of several large and im-
imrtant lines. He first looked out a line in North Kent In the
autumn of 1539. 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 had made him thoroughly ae-
quaieted 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,twhia had 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 pr. tooted 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 Mr 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 chain, 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 advantagesof a roadtrainc and. railway bridge. The trustees
of Rochester-bridee wire at the time 1111XtOUS to rebuild a bridge
across the river, and he thought this a f,vourable opportunity for
puolisldne its abut. At this time, however, he only contemplated a
line to larg,ite aid Ramsgata, 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 moment that portion of his line going
in the
same direction. The South-Eastern Company commenced surveying
for a North Kent line in 1844, long after he had entered upon
his own surveys, and long after 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
their intention to make a line from London to Gravesend, and from
Gra, esend 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 front
Ctillham to Canterbury, and a fork to Deal and Dover, but the plans
and surveys were 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, which was ales thrown out. Since the
close of last session he had re-surveyed his line, and added
a Londo;t station, which be did not contemplate last
year, and now he thought it was perfect and complete in every
respect. The London Serrninus 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, amid of another tor
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 exeeedinely 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 distanee from the New-cross station. At this point there
was a short junction, which. gave an access to the London-bridge
Kati n, to Portsmouth, to Brighton, and to Southampton. After
passing the Croydon Railway, the line passed the Raven's Pond
Valley, :Ind 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 eon•
ventently situated. The mai n line was continued by. tunnelling

of 1,060 yards in length ; and here a branch
mightuiiderlbceosoltNravlcekh-coo.mt innfoo, r
accommodating
her Majesty's arsenals and
dock-yards, crossing Plump, tead-common, a thickly populous neigh-
bourhood, the line ran through Welling, Bexley; and Bexley heath
From thence the line passed Crayford to Hartford. The line of the
South-Eastern Company, which was 24 miks in length, a, aided 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 means passed
through Milton and under the chalk-hills byof a
tunnel, and then entered upon the banks of the Medway 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-
br:d;e. His plan was approved of both by the admiralty and the
local authorities. in preference to the bridge of the South-: astern
Company ; in fact the Government would not allow any bridge to
cross the river which WAS not on his own plan, bnt, 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