The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-05 00:00:00

IRON PAVEMENT.

The Glasgow Mail says the experimental portion laid
down on Stirling Road, in that city, has now been three
weeks subjected to the tear and wear of the heavy
traffic from a large mineral district. Every day hundreds
of tons of iron, coal, &c., pass over the iron pavement,
besides the ordinary traffic by omnibuses, carriages,
carts, &c., and as yet not the least appearance of yield-
ing or failing is visible. The pavement consists of
plates about three-quarters of an inch thick, three feet
long, and eighteen inches broad. The upper surface is
grooved, so as to resemble in some measure the inter-
stices between paving stones, only that the grooves are
not in continuous straight lines, but a sort of sig-zsg, so
as to prevent most effectually horses' feet from slipping.
The plates are rabbeted on the edges, the one resting on
and supporting the other throughout the whole series.
The joints are so close that none of the material form-
ing the bed or substratum can ooze upwards, as is the
case with ordinary pavement, and which causes not only
the irregularities of the surface, but most of the dust
and mud which disfigure the streets and annoy passengers.
Tho plates at present on Stirling Road had been pre-
viously in use at the entrance gate of Springbank
Foundry, for upwards of six months, so that their power
of resisting fracture has been well tested. The plates
are laid upon a bed of sand, with some limo intermixed,
but not sufficient to give it the coherence of concrete.
The surface being levelled, the plates were laid on it
with groat facility and rapidity, and being pressed down
with a wooden hammer until a solid uniform bearing
was attained, the operation was complete. As com•
pared with the best stone causewaying, there is much
less noise, jolting, and materially diminished friction or
resistance; whilst the footing for the horses is fully more
secure than on the best granite paving. At the present
price of iron, the iron pavement would cost from 7s. 6d.
to Bs. 6d., according to thickness, per square yard; whilst
granite paving costs in Glasgow from Bs. to 95., and in
London from 12s. to 14s. 6d. the yard. The cost of
laying and preparation will be certainly not more, if not
less for the iron than for the stone paving, and the pro-
bable increased endurance, apart from its other tested
advantages, will, we should think, throw the preponde-
rance of economy vastly into the iron scale.

Advices from St. Petersburgh of the 25th of No-
vember mention that the dispatch of goods by the St. Pe-
tersburgh and Moscow Railway had already commenced,
but that the quantities taken each day were, as yet, very
small. With regard to business, there was nothing new.
The weather was perfectly mild.
Two CHILDREN SCALDED TO DEATH.—Yesterday
afternoon, between the hours of one and two, a dreadful ac-
cident occurred to William Farebrother, aged two years, re-
siding at 6, Hamilton-street, Wandsworth-road, which ter-
minated fatally, under the following circumstances. It ap-
pears that the mother left a large saucepan of boiling water.
on the floor, which the child accidently fell into, and was
scalded most severely. It was taken immediately to West-
minster Hospital, where Mr. Holt, surgeon, rendered every
assistance to the unfortunate child, when death terminated
its sufferings shortly after its admission. A second accident
occurred of a similar nature to a child of the name of John
Martin, aged three years, residing at ,3, Harrow-road. It
was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, where Mr.
Ure, surgeon, promptly attended, where it shortly expired.
INCREASED TRAFFIC ON THE ULSTER RAILWAY.—
We (Armagh paper) are glad to report that the merchandise
traffic of the line from this city to Belfast is very much on
the increase. On Thursday last a special luggage train of
empty waggons arrived at the station here, and left the same
day heavily laden with goods, being the third that day
which started from our terminus. On Tuesday the train
took 155 tons, and on the Tuesday previous 200 tons were
delivered at the station, 160 of which proceeded to Belfast
that day, and 40 tons next morning. On Wednesday 80
tons weight were conveyed, and yesterday 145 tons.
A letter from Vienna, 25th ult. states that the falls
of snow in Germany have been heavier than have been ever
remembered. The mails in many parts have been conveyed
by sledges on the ordinary roads, the Northern Railway, called
that of the Emperor Ferdinand, having been rendered Im-
passable on several points, the snow lying in masses as high
as a house. Hirshberg, a town in Silesia, is said to have
teen almost buried in the snow. On the evening of the 23d,
in a violent snow-storm, a collision took place on the
Southern Railway, near Blernitz, between two trains; the
two locomotives were broken to pieces, tut fortunately none
of the passengers were injured.
The inhabitants of Sydney, being desirous of ex-
hibiting their loyalty, and of making known to the world
the source of increased wealth and prosperity opened up to
the capitalist and emigrant by the discovery of the Bathurst
gold region, hare resolved to present to Queen Victoria a
crown of pure gold, formed of contributions of the native
metal•