The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-04 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, April 2.—The market for shipping
yarns has been rather quiet to-day, yet there has
been some business doing at the prices of Friday.
There is no change in home trade yarns. The mar-
ket is quiet, with barely an average business doing.
Prices for most counts as on Friday. In cloth
there is a pretty general inquiry, but it is not attri-
buted so much to a desire to do business as to
obtain information as to the lowest prices before
the departure of to-day's mail. The actual de-
1-nand etnitinues very small. Manufacturers are not
in so bad a position as they have been, being now
without any inconvenient pressure of stocks in
many cases, and consequently there are fewer very
anxious sellers. They resume their last week's quo-
tations of prices for most descriptions of cloth, but
these must be mostly taken as nominal, because
there has hardly been a business offering to-day
fairly to test them. There are telegrams from Cal-
cutta to-day reporting rather more favourably of
that market. There has been some demand for
doubled yarns for France within the last few days,
and Messrs. Du Fay and Co.'s tables give the ex-
ports for last year at 4,165,6031 b. of yarn, against
1,561,0861 b. in 1865 and 800,0001 b. in 1864, and
56,000,000 yards of cloth against 21,000,000 in 1865
and 19,000,000 in 1861. Messrs. John Slagg and
Co. report of to-day's cloth market:—" The aspect
of our market is unchanged since our last report.
We have continued absence of demand, but as there
is no great accumulation of stocks there is little pres-
sure to sell. To-day the business has been very
limited in amount, but we make no change in our
quotations."
NOTTINGHAM, 3d.—ln the hosiery business the
home trade, which has latterly been very quiet, has
been benefited by the brighter change of the wea-
ther, although it is not so active as is usually the
case at this time of the year, or as it should be com-
pared with former seasons. In the foreign trade
there is little doing. Notwithstanding the large im-
portations of cotton into Liverpool yarns keep steady
in priee. The workmen are not quite so fully etn-9I
ployed as they have been of late. In the home de-
partment of the lace trade the improvement of the
past week has not been sustained ; but a good deal of
business is doing for exportation.

EXTRAORDINARY SCENES Ar WIGAN.

The town of Wigan was in a state of great ex-
citement during Monday afternoon and evening, in
consequence of a protracted struggle between the
London and North-Western and the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway Companies, the one endeavour-
ing to secure, and the other to prevent, the estab-
lishment of a cross road to the station of the former.
When the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was
cut through Wigan it destroyed an old footpath in
the centre of the town through the FagL;,y fields, and
the company had, in return for this path, to construct
a footbridge over their railway, and to form a new
road skirting their land for the convenience of the
public. Lately the London and North-Western Com-
pany have purchased adjoining laud in order to en-
large their station, and they have, at an angle of this
road, made an opening into it which has proved
of great utility to the residents in one quarter of
the town. By a bill introduced into Parliament this
session, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Com-
pany asked powers to stop up this Faggy-lane to
make use of land they possessed beyond, but they
were opposed by the Town Council, ou the ground
that the thoroughfare was of great benefit to the in-
habitants, as affording access to the London and
North-Western station, and a compromise which
was suggested--to close the road for its original
purpose, if the applicants would continue it at a high
level solely to the London and North-Western sta-
tion—was rejected, because, it was stated, that the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Company refused tolegalise
what they considered a trespass by an opposing com-
pany. The clause was therefore withdrawn, and on
Friday a contest was commenced, which cuhni
natea on Monday in something very nearly ap-
proaching a riot. On Friday the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Company erected a strong barrier of
sleepers, which cut off completely the corner where'
the path to the London and North-Western station
leaves the road, and this barrier the officials of the
other company, having taken the advice of their
superiors, proceeded to demolish. In the afternoon,
however, it was built up again, and this time the job
was well done, large sleepers being placed 4ft. or sft.
in the earth and then bound together with nails and
bands until a solid mass of great strength was con .
strutted. On Monday afternoon, shortly after 3
o'clock, a gang of workmen began the attack on this
barrier, uuder the directions of the Loud
Western station master, but. they had billy removed
two or three sleepers when the engineer of the other
company appearecl'on the scene backed by a large

body of platelayers fully armed, i
and a struggle at
once commenced, which was continued for some
time with astonishing good-humour on both sides.
As fast as the ashes which formed the foundation of
the barrier were removed by the first S
party
other,were
and grimy, b y
athenewN,
en comers,
bleeding
faces
each
ae e body os keep-
ingdoyonnyd
to its own side of the barricade and fighting
with what
through
the
effect.
egapct. whichex
ihilailachthe
just
next
tn
stepsmad taken
attkhoAeel
To
length the men began to throw the ashes at each
it is necessary to state that the siding; of both com-
panies run close to th-. 3 Faggy L •- footpath ,nose
of the Lin,lon and North-Western Company on an
embankment some 20ft. or 2:")t. above the road,
which is bolnde I oa that side by a retaining wall
nearly 30ft. high ; and those of the Lamcashire and
Yorkshire on a rather lower level. The barrier
which- was attacked was built at one end against the
retaining wall just mentioned, ,And there was there-
fore a line of rails jest above the spot, whilst the
nearest Lancashire and Yorkshire siding was at least
a score of yards away. A couple of small cranes
were first brought up by the London and North-
Western men, but when attached to the sleepers
they proved too weak, as the chains snapped, amidst
shouts of derision from below, and a stronger
machine was telegraphed for. Meanwhile the ashes
and soil were thrown through the gap, and, instead
of being returned, were shovelled forward upon the
London and North-Western land. A little diversion
was created by the rigging up of a platform by the
Lanaashire, and Yorkshire men, who were thus en-
abled to keep in check the attempts at undermining
I.,.ificacte on the other side. They also brought
to the end of the siding nearest the spot a mas-
sive crane, which th-.y ,!hained to the rails and
sleepers, and wedged against the buffers of the
siding by a locomotive. Shortly afterwards loud
cheers greeted the arrival of the opposition crane,
the chain of which was soon attached to a por-
tion of the barrier, while the truck upon which it
stood was attached to a powerful engine. Hardly
had the windlass of the L mdon and North-Western
crane began to work before the other—apparently
more powerful—machine was linked to the chain
just above the barricade, and as the spectators scat-
tered for fear of injury the hook parted from the bar-
rier, and the chains, still coupled together, swung
loosely in the air. A few seconds afterwards the
driver of the London and North-Western engine,
probably unaware how securely the opposing crane
was fastened, began to draw away, the chain soon
became taut, the cranes turned round on their pivots
till they were opposite each other, and the North-
West,•rn machine, having lost its balance weights by
collision with some timber trucks, was seen flying
30 or 40 feet through the air over the narrow foot-
path into the Lancashire and Yorkshire land, strik-
ing down many feet of the retaining wall, and car-
rying with it an enthusiastic workman, named Ilib-
bert, who was standing on the truck at the time
shouting and waving his cap. Fortunately the crane
fell a few yards away from the spot to which Hib-
bet% was thrown, and he, though stunned, broke no
bones, though serious internal injuries are feared.
Many persons had narrow escapes. In another half
North-Western
Company.n owde-
clared hour the attack began again, and
- v fortune
o e tb ef ort
embankmenth e London
abanodvNrt
e
the barrier was found a
large quantity of lime dust, placed there by the
oh
workmen employed in the rebuilding of the station,
and this was sent down among the Lancashire and
Yorkshire men until they were compelled to retreat
to a respectful distance. Here, half choked ann
blinded, they were kept at bay by one man on the
retaining wall, and were compelled to watch their
foes working heartily to demolish the barricade. A
rush or two was made, and once there was a fight,
but a spadeful of lime separated the combatants, and
after thii the work:of destruction was continued with-
out interruption, and the Lancashire and Yorkshire
labourers were withdrawn from the ground. This
was at dusk, but it was far into the night before the
task was completed and the last sleeper was levelled.
For the present the appeal to force seems to have
ended, though the spot is still well guarded.