The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-22 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES
(YESTERDAY.)

rail, and that by water by steamers, the latter was slow owing
to the navigation being bad. The distance between York and Hull
by railroad was about 50 or 56 miles; the distance by water was
about 60 miles; and by turnpike it was 40 miles. Had pre-
pared a table of the comparative charges of goods upon the
present line and the new one. The present charge was
28s. Gd. per ton for goods from York to Gainsborough,
for a distance of 51 miles, and the time occupied was two days;
by the new hne the charge would be 13s. Gd. per ton, or a saving
of 15s. per ton.
Mr. George Robinson, linen manufacturer at Leeds, deposed

that he had an extensive trade with the towns of Gainsborough,
Lincoln, Newcastle, Boston, Oldham, Grantham, and all the other
towns east of Lincoln. The charges he paid at present per ton for
the transit of his gods from Leeds to Gainsborough were 15s. per
ton; to Lincoln, 135., to Newark, 165., and to Gran-
tham, '26s. He made a calculation of the charges
by the proposed London and York line, and he found
he would have a saving of is. Bd. per ton from Leeds to
Gainsborough, of 2s. per ton
.to Lincoln, of 'ss. 3d. to Newark,

. .
and of 1:c. 6d. to Grantham ; besides which, the saving of time
would be considerable, and the traffic would be much increased.

The facilities of transit by the present modes of conveyance were
slow and uncertain.

Mr. John Barff, dealer in wool at Wakefield—His trade in wool
amounted to about 23,000 packs per annum, or 2,500 tons ; the
wool from the east of Lincolnshire now came by water ;

but if there was a railway, it would come by that, as the
freight would be very much reduced; the present cost was 28s.

per ton, and the reduction would be about 10s. per ton ; the present
cost of conveyance of wool from London to Wakefield was
" ' .

2s. 9d., but he had received two notices lately, one of which was
that there would be a reduction to 2s. Id., and another to Is. 10d.,
(Laughter.) The London and York line would bring York twenty-
...

liree miles nearer to London than any other proposed line. Wake•

field was the largest corn and cattle market in the kingdom uut of

London ; more than half of the entire exportable produce of Lin.
colnshire went to Wakefield ; about
_13,000 quarters of corn of al

sorts was rectived weekly at Wakefield.
Cross.examined—lf the Cambridge and Lincoln line was shorter
and more convenient, which it would be if it went by Bourne, the

wool from the north would be sent by that line.

The Flockton

coal-field would be from six to seven miles from the London and

York station. No doubt, farmers living between Holbcach and
Wisbeach would like to have a line of railway passing near them.
The Committee then adjourned.

Group N.
WEST CORNWALL RAILWAY.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Captain Moorsom was then examined by Mr. Rowe at great

length on minute details in connexion with the expense of construct.
ing the line, for the purpose of showing that his estimates were
fallacious. Nothing, however, was elicited to show that this was
the case.

The witness was then cross-examined by Mr. B►RC►►AM on the
part of the projectors of the railway. His evidence went to show
that lines with steep gradients had been constructed at less ex-
pense than lines on a level; and that on such steep gradients and
high inclinations trains were worked with as much velocity as
those running on a level. He cited instances of this on the
Birmingham and Gloucester, the Glasgow, and other lines, and
said that undulating lines with short gradients might also be
worked at a moderate expense. The Hayle Railway cost
7,0001. a mile without stock. He calculated about
8,0001. a mile as the expense of constructing this railway,
exclusive of locomotion. The line between Truro and
Redruth could not be constructed with the same convenience or
expense on bridges as on levels. At that portion of the line which
will cross a road at the Hayle causeway arrangements had been
made with the trustees, with which they were perfectly satisfied.
For more than two years passengers had been carried along the line
between Redruth and Hayle down an incline of I in 22 and 1 in 91 ;
upwards of 300,000 passengers had been conveyed along the line
since it was opened for that purpose. He had never heard of any
accident to the passengers cr to the trains. The trains on the
Hayle Railway pass and repass on a level, and he never knew of
any accident there. Colonel Pasley had reported that there was no
danger in passing such roads on a level.

Mr. DENISON said if they proposed to enter into Colonel
Pasley's opinions on these matters they nao better have that gentle-
man before them.

Mr. ALEXANDER said the report to which the witness referred
was on the table of the House of Commons.

By the CHAIRMAN—It was proposed to take iron from small
branches of the Hayle Railway which led to mines in its vicinity,
but which were now disused, to construct about two miles of the
roposcd line.

Mr. Whitley, a surveyor, was then examined by Mr. Rowe—
He had estimated the land which would be required for the pur-
poses of the railway from Truro to Redruth (11i miles, or Ili
acres), at an expense of 791. per acre. He had been acquainted
with the district for 14 years. The mining land that would be re-
quired at Tresavein would be one-fourth of an acre and 10 yards.
The waste part of the mine, independent of arable land, required
would be three_quarters of an acre and ten perches. The whole
land required here would be under an acre. The line would not
interfere with mines at work.

By Mr. DENISON—The present value of arable land ranges
from 10s. to 40s. per acre. Not more than half an acre of orchard
land would be required in the whole line. Half an acre of plan-
tation of thirty years' growth would be required.

By Mr. AZEXANDE;—NearIy a third of 701 acres consisted of
waste land, which could neither be profitably used for agricultural
or other purposes. This was in. greater proportion in Cornwall
than in any other county. A great portion of the land required
was commonable—some portions of which were enclosed into
small gardens by cottagers. There were not more than six acres
of meadow land in this part of the line. It was not the intention
of the Company to take any of the large smelting works at Garras
wharf or at Calenick, as their terminus would be erected further
down Garras wharf than originally intended. The estimates he
had made he considered fair in every respect.

Mr. Brunel was then examined by Mr. RowE—He said he pro-
posed to lay down the South Devon line on theatmosplieric principle
His estimate of the permanent expense of a single line, exclusive
of the atmospheric apparatus, was 2,3001. a mile. The use of the
patent would cost an additional 500/. a mile. The weight of the
rails on that line would be 551 b. each. The expense of the double
line would be double that sum. Three tubes would be
used for the first 20 miles, at 13i inches, between Exeter
and Plymouth. In that portion the gradients are
good. In one part they are very steep. In no part are they
one in 50. The estimate of the expense he had given did not
include the fixed engines. Each engine would consist of two halves,
each pair having 100 horse-power. He spoke of the power as ge-
nerally understood at the present day. The engine-houses would cost
from 500/. to 600/. It would be necessary to lay down an electrical
telegraph at an expense of 1501. or 2001. a mile. The locomotive
engines in use on the Great Western for the passenger trains
weighed from 8 to 20 tons without the tender, but with which they
would weigh from 30 to 35 tons. An inclined plane of lin 22
might be worked at ten miles an hour by a powerful engine with
small wheels, weighing about 10 tons, with perfect safety. Power
could be combined with lightness. The witness was then exa.
mined on other matters in connexion with engineering, and cor.
roborated in a great measure the evidence of Captain Moorsom
with respect to similar points.
The Committee then adjourned until to-morrow.

Group F.

THE GREAT WESTERN AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY
EXTENSION TO WORCESTER AND DROITWICH.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

Mr. WUATELEY, 2.C., on behalf of the Stourbridge Canal Com.
pany, objected to both projects, on the ground that the danger to
the public from the construction of the lines over exhausted coal-
beds would tie very imminent.

Mr. ALLEN objected on the part of a landowner, Mr. Hooka,
who was seriously injured by one railway already passing over his
grounds, and who would he still more injured if either of the pro-
jected deviations were passed, because those also would pass
through his estate.

Mr. COCKBURN, Q.C., appeared for Mr. J. B. West, a landowner
near Stratford-on-Avon, and objected that the promoters of the
London and Birmingham Extension had determined to cut through
his estate, although a better line could have been laid down, which
would have avoided his grounds altogether.
The Committee, at four o'clock, adjourned till to.morrow.

Group DD.

GLASGOW, DUMFRIES, AND CARLISLE RAILWAY.

Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

Mr. Ewart, Member for Dumfries, was then called—He said,
from the position which he held in Dumfries, he was competent to
state what the general feeling of the inhabitants was in respect of
the proposed Glasgow and Dumfries line. He had no hesitation
in saying that Use district with which he was connected was de-
cidedly favourable to it. He had been called upon to present a
great number of petitions to the House in its favour, and
these for the most part had been signed by the most influential peo-
ple in the borough. The port of Annan, with which he was ac-
quainted, was a rising place, and he had no doubt that in a short
time it would become highly important. Dumfries was the county
town, and extensive fairs in cattle, pigs, and sheep were held there.
Large mineral fields also abounded in the neighbourhood, and it
was very desirable that greater facilities should exist for the purpose
of conveying their produce to the southern parts of the country.
So great was the importance of Dumfries and Annan that in his
opinion a trunk line of railway was indispensably necessary to be
carried through them, and he was disposed in favour of the Dum-
fries line, because he considered it was the best adapted for the
general interests of that part of Scotland.

Mr. Maxwell, of Terreagles, deposed that the population of
Dumfries was estimated at 72,830 inhabitants ; of Kircudbright,
at 41,119; of Wig'on, at 31,195; and of Ayrshire, at 164,356.
A. large inanufacturg and mineral trade was carried on. At
present there was no railway communication through these dis-
tricts, and it was highly desirable that there should be one.

Mr. Lenny, of Dallswinton, generally confirmed the evidence of
he last witness.

Mr. M`Cialloch, of Dumfries, tendered his opinion as to the best
means for establishing a speedy communication between London,
Sootland, and the north coast of Ireland. The distance from Lon-
don to Post Patrick was 407 miles, and If the train travelled
at the rate of thirty miles per hour, the distance could be accom-
plished in thirteen hours and a half. It was from eighteen to
twenty-one miles across the Irish Channel from Port Patrick to
Donaghadee on the Irish coast, where it was proposed to erect a
station, to belong to the County Down Railway. The time usually
occupied in making the voyage across was one hour and a half.
From Denaghadee to Belfast, which was the most important cool-
mercial town in all Ireland, the time occupied in going by railway
would be one hour, so that the whole distance from London,
through Scotland, to Ireland, could be travelled in sixteen hours.

Group X.
LONDON AND YORK LINE.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterd&y.)
Mr. T. S. Evers, J. P., was next asked a question as to the terms
of an agreement made between the London and York Company and
the Forsdyke Navigation Company; but it was objected to by the
opposing Counsel, on the ground that the agreement should be
produced if the witness was to be examined as to the contents of
such a document.
Mr PAGET said if he had the document in Court he would pro-
duce it, but he had not.
Re-examination continued—ls of opinion that the public would
derive more advantage,from the Forsdyke navigation being purchAsed
by any Railway Company th t may be called into existence, and who
would lower the tolls, than by that navigation remaining in the
hands of its present owners.
Cross.examined—Believes that to be the opinion also of Mr.
Copeland, and one or two of his other partners.
To the Committee—Does not think it would be more advanta-
geous: to the public to have the railway in the hands of one com-
pany and the navigation in another ; does not think that the fact
of the railway and the canal running parallel would injure the
traffic of the Tatter; but the maximum rate of tops might be re-
duced. This witness was nearly three hours under examination.
Mr. Edwara Reedyard, brewer, of Lincoln, was the next wit-
ness, and his testimony respecting the direct line was precisely of
the same character as that of the last witness, localities forming the
only difference. Ile said he would prefer having his corn by rail-
road to caw-4, because of the quicker mode of transit.
Mr. Edward Clarke, residing near Lincoln, deposed as to the
traffic between Lincoln and Boston, and that it would be very im-
portant to have a railway between those two towns. The line by
Cambridge from Lincoln is not sound ground; there are a great
number of drains on that line, and they would all require bridges or
tunnels on them.
The opposing Counsel contended that these were purely engi-
neering questions.
Mr. Sergeant KINGLAEE said that, as he was anxious to prevent
loss of time, he would now proceed to call a witness from York.
Mr. Newcombe, railway carrier, residing at York, was then
called. He deposed that there was a great competing traffic
going on from York to Hull between water and land
carriage—the articles conveyed were confectionary, drugs,
leather, soap, and groceries ; the land carriage was by