The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-30 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.
(THIS► DAY.)

GROUP A.

LONDON .11BID NORTH 1f:..1.-2NT 7it AILWAY.
The Committee met at twelve o'clock, Mr. Lascelles in the
chair.

The examination of Mr. Vignoles as to the comparative engineering
merits of the competing lines was resumed by Mr. Sergeant SHEA.
He stated that it was intended that the wardens of Rochester.
bridge, and the Corporation should join with the Com-
pany in building the bridge, which would be much
more commodious to the inhabitants and more orna-
mental to the town than the present one, which was
not in a direct line with the main streets of Rochester and Stroud,
as was the old bridge, and as the new one is intended to be. The
clear way in the centre of the bridge would be 18 feet above high.
water mark, being some feet higher than the present bridge. The
houses to be taken down to make way for the line are,
for the most part, in narrow back streets, and of little
value. The line weuld be carried on to Maidstone,
at comparatively small expense. At Chatham quays a new quay
wall would be built for a distance of nearly 900 yards, leaving a
space of 50 feet outside the railway. The South-Eastern Com-
pany's plan was to cross the Medway at a lower level than he
intended, and this he considered a great oversight. With
respect to the powder-mills, he was satisfied that his line
would be too distant for them to allow the least hazard of
damage from the sparks of the engine. Besides, that
" to make security more sure," he would provide shields of corru-
gated iron above and around the engine, in the form of a tunnel,
which would prevent the flying off of a single spark, and which
could be lighted if necessary. There would be but one level
crossing in the whole line. The distances on the whole line, and in
the principal divisions of the line, as from London to

Gravesend, to Sittit,gbourne, to Sheerness, &c., were all in favour of
the North Kcnt. There was nothing in the proposed working

of the railway which could exclude the foreign traffic. The line
would not be at all a competing line with the North-Eastern, until
they got to Canterbury. The North-Kent could not pay at all

unless they gave the utmost possible accommodation at
the lowest possible rates, and dispatched trains very
often, from six o'clock in the morning till eleven at night.

(LEFT SITTING,)

GROUP B.
ILXVERPOOL AND DUE y LXNE.

The Committee consists of Sir C. Lemon (Chairman), Sir R.
Filiner, Mr. C. Hope, Mr. F. W. Knight, and Mr. Horsman.

Mr. WlLLiss, on behalf of the promoters of the Bill, called
upon the chairman to procure the Speaker's warrants to compel
the attendance of two persons, named Moore and Hartley, who re.
fused to attend as witnesses.

Mr. John Roberts, shipping clerk to Messrs. Heap and
Sons, merchants, and wholesale grocers, Liverpool, was
the first witness examined. He stated that the dealings
of his employers were from 700,0001. to 800,0001.
a year. Witness had been in the business twenty years. Messrs.
Heap had a large connexion at Wigan, Bolton, Bury, and Rochdale.
They were in the habit of sending large quantities of dried fruit,
treacle, arid other groceries to these places. During the past year
they sent to these places about 868 tons of groceries. Great
delay frequently occurred at the Liverpool depot of the Bolton
Railway. The Bolton Railway was, with respect to these delays,
worse than any other. So much so that carters called for the
occasion would not convey the goods if they knew they
were going to the Bolton Railway depot. He thought
it would be most important to have an entrance by railway to
the north, as the trade in that quarter of the town was increas.
ing greatly last year.
' Mr. Cartside, Foreign and English wool-broker, Liverpool—
The wool trade had increased very much during the last fifteen
years. Last year they had sold about 300,0001. worth-80 or 100
tons. The present railway did not afford them sufficient accom-
modation for transporting their wool to Rochdale, and other places.
Since Christmas they had been much incommoded by the
delay of their goods at the depot of the Bolton Rail-
way station. The detention was so great, that carters did
not wish to go there, and sometimes their carts of wool lay at the
depot all night and became spoiled by rain. He thought the
Liverpool and Manchester line did not afford sufficient, accommo-
dation to the Liverpool merchants, who sent their goods to York-
shire, A new line for that trade would be very desirable. Such a
line would benefit Liverpool and the country through which it
passed very materially.
Mr. Peter Owen, clerk to Messrs. Chandler and Flem-

ing, timber brokers, Liverpool, stated that his employers
were the largest timber brokers in Liverpool.
They annually passed through their stores about
2,000,000 feet of timber, and 9-10ths of the whole mahogany of
Liverpool. They sent a great deal of mahogany to Leeds, Wigan,
Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, and Oldham. Since 1825 the timber
trade between Liverpool and the northern districts had increased
25 per cent. Liverpool was the best market for buying goods in
the kingdom. Large quantities of it were used in machinery.
Seven hundred tons of timber were sent per diem by his employers
to Rochdale, Bury, and those districts. His employers were often
obliged to wait for several weeks to have timber forwarded by the
present railway. The Manchester and Liverpool line often refused
to convey timber, and would not do so at all when they could get a
sufficiency of other goods. Most of the mahogany was sent to
Leeds by railway. If the proposed line were made it would confer

great advantages on the town of Liverpool.
Mr. Sergeant BELLsus— All the docks in Liverpool were nearer
to the south station than the north. Most of the timber was at
present sent by canal.

(LEYT SITTING.)

GROUP DD.

THE CLYDESDALE ZUNCTIO:AT RAILWAY.
The Committee assembled this morning at half past eleven
o'clock, and soon after proceeded to the consideration of the above
scheme.

Petitions in opposition to the construction of the proposed line
had been put in by the trustees of the Clyde Navigation,the barony
of Gorbals, the Paisley and Ardrossan Canal Company, the Glas-
gow, Garnkirk, and Coatbridge Railway, the Paisley and Ayr Rail-
way, and by several private indiduals, who opposed as landowners.
Mr. Coccaustiv opened the case by observing, that he would
proceed to state to the Committee the objects and advantages of the
railway for which he appeared. The scheme was entitled a Bill
for making a railway from the city and harbour of Glasgow, to
Hamilton, and to the Wishaw and Coltness Railway, at Mother-
well, to be called the Clydesdale Junction Railway. It was pro-
posed by this railway to connect the town and harbour of Glasgow
with Rutherglen, from thence it proceeded to a place called Park
Homestead, at which place the line divided into a fork, one branch
of which led to Hamilton, and the other to Motherwell. The ob.
ject of these two lines was threefold.

(LEFT SITTING.)

GROUP F.

The Committee met again this day, in Room No. 11—the Right
Hon. Frederick Shaw in the chair—on the adjourned case of

THE LOND7,'N, WORCESTER, AND SOUTH
STAZTORDSHXRE RiaLWAY.

Mr. Sergeant KINGLAKE said he had to apply to the Committee
for leave to postpone the examination of the witness Mr. Gooch,
who was under cross.examination when the proceedings closed on
the previous day. The cause of this application was, that it was
important to his case to have the evidence of Mr. Cubitt, the eminent
engineer. That gentleman would be examined in the case of the
London and York inquiry, and when he once commenced before
that Committee, it was impossible to count upon the time he would
be at liberty for the present case.

The CHAIRMAN said, that under the circumstances, the Com-
mittee had no oujection to the arrangement ; indeed the sooner the
important engineers were examined the better.

Mr. Cubitt, engineer, examined by Mr. TaLuorr—ln his experience
of engineering had hal many opportunities of considering the subject
of transhipment on the difference of gauge. The change of gauge
from the broad to the narrow sonld be done with facility and safety.
Where it was necessary for a transhipment to take place it could be
done, the only difference being that where it was not wanted it
would be an absurdity to introduce it.—(Laughter.) With regard
to switches, they must be introduced on a line at certain points,
independent of the gauge at all. The switches at points are in
proportion to the parallels to be crossed on the line. Had some
years ago to tranship heavy loads of clay from the Oxford Canal.
It was done by a simple mechanical contrivance, something on the
principle of Mr. Brunel's invention.
(LEFT SITTING.)