The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-13 00:00:00

The following, from the Observer, is a fuller ac-
count of the falling in of the railway tunnel at
Hampstead, as noticed in our paper, of Saturday
The Hampstead Junction Railway joins the North
London Railway at Camden-town,where the latter
crosses the Kentish-town-road, and passes on
arches by means of an excessive curve in a nor-
therly direction, over the Hawley and Hartland-
roads, passing close to the St. Pancras Almshouses
and the Governesses' Asylum, on the western side
of the hamlet of Kentish-town, until it reaches
Gordon House-lane, where the arches are substi-
tuted by an embankment on another severe curve
in a westerly direction towards Hampstead. At
this point the line enters a cutting at the foot of
the spot well known as Parliament-hill, passing
onward still in a westerly direction between the
lowest of the Hampstead Ponds and Pond-street.
After reaching this point the cutting gradually
deepens until it arrives near the Hampstead-road,
at a point between Downshire-hill and the George
public-house. At this point a tunnel was being
constructed, and was intended to run under the
Rosslyn estate, near Rosslyn House, and that which
is known as the " Conduit-fields," terminating near
the Finchley-road, a distance of about three-quar-
ters of a mile.
The works of the line are of such magnitude,
and of such a character, that they have been let
to several contractors. Mr. George Berkeley, of
24, Great George-street, Westminster, and who,
we believe, was formerly connected with
the establishment of Mr. Robert Stephenson, is the
engineer ; and the original contractor for the con-
struction of that portion of the line of which the
Hampstead Tunnel forms part was Mr. Thomas
Heaton, who died shortly after the works were
commenced,in consequence of which the contract
was taken up by Messrs. Oliver, Banks, and Bar-
ton, contractors, stated to be well acquainted with
such description of work. ,
On sinking the original shaft for the tunnel, in
one portion of the conduit field an attempt was
made to sink a shaft known as No. 3 shaft ; but in
consequence of the vast amount of water met with,
it was. abandoned, and a second No. 3 shaft was
sunk, which proved comparatively dry, and the
works proceeded. It must be premised that the
strength of the tunnel, as specified in the contract,
was that the arches should be turned—that is, the
roof of the tunnel should consist of seven rings of
brick work; but there was, as we understand, no
stipulation as to -whether the brick-work should
be set in Portland cement or mortar, the lat-
ter being, used throughout. Notwithstanding
the geological difficulties which the engineer, as
well as the contractors, were aware they would
have to contend with in passing beneath the con-
duit field within fifty feet of a conduit arising from
natural springs, and which has been one of the
main sources ofwater supply to the town or village
of Hampstead for centuries, the works progressed
favourably till Sunday week, when the continued
crackings of the timber supports, as well as the
brickwork of the crown of the tunnel between Nos.
3 and 4 shafts, gave indication that something was
wrong. This was the more apparent when, through
the apertures created by the cracking and falling
down of the brickwork, water and quicksand rushed
in in large quantities. Notwithstanding that it
was Sunday, Messrs. Oliver and Co., the contrac-
tors, Succeeded in getting a gang of from forty to
fifty of their men together, and commenced a more
secure shoring of the tunnel in the dangerous part.
These proceedings had scarcely commenced when a
large mass of the brickwork of the tunnel fell in with
a loud noise, being completely crushed down by the
superincumbent weight of the earth above. At this
moment there were upwards of forty men at work
in the tunnel, ranged across fixing-up supports,
and the several narrow escapes they had arc de-
scribed by some of them engaged as truly extraor-
dinary. After the first mass of the tunnel gate
way the brickwork came crushing in yard by yard,
and as it did so the men receded gradually, until at
last they were successful in getting up their bear-
ings and supports so as to stop its further progress.
This, however, was not effected till something like
, eighteen lengths of brickwork, of eleven feet each,
giving a gross amount of very nearly 200 feet, had,
together with the earth above, fallen in and com-
pletely closed up the tunnel, thus destroying in a
few minutes the labour of months. Some idea of
the immense mass which fell may be conceived when
it is stated that from the surface of the ground to
the basement of the tunnel is 130 feet, and the
height of the tunnel 29 feet, so that the actual
amount of earth which came down, crushing the
brickwork beneath it amounted to many thousand
tons.
On the surface of the groUnd,just between Nos. 3
and 4 shafts, was erected an engine-house with a shaft
and machinery for working the tunnel, and lifting
earth and other materials after blasting operations,
which has been in a great measure the mode adopted
in making this tunnel. When the fall took place it
carried with it the engine-house and machinery as
well as the shaft, and these premises present a most
singular appearance. The entire ground for the
distance mentioned has sunk from the surface, a
depth of some fifteen or twenty feet, and the engine-
house has fallen over and leans against the sides of
the field ; but the chimney or shaft, which was
about thirty feet high, stands perfectly perpendi-
cular, as it did previously, its height above the sur-
face being, however, diminished to the extent of
the depth of the ground its foundation has de-
scended. The soil generally throughout the cutting,
and in the tunnel, was what is termed loamy clay ;
but for some days prior to the occurrence it had
been observed that the workmen were coming upon
gravel, which is said to be a sure indication that
there was water in the vicinity.
The question of responsibility now arises, and
various statements and conjectures are afloat as to
who will have to bear the loss, which, when time
and labour is taken into consideration, is estimated
at very little short of £20,000. From all that can
be gleaned upon this point it appears that the con-
tractors had carried out the works to the 'satisfac-
tion of the engineer, who had duly certified to their
having been properly- performed.' If such be the
case then the company will have to bear the ex-
pense of the occurrence ; but there are, it is said,
very great doubts as to whether proper precautions
were taken by those who had the control of the
works, and who were of course supposed to be fully
acquainted with the character of the ground
through which the tunnel was to pass. By some
of the other contractors it is asserted" that in 'such
a case, and as soon as the indications of water and
shifting sand appeared, instead of continuing the
arch of the tunnel with seven rings of brickwork,
there ought at least to have been nine rings put in,
and that Portland cement, instead of mortar, should
have
Withbeen
aview
used.
to enable the company to arrive
at a proper conclusion, on Friday last the works
were inspected by ;VI r . Robert Stephenson, the
celebrated engineer, accompanied by Mr. G.
Berkeley and several other railway engineers of
eminence, the result of which is an opinion that
the works are more seriously damaged than was
originally anticipated, and it was determined as
one course of proceeding to re-let the contract.
There is, however, another, and still more im-
portant question involved in the affair. It is stated
that by their act of parliament the company are
prohibited from interfering in any way with the
surface of the land, for the purposes of their rail-
way, between the Hampstead and the Finchlev-
roads, by a clause said to have been introduced at
the instance of Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, as
Lord of the Manor, as the point where the tunnel
emerges on the west is close to that which Sir
Thomas Wilson has been so long endeavouring to
appropriate for building purposes. A cutting
through the conduit field, in lieu of a tunnel, is
therefore impossible, and it is even doubted whether
it will not be necessary to alter the line, and to
apply to Parliament next session for an amended
act, empowering the company to make a deviation
from its present course.
The entire length of the Hampstead Junction
Railway will be, when completed, a little over five
miles, and it will, by means of the North London
Railway, unite in a more direct manner than at
present exists, the Great Western, North Western,
and Eastern Counties with the Blackwall and Dock
Junction lines, being, it is expected, a good line for
the conveyance of merchandise; as well as afford
for City people, whose residences are in the north-
western suburbs, an easy mode of transit to and
from their business daily. At present the Hanap-
Stead Junction Railway Company is a distinct and
-indepeitent company, 'but it is stated that so soon
as the line is completed it will be handed over to
, the London and Vi-orth Western Company, -who