The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-05 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

OPENING OF THE GREAT NORTHERN.
The opening of this stupendous undertaking for`public
traffic over the southern, or town division of the line,
namely, from London to Peterborough, is fixed to take
place on Wednesday next, the 7th inst.
Several trial trips have taken place during the last few
days, and on Monday lust a powerful engine and a
special train were brought up to the present temporary
terminus at Maiden•lane, King's-cross, for the purpose
of conveying the Government Inspector of Railways
over the line. Captain Simmonde, the Inspector-General
of Railways, arrived at the terminus shortly before ten
o'clock, and was received by Mr. Denison, ALP., the
chairman of the company; Mr. Thomas Cubist, "the en-
gineer; Mr. Louis Cubit; the architect; Mr. Brassey,
the contractor for the line; Mr. Seymour Clarke, chief
superintendent of the line, and a large body of the di-
rectors and their friends, who immtnediately took their
places in the carriages, Captain. Simmonds and other
scientific gentlemen taking their stations on the engine.
The journey from London to Peterborough was per-
formed in.a very short space of time, considering. the
necessary stoppages, in order to allow the Government
Inspector to examine the various works of importance as
the train proceeded.
The result of the inspection has, it is understood,
proved perfectly satisfactory, and the Inspector-General
has given his certificate as to the fitness of the line to be
opened to Peterborough on Wednesday next.
In order to enable the reader to form some notion
of the magnitude of the works "going on at the London
terminus of the Great Northern Railway, it may bemen-
tioned that the plot of land on which the present tempo-
rary terminus stands consists of about fifty aorest situate
alseut,n quarter of* mibs irens-the7eito-sril:tkes-intonded.
permanent terminus. the Small-pox and late London_
Fever llospitale at King's-cross. and immediately abutt-
ing on the Regent's Canal, on the northern side of the
Imperial Gas Works. On the east this piece of land is
bounded by Maiden-lane, and bn' the west by Agar
Town, in the rear of St. Pancras Workhouse and the
Old St. Pancras-road, whilst on the south the Regent's
Canal intervenes, and on the north the embankments of
the Birmingham and Blackwell Junction, which crosses
the Great Northern line by means of a viaduct within a
few hundred feet of the Copenhagen Tunnel. .

a 0
It is intended that this vast space 'should be devoted
to the goods department of the railway, and it will, with
the exception of its greater extent, bear close affinity to
the goods and locomotive departmeni of the London and
North-Western Railway at Camden-town. The works
in course of construction on this portion of the railway
are of a most massive character. They are being carried
out under the direction of Mr. Louis Cubitt, the archi-
tect, and the Messrs. Jay, of London-wall, who are the
contractors for all the works on the London aide of the
Copenhagen Tunnel, and who it is understood hare
within the last few days also obtained the contract fur
the construction of the permanent terminus at King's-
cross.
The present terminus of the Great Northern Railway
is entered by two large gates situate on the western side
of Maiden-lane, facing River-street, and the City of
York Tavern, within about 150 or 200 yards of the
bridge over he Regent's Canal, now being widened
at -the expense ,of the company, and being converted
into an elegant structure of iron, 60 or 70 feet in
width. Immediately on entering the outer gates is the
temporary range of waiting-rooms and offices leading
to the platform, which is about 200 yards in length,
with an elegant and exceedingly light iron and glass
roof, constructed, when completed, upon the same prin-
ciple as that of the North-Western terminus at Euston-
grove. To this point the main line of rails is completed,
and laid on an exceedingly solid foundation of burnt
clay, the rails them,elves laid on sleepers of wood, and
apparently of a more heavy calibre than most rails
hitherto in use on any of the other narrow gauge lines.
Immediately crossing the railway to the south. west, is a
large building to be appropriated to the official depart-
ment of the line, and which will contain the directors'
board-room, &c. Further westward are the carriage
sheds, and the sheds to be appropriated to the goods de-
partment. These buildings are of the most stupendous cha-
racter, being each of them several hundred yards in length,
and so capacious in every other respect that barges which
come up the canal from the river Thames, after being re-
ceived into a capacious dock, now in course of construc-
tion, can be brought under these sheds, into which the
dock extends, for the purpose of either unloading
or receiving their cargoes. It is understood that on
one side of these docks will bo the coal deco:, it being
the intention of the Great Northern Company to bring
up that article of consumption direct from the coal
fields of the north, at a very reduced rate, for the Lon-
don trade. The other department will be for corn; and
so great is expected to be the demaad, that large six-
story stores are about to be erected for its deposit.
Bearing further westward, towards Agar-town, is the
entrance to the goods and locomotive department, which
is reached by a turning from the St. Pancras-road, at the
end of Brewer-street, Somer's-town, to which point,
when completed, the works of the company will extend,
passing the range of gasometers of the Imperial Gas
Company in that direction. The engine- house and lo-
comotive department aro situate more to the north-west-
ern extremity of the land described. The engine-house
is a capacious building, and has been supplied with an
immense tank, covering very nearly its entire roof, into
which it is stated the water for the engines will be con-
veyed by means of a powerful steam-engine from a large
artesian well.

Looking from the present temporary passengers' sta-
tion in a north-easterly direction, the first object which
the eye encounters.is the very elegant and substantially
constructed five•arched bridge or viaduct which crosses
the railway in continuation of Maiden•lane. To this
point from the terminus the line is on a very great curve,
and so continues till it reaches the C,,penhagen Tunnel,
the mouth of which is, however, plainly visible from the
station through the arches of the Mai len-lane viaduct.
The Copenhagen Tunnel is about half a mile in length,
commencing at the entrance of Copenhagen-fields on
the Maiden-lane side, and terminating in the Chalk-
road, where the line enters on a cutting gradually
rising to an embankment, and crossing the Holloway-
road by means of a very elegant and tastefully con-
structed bridge.

Returning to the works going on with a view to the
completion of the London terminus, many rumours have
been afloat as to the means by which it is intenchd that
the Great Northern Railway shall meet the engineering
difficulties presented by the interposition of the Regent's-
canal and the extensive works of the Imperial Gas
Company in order to arrive at the Small Pox Hospital
at King's-cross, where their permanent terminus is
to be erected. The difficulty is solved by the construe•
lion of a tunnel, the
principal shaft of which is now
open, opposite Randall's tile-kilns in Maiden-lane, which
will open upon the main line on the eastern side of the
Maiden-lane viaduct, bef,re described, and pass under
the Regent's-canal in the same way as it was proposed
by Mr. Madigan, one of the engineers of the North-
Western, to carry the proposed railway under
London, to the terminus in Farriogdon-street. This
tunnel has already been completed, although not opened
at either end, from within a few yards of the Maiden-
lane viaduct to within a short" distance of the northern
side of the Regent's Canal. In order to pass under; the
canal from the point of the viaduct, until after passing
the canal, the tunnel will necessarily be on a great incli-
nation to the south; but as soon as the canal is passed,
the line will enter a cutting upon an incline the reverse
way, and thus come. into the permanent terminus, at
King's-cross. By this means also ell the works, as well
as the mains of the Imperial Gas Company, will be
cleared without any difficulty. The company have
already shown their spirit in the works which they have
carried on, irrespective of the mere railway. Workmen
past in constructing a large
have
tunnel
th e t nwoonr tkhss
on
the northern side of the
A large number (re
houses have been removed, which formed the 9anal, emptying itself into the old Fleet-ditch at King's-
cross, and which is now completed.
south-
eastern corner of Edmund-street, and the western side of
Maiden-lane, as well as a portion of the Smallpox Hos-
pital walls, thus converting a narrowmacadamsed road of sixty feet in
into a splendid i
width.
and dirty thorough-
fare

EASTERN UNION.
A special meeting of this company was held on' Fri-
day at Radley's Hotel, Blackfriars, to consider the
to enable the
directors to create new shares to pay off a portion of the
pro-
priety of authorising the directors to issue debenture
shares to pay off a portion of the borrowed money; Mr.
S. Bignold in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN stated that the Act authorising the
nithees
Is nsrthe hoof had
last
osnutbhm. i tTreceived
ctth Royal assent ou
we a
s,
debenture debt, and thus to place the capital in a posi-
tion to receive a dividend by removing a largo amount of
the present liabilities of the company . The mortgage
debt at present amounted to 530,000, a small portion of
which was borrowed at four per cent., another portion at
six per cent., and the largest portion at five per cent.
It was their intention to reduce this rate of interest
down to the lowest amount, and the mortgage debt to
a sum not exceeding 350,0001. The traffic on the line
produced about 125,000/. per annum, and, after de-
ducting working expeos", would leave a clear sum of
between 60,0001. and 70,0001. a year. If the interest on
the mortgage debt could be reduced to 4 per cent. or 41
per cent., it would leave a sum to divide among the
shareholers. With a clear sum of 60,000/. to meet a
liability of 20,0001., he thought "it-reasonable to expect
they would obtain money at a much lower rate ot in-
terest than they paid at present. lie moved a aeries of
resolutions to the effect that the borrowed money should
as soon as possible be 'permanently reduced to a
sum not exceeding ,350,0001„; that for this purpose the
directors be authorised to create debenture.shares and to
raise tbereen,a stun Pot exceeding 265,000/.; that the
shares be of an amount not exceeding 10/. per, share,
1 and be entitled to a rate of interest not exceeding 4fper
i cent. if issued in perpetuity, or 5 per cent. if redestuable