The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-03 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

THE OXFORD, WORCESTER,

AND WOLVER-

HAMPTON DISTRICT.
The present position of what is called the Oxford,
Worcester, and Wolverhampton system of lines, and the
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results which have followed the advocacy of the several
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the Royal assent, are as follows:-
1. Birmingham and Gloucester—Branch lines for ex-
tending the accommodation of this railway by branches
to Halesowen, &c.
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2. Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton—Branch
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lines for accommodating Stratford-upon-Avon and Droit-
wich.
3. Shropshire Union Railway and Canal—a line from
Wolverhampton to Chester, &c.
4. Trent Valley, Midlands, and Grand Junction—a
junction line for communicating with the Grand Junc-
tion, Trent Valley, and Shrewsbury and Birmingham
Railways.
5. Rugby, Leamington, and Warwick—for giving
further accommodation to the Warwickshire district for
communicating with the Great London and North-
Western.

6. Buckinghamshire—Oxford and Bletchley Junction,
and ,

7. Buckinghamshire—Tring and Banbury. These
two lines are for extending the London and North-
Western accommodation into Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire.

8. Birmingham and Oxford Junction, and
9. Birmingham and Oxford Junction—Birmingham
Extension. These Bills are for making a new and im-
portant broad gauge line of railway from Birmingham to
Oxford direct, with branches to the Oxford, Worcester,
and Wolverhampton line.
10. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour Valley—
a line from Birmingham to Stafford, with branches to
Dudley, Bilston, Stourport, Halesowen, Kingswin-
ford, &c.

11. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Dudley—a
broad gauge line between the towns specified.
12. Shrewsbury, Worcester, and South Staffordshire
Junction—for affording railway accommodation to
Shropshire and Staffordshire, embracing the Potteries
and the mineral district.
13. South Staffordshire Junction—for accommodating
the South Staffordshire coal and iron district, and
bringing traffic on the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolver-
hampton line at Wolverhampton.
It should be stated, however, with reference to the
above, that the South Staffordshire Junction is amalga-
mated wiih the Trent Valley Midlands, and the Shrews-
bury, Wolverhampton, and South Staffordshire with the
Birmingham and Shrewsbury.
The capital required for the completion of the above
projects for this district alone amounts to 2,849,5881, thus
apportioned :
Birmingham and Oxford Junction £233,330
Birmingham and Oxford Junction (Birming-
ham Extension)
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Stour Val-
ley, and Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and
Dudley lines 370,000
Buckinghamshire (Oxford and Bletchley)
Buckinghamshire (Tring to Banbury)
Birmingham and Gloucester Branches
Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton
Branches 73,000
Rugby, Leamington, and Warwick 120,000
Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, and South Staf-
fordshire Junction
Shropshire Union (total) 1,099,993
South Staffordshire Junction
Trent Valley, Midlands, &c.

Total £2,849,588

These are the railway bills for this district which re-
ceived the sanction of the Legislature during the last
session, and it will be seen that Parliament has been
especially indulgent to the mineral district of South
Staffordshire, which will, when the lines above enume-
rated are completed, be completely intersected.
The works of the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolver-
hampton are progressing rapidly, and as to the accommo-
dation of Worcester, there seems every probability that
the promise made at the last half-yearly meeting of the
proprietors, held a month azo at Worcester, that the
line from Worcester to Stoke Prior and Abbott's Wood,
forming junctions north and south with the Bristol and
Birmingham line, should be completed within a twelve-
month, will be realised. At several points on this junc-
tion excavators are busily at work, digging cuttings,
raising embankments, building bridges and watercourses,
levelling and boring tunnels, viz., at Norton, Abbot's
Wood, Ballenhall, Worcester, Clamis, Fearnal Heath,
and Droitwich. The tunnel at Worcester is in a forward
state, and those at Dudley and Mickleton—some fifty
miles asunder—are slowly progressing. The contract
for the construction of that part of the line between
Fearnal Heath and Dudley has been taken by Messrs.
Treadwell, and the work will now shortly commence.
The Dudley tunnel is a separate contract, and was one
of the first let, on account of the length of the line it will
occupy.

THREE BRIDGES WASHED AWAY ON THE
NORTH BRITISH.
EDINBURGH, SEPT. 20.—The greatest confusion (says
a correspondent) prevailed here this evening, in conse-
quence of the interruption of the railway traffic to Ber-
wick ; the bridge at Linton, twenty-three miles hence,
having been washed away by the floods. It rained in-
cessantly all last night, and until six this afternoon.
The country was flooded, and the line for some distance
was laid under water—the result being as I have stated.
I had travelled over the line a few days since, and was
told by a fellow passenger, an elderly lady, that " folk
had raised an ill report of the line," but it appeared to
me to be smooth and easy for a new line, indeed, re-
markably so. The country people, however, knew of
the propensity of this fierce stream to overrun its boun-
dary, and riot at its will along the banks, and they are
now satisfied that local knowledge should be respected
by engineers. The directors have done their best in
the emergency ; omnibuses and horses have been for-
warded to the " soft" places, and the promptest mea-
sures taken to forward the passengers. The Scotsman,
just received, corroborates our correspondent's state-
ment, with the following details :—" We regret to learn
that, in consequence of the heavy rains which fell on
Monday evening and yesterday morning, much damage
has been done to the line of the North British Railway,
between East Linton and Dunbar. All the tributaries
of the Tyne were swollen to an unusual size ; and the
river itself rose higher, it is said, than was ever before
known. The principal devastations we have yet heard of
are, that the water carried away the railway bridge over
the Tyne at Linton, and two other bridges over smaller
streams between Linton and Dunbar. The bridge over
the Tyne fell about two o'clock. For some time pre-
vious some men employed on that part of the line had
judged the bridge to be in a precarious position from the
height and force of the water ; and on the approach of a
train from Edinburgh, stopped it, and gave warning of
the danger. Mr. Scott, the goods manager, who hap-
pened to be a passenger with the train, then proceeded
forward, and, along with another person, went upon the
bridge to examine its condition. While standing there,
the personson the embankment cried out that the bridge
was going, and scarcely had Mr. Scott and his com-
panion got out of danger, than the structure was over-
thrown. By the fall of the two smaller bridges nearer
Dunbar, and the destruction of a large portion of the em-
bankment in the same locality, the portion of the line
between that town and Linton was of course rendered
entirely useless, and will remain so until these extensive
damages are repaired. The company spared no exertion
that the traffic might be interrupted as little as possible ;
but great difficulty was experienced, owing to all
the horses and coaches having been removed from that
portion of the road since the opening of the line. Omni-
buses and horses had to be obtained from Berwick, which
conveyed the passengers of the half-past three Berwick
train from Dunbar to Linton, from which a train carried
them to the terminus here, arriving at eleven o'clock.
The mail which leaves Berwick at half-past five reached
Edinburgh by the same means at half-past one this
morning, being five hours and a half after her usual
time. She brought no passengers. A train was sent
from here to Linton at nine o'clock with a supply of
horses and carriages for the conveyance of the passen-
gers of to-day. We are happy to state that no person
has been injured by these occurrences. The contractors
being bound to maintain their works for a twelvemonth
from the opening of the line, the expense of repairing
the damages will, we believe, fall upon them."
SOUTH-EASTERN (GRAVESEND BRANCH).—This line,
the Bill for which was obtained during the late session,
has been commenced, and, according to the contracts, is
to be complete for traffic by Christmas, 1847. The
works throughout are not of a heavy character, the cut-
tings and embankments being very slight. The station
at Gravesend is intended to be placed in the central
part of the town, probably adjacent to the London-road,
the line will run into the Rochester Railway, about a
mile down from the present Gravesend station.
ELY AND PETERBOROUGH.—This branch of the
Easters Counties to Peterborough (to connect Mr. Hud-
son's Midlands by the Stamford and Syston line) is
finished. The opening for public traffic is daily ex-
pected, the sanction of the Inspector-general being only
required. It is said to be the intention of the Eastern
Counties, who are to have the management, to run re-
markably cheap trains.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAM—Arrangements are
making for laying down this telegraph along all the
leading lines. It is in constant operation along 950
miles already formed. In the United States it is laid
down for a distance oF 1,6 GO miles. In France and Bel-
gium this magical medium of communication has not
yet been adopted to any great extent, but arrangements
are making for laying it down along the principal lines
of both countries, as well as in Germany. On the conti-
nent it is exclusively in the hands and under the control
of Government, while in this country it belongs to pri-
vate enterprise.
DELAY ON THE GREAT WESTERN.—Many different
rumours respecting the delay of the train which left
Exeter on Monday afternoon at a quarter after three
o'clock, and did not reach Paddington until after mid-
night, being nearly two hours behind time ; having been
current, inquiry was made, when it was ascertained that
the Queen, a most powerful engine, driven by James
Hammond, was the engine employed ; the delay was oc-
casioned, not by any fault of those in charge of the
train,
nor on account of a defective locomotive, but in conse-
quence of a new species of fuel having been tried on that
occasion, when it was found that a sufficient heat was
not imparted to the boiler to keep up a requisite supply
of steam, and at times not enough to boil the water.
Hammond, the driver, is a most experienced person, and
on several occasions he had the honour to drive the
trains containing her Majesty, Prince Albert, and other
members of the Royal Family.
FALLING-IN OF A TUNNEL ON THE TYNEMOUTH
Ex-
TiN4ION.—The principal twanol on this line—which is a