The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-10 00:00:00

WOODEN RAILWAYS.
(From the IVaterford Mail of December 7.)
On Thursday last Mr. Bridges, the secretary to the
Waterford and Kilkenny Railway Company, de-
livered an address on this subject to a numerous and
rospeetable audience in the Town llall. Mr. Bridges
urged the great importance of railway communication
in Ireland, and especially insisted on the necessity of
economy in construction of Irish railways. With
respect to the system of wooden railways, which he
had been deputed by English capitalists to advocate
and introduce as far as possible, a very few words
would suffice to explain the rationale and advantages.
Wooden railways had formerly been extensively used
in England in the colliery districts. These had been
gradually superseded by rails of cast iron, and after-
wards of malleable iron ; but an impression was now
becoming very general that the use of wood under
certain conditions would be infinitely preferable, both
on the score of economy and efficiency, to the present
system of iron railways. To preserve the elasticity
of the wood, and at the same time to indurate it
and arrest the liability to decay, had been the
first desideratum. These difficulties had been
completely met by a process invented by Mr.
Charles Payne, which might be very shortly
explained. The timber was placed in a vacuum,
and after exhaustion was impregnated under
a high pressure, first, with a cheap metallic solution,
such as sulphate of iron, and thereafter with the mu-
riate of lime. There was thus produced within the
wood, by decomposition, a perfectly insoluble matter,
and the wood was, as it were, virtually transmuted
into another substance almost incapable of decay. It
was, however, still liable and exposed to abrasion
from what Mr.f Robert Stephenson had called the
" horrible collision" of the flange and the conical tire
as now made use of. To obviate this evil, Mr. Pros-
ser's patent was devised—that is to say, the flange
was entirely removed from the tire or rim of the
bearing wheels, and a mere guide wheel, fixed on an
oblique axis, and not bearing perpendicularly on the
rails, was substituted. This guide wheel, without
any perceptible friction merely retained the carriages
and engines on their route, and admitted of the use
of bearing wheels perfectly smooth and cylindrical.
Mr. Bridges then briefly, but pointedly, touched
upon the various advantages as respected economy,
efficiency, safety, and comfort, likely to arise from
the adoption of the new system. He announced
that public confidence was now so far with those
he represented that more than double the capi-
tal requisite for the Waterford and Kilkenny
line had been subscribed, and that on a visit to
Cork, in reference to a line projected from that
city on the same principle, he had been received
with extreme cordiality and kindness by some of the
principal merchants interested, who agreed to take
shares, while the noblemen and gentlemen holding
the land were, it was understood through their agents,
equally disposed to favour the undertaking. We
think it unnecessary to repeat at full length all Mr.
Bridges' arguments, especially as regards the great
facility of traversing sharp curves and overcoming
gradients, which the comparative deficiency of bite
on the iron rail is held to preclude upon the latter
system, as we have already quoted:several articles upon
the subject embracing the details, and which are
already familiar to our readers. Several questions
were put to the lecturer by scientific gentlemen pre-
sent. Whether the Paynising process could be made
available for house-building, and also the price per
load, and its applicability to other general purposes
besides railroads ; and what experience there had been
of the system, whether the friction of eight wheels
would not be greater than that of four wheels
even with flanges as in the old system • and
whether the effect of the process reached to the very
heart of the wood or was merely superficial. Mr.
Bridges stated that the Paynising process was a prin-
ciple of nature universally applicable. Wherever
timber in contact with iron had been subjected to the
action of salt water, as in the case of a vessel sub-
merged, the wood could not decay. General Pasley
on blowing up the Edgar, a vessel which had been
sunk three hundred years ago, found this to be the
case in the baulks of that vessel. The common
English woods subjected to the process received the
finest polish, and were more beautiful than any
foreign woods • and on explaining the principle to a
very influential and intelligent shipowner and mer-
chant of Cork, he had been assured by that gentle-
man that the process, if practice accorded with
theory, would be invaluable in ship-building as well
as in cabinet-making. The price per load of fifty
cubic feet was fourteen shillings, and the experience
of the system extended to several very satisfactory
experiments, amongst which might be mentioned,
that the experiment line at Vauxhall had been
traversed 28,000 tines by a heavy engine, with-
out in the least affecting the saw -marks on the
wood, and that a tramway of Paynised wood

Laid down at a coal wharf in London had borne

the gradual weight of 27,000 tons without any
effect being produced. As to the question of the
comparative friction of eight wheels or four, the
action of the guide wheels and the bearing wheels
which made up that number, was perfectly distinct
and independent; and the number of wheels induced
no addition whatever to the friction. In truth, 20
cylindrical wheels with guide wheels would have less
friction than four of the flanged wheels at present in
vogue. The effect of the process was to permeate
the whole timber subjected to it, so that a chemical
test applied td the heart of the wood would affect it
equally with the surface.
Mr. MOSES ROBINSON, after some very pertinent
questions, which were replied to by Mr. Bridges, ex-
pressed himself perfectly satisfied as to the import-
ance of both the inventions, and that it was advisable
they should have a fair and an extensive trial. If
sound, the system would eventually supersede all
others. _ _

Mr. BRIDGES observed that nothing was more pro-
bable, inasmuch as it had just been determined by
the Directors of the West London Railway, which
connects the Great Western and the London and
Birmingham, to take up the iron trails, and lay down
the line with Paynised wood, in combination with
the Prosser guide wheel s.—The meeting then separated
•

ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—Another
of those rare birds, the Toucan,'from the Brazils, with a
Rhea, or South American Ostrich, was added to the col-
lection last week. The gardens have been since much
frequented to inspeet the new arrivals, and the beautiful
lake was
crowded with skaters on Sunday and yester-
day, the ice being in first rate order.
CHINESE EXHIBITION.—The opening of this exhi-
bition for what may be called the winter season, took
place last night, with what is called the Dragon Fete.
The formidable dragon is very beautifully formed of silk,
and brilliantly illuminated. We are told that this is one
of the favourite exhibitions of the Chinese, and con-
sidering the necessary inferiority of the copy, it must be
an attractive one. The dragon is suspended from the
ceiling at the middle of the room, and has a very grand
effect from the light thrown on it from the various
lan-
terns extended on either side. There is no change in
the various representations illustrating Chinese life and
manners ; but the manner in which the room isillu-
minated renders them more vivid. A popular lecture,
giving a sketch of the principal objects described in the
rather formidable book-catalogue, would be a desideratum,
and it is, we understand, in contempetkin by the enter-
prising proprietor. There was a large number of visitors
last night, and we have no doubt that at each representa-
tion it will increase.

The Dusseldorf Gazette notifies that a party of the
Jewish residents of that place had resolved, at a recent
meeting, to address a circular to the Christian bankers
and merchants of Frankfort, praying of them, on con-
ditions of reciprocity, not to cause tobe presented to them
any bill of exchange, whether for acceptance or payment,
on a Sabbath or fast day, since they are required by a
recent modification of the laws relating to the matter
both to accept and pay. The house of Rothschild had
been invited to join in the movement, but which it had
declined to do on the plea that this new legislation would
not prevent them from refusing to pay and accept on the
days in question. It would appear from this that Messrs.
Rothschild, conscious of their own power, proceed upon
the old plan, but that the minor establishments cannot,
without compromising their credit, venture to act in the
same spirit of independence, by making, like them, other
houses conform to their convenience.
THE WEATHER.--The moderns, in imitation of
the wise men of ancient days, have a propensity for
drawing auguries from the movements of birds, and
many prophesies, founded on ornithological observations,
have, recently, been put forth touching the quality of
the present winter. Some difference of opinion amongst
the feathered tribes, however, caused the prophets no
little perplexity, for while the geese, who have no
great reputation for sagacity, appeared, by their south-
ward flight, to insist that old winter was hastening
speedily hither, certain crows were reported to be con •
strutting nests, as if in anticipation of mild airs and
cloudless skies. The crows, though deemed clever birds
in their way, have been proved to be less weatherwise
than the geese, for we hear from all quarters of low
thermometers and biting frosts. In this vicinity the frost
set in, last week, with great severity, and the increasing
ice on the ponds was regarded by skaters of all classes
and ages with extreme satisfaction. Nor were they dis-
appointed in their anticipations, for though the frost
only set in fairly on Wednesday, yet such was its
severity, that even as early as Friday, the ice
had attained considerable thickness, and on Sa-
turday it was se solid that the skaters were
enabled to pursue their invigorating recreation without
the slightest apprehension. The waters of Sefton
meadows, which offer a beautiful extent of skating sur-
face, are completely frozen over, and numbers who de-
light to enjoy the exercise in perfection have resorted
thither. The cold, during the last few days, has been
intense. The extreme depression of the thermometer,
on Tuesday night, was 29, on Wednesday night 27, on
Thursday 23, on Friday 21, and yesterday morning the
mercury sunk as low as 20. At nine o'clock yesterday
morning it was 26, and, at three in the afternoon, 30.
Liverpool Albion of Monday.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert has become
the purchaser of one of the finest blood-hounds in Lord
Bagot's celebrated pack, and the Queen has likewise had
one bought by agency. It is not generally known that
Lord Bagot's family have for centuries retained the pure
breed of the English blood-hound. Last week the en-
tire collection of 21 were sold, the Duke of Leeds being
among the purchasers.