The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-13 00:00:00

THE DIRECT LONDON AND
PORTSMOUTH RAILWAY.
ATMOSPHERIC LINE.

A numerous and influential meeting of the Provi-
sional Committee was held on Wednesday, at the
offices of the Company, No. 15, Parliament-street,
Among those present were the Hon. J. C. Carnegie,
Vice-Admiral Sir J. A. Ommaney, Sir James Stir-
ling, Captain Cornwall, R.N., Mr. W. A. Wilkinson,
the Chairman ; Mr. P. Roberts, Deputy-Chairman ;
and Mr. B. Baines, Mr. C. S. Crowley, and Mr. J.
Lawrie, Directors of the Croydon Company ; Mr.
11. Allen, and Mr. Hoskins, of Portsmouth; Mr. G.
Baker, of North Chapel ; the Rev. P. Ford, Mr. J.
R. Greig, and Mr. R. P. Pritchard, of Liphook ;
Mr. F. B. S. Wilder, of Godalming, and several other
influential members of the Committee. Mr. W. A.
Wilkinson was, on the motion of Sir J. Ommaney,
unanimously called to the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said, gentlemen were perhaps
aware that it was while the Croydon Company were
progressing through Parliament with their Epsom
Bill, that the Directors were first invited to promote
a direct line from Portsmouth to join the Epsom and
Croydon Railway. There could be no doubt that a
line extending eighteen miles out of London, and
having a station at London-bridge, and another at
the Bricklayers' Arms, must afford very great facili-
ties to any line that might choose to join it from any
district with which it was in direct communication.
It had appeared to the Directors that with their sys-
tem of proportionate tolls, and the great advantages
he had just mentioned, they were in a position to offer
such inducements as to afford a preference to any line
that sought to join their railway.—(Hear, hear.)
Indeed, the Directors could not but think that the
facilities to be afforded to a direct Portsmouth line
by the Croydon and Epsom Railway, in addition to
the latter consenting to forego any toll on the traffic
to be brought by the projected Company, till the
Proprietors of it received four per cent. on their
capital, gave them (the Directors of the Croydon and
Epsom Company), as well as the promoters of the
undertaking, a position which no other Company
could pretend to assume. He should observe that
the present meeting had been called for the purpose
of appointing a Board of Direction for carrying out
the project of the direct Portsmouth line. With re-
spect to that Board, it had been deemed right to select
for nomination to it several gentlemen who were con-
nected with the proposed Chatham and Portsmouth
line, others who were interested in the Portsmouth
line, and several of the Directors of the Croydon line.
The fact that the proposed direct line to Portsmouth
was to be an atmospheric one had rendered it desir-
able that gentlemen connected with the Croydon and
Epsom line should be among the Directors, and for
the reason that they had given their most anxious at-
tention to the atmospheric system, and several of
those interested in that railway would be nominated.
Sir J. OMMANEY wished to know what steps had
been taken to ascertain how far the atmospheric line
about to be laid down was likely to succeed ?
The CHAIRMAN said, that for the success of the at-
mospheric system, they depended on the satisfactory
trial that had been made of it at Dalkey. The Direc-
tors of the Croydon and Epsom line considered that
the mechanical difficulties of the atmospheric system,
such as they were, had been overcome. As to the
commercial part of the system, that they must try.
They were most sanguine, and he thought he might
take upon himself to say reasonably so, as to its re-
sults in that point of view_ They had examined the
working of the line at Dalkey, and the result they
had arrived at was the conviction that the atmo-
spheric railway, when once laid down, might be
worked at about half the expense of a locomotive
line. They would permit him to say that a rail-
way traffic was a mode of carrying a large number
of persons (and it was only by a large number of per-
sons it could be successfully carried out) at a smaller
charge, and with greater rapidity, than they were
carried by the ordinary modes of conveyance. It was
by the atmospheric system that this desirable plan
could be most effectively secured, for though there
might be a comparatively larger outlay at first, the
traffic Could be carried on more economically and
greater facilities afforded, than by the locomotive system.
One of the Committee inquired whether the pro-
jectors of the line had been before the Board of Trade?
The CHAIRMAN said they had laid the Chatham
line before the Board of Trade, and in doing so they
had connected with it this undertaking, as one which
was at that time projected ; but so large a number
of shares had been subscribed for the direct Ports-
mouth line, that lie hoped they would in a few days
be in a position to go before that Board.—(Cheers.)
Ile project had taken a strong hold of the
public mind, and, in short, everybody now saw that
this was the line to Portsmouth, and as such it was
spoken of. He also perceived that the atmospheric
system was now coming strongly and prominently
before the attention of the public. The South Devon
line, fifty-two miles in length, was to be worked on
this system, and contracts for that purpose had been
entered into with the representatives of the atmos-
pheric patent. They knew, too, that the Directors of
the Great Western Railway had gone to Ireland,
where they were to meet Mr. Brunel, for the purpose
(as we understood) of inspecting the working of the
atmospheric line. The promoters of the direct Ports-
mouth line depended much on their adoption of this
principle for the success which they hoped to obtain ;
they thought it affording the means of putting them-
selves in advantageous competition with any parties
who might oppose the line.
Sir J. OMMANEX said the explanations that had
been afforded by the Chairman were so satisfactory,
and the advantages to be derived from the adoption of
the atmospheric principle so manifest, that he had
great pleasure in moving—" That a railway from
Portsmouth to join the Epsom Railway at Epsom, to
be worked upon the atmospheric principle of traction,
will, in the opinion of this meeting, afford a materi-
, ally shorter, cheaper, quicker, and better mode of