The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-07 00:00:00

The Improved Metropolitan Railway.

On Saturday Messrs. John Noble and Co., engi-
neers, of 10, Bridge-street, "Westminster, exhibited
at the Westminster Palace Hotel a model of the
improved Metropolitan Tramway, to be submitted
to Parliament during the present session. The
model represented a cross section of the tramway
and two of the rails, which are made of malleable
iron, but in practice Bessemer steel will be used.
The cross-tie is fastened to the sleepers by a trenail
of iron, but can be done by wood or any other
suitable fastening. The company have obtained a
patent for their roof or crescent rail ; and a plate,
as shown in the model, is inserted into the upper
surface of the sleeper beneath each joint of the rail,
in order to make each joint more rigid and durable,
and screws fastening the rail to the sleeper below.
The model also represented, between the rails, on
which the carriages are to run, woodwork, imitative
of the ordinary paving-stones, cubes, or macada-
mised materials used for streets or road-making,
which are laid so as to be level with the top of the
rail. After the model was fully investigated by
the company, Mr. Noble more elaborately de-
scribed its merits. The rail is laid below
the level, and is such a mere slit or chink
in the roadway, that in crossing " the most
tender vehicle cannot experience any shock,"
amounting to no more than such a rent as is com-
mon between paving stones—amounting, in short,
to a smooth, shallow groove, in which the wheels of
tramway carriages will run noiselessly, and with "a
very small amount of friction." It was explained
that the use of longitudinal sleepers allows of the
adoption of a very thin rail, the upper surface of
which is convex, or crescent-shaped, the wheel tyres
being concave in their periphery to fit them. Mr.
Noble adverted to the opposition which the company
was likely to encounter to their scheme from the
General Omnibus Company in Parliament, based on
previous failures of the tramway system. It was
shown that in the Bayswater tramway of Mr. Train
a fear extended through Oxford-street and the large
establishments of the West-end on finding the
nuisance and obstruction of that railway, on account
of the dangerous jumps and jerks in crossing and
re-crossing the rails ; but, as Mr. Noble explained,
the proposed crescent rail is laid on a level with the
road, and therefore there cannot by any possibility
be the " jumps and jerks" referred to. And with
respect to legal decisions, he showed that the inves-
tigation of the cases heard at the police-courts and
the action at the Croydon assizes demonstrated that
the danger arose in every cam) from the peculiar
form of rails used. The opinion of the company
present was unanimously in favour of the proposi-
tion of Messrs. Noble and Co.

THE SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS IN SPAIN.. The
public lands sold in Spain during the month of January
produced one-half more than the upset prices. The number
of lots sold was 2,124, and the total proceeds amounted to
£398,000.

."
ATTEMPTED MURDER.-.A determined attempt to
murder was made yesterday afternoon in the immediate
vicinity of Finsburyt Between three and four o'clock some
persons passing along Eldon-street observed a man in
working dress stab a man much younger than himself. The
wounded man staggered, and exclaimed, " Send for a doc-
tor; I am dyingattendance, and finding three wounds, ono very dangerous,
about the lower region of the throat or neck, ho dressed
A medical man was immediately in
them, and had the sufferer removed to St. Bartholomew"
hospital. A person who had witnessed the occurrence
.fol-
lowed the assailant until he met a police-constable, a
whom ho mentioned what had happened. The man, who
said he was on his way to the statienhouse to givi'veeni u
custody by Mr. Henry Golding, attached
ft° b
Southstreet,
Messrs. Sadgrovo and Co., upholsterers, of
to dis-
charge was then taken back to Eldon-street, andftogie.mfieromyino:
Finsbury. Ho was recognised as a 0
corn-
'sent as a fixer of
plained of by customers to whom ho
~ .
ethheairlo• eeniTlcooyn,shequut
conneeetohfedyishs
identified as one
he likewise x
furniture. The wounded man
respected. At the sta-
nch resPe •
of the salesmen of the firm, much
his name as Adam Exell, 51
tion-house the prisoner gave theiof Messrs. Sadgrove's
years of age. Observing
lst7ding near, he said, " I meant
salesmen named Hansom standing
brewing a long time." He was
it for you as well ; it s
table-knife was found in his pocket.
Perfectly sober. A
hasbeen for some time on the
d seem that Ezell
It would
waylay some person in the employ of Messrs. Sad-
grove, twohoafew
weeks since refused him a character for
sobriety.grov No particular spite is known to have been en-
tertained by him against his present victim. John Fox, the
dissipated t feodul in:liilit.stsr' be ce
continuallys saT.
wounded man, has a wife and young family living at Cam.
den-town. He is very dangerously wounded.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tam DAY.—Morning, 6h. 40m.—Afternoon; 711. Om.
To-Molutow.-Morning, 7h. 39m.—Afternoon, 7h. 42m.