The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-09 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(THIS DAY.)

GROUP A.

LONDON, CHATHAM, AND NORTH KENT

MINE.

Mr. ALEXANDER stated that he appeared there on the part of a
Mr. John Rose Baker and other landowners, whose land would be
interfered with by the proposed line, for ten successive miles. The
house of Mr. Baker was but fifty yards from the proposed line.
Mr. Sergeant SHE♦ objected to Mr. Alexander's stating the case
without first reading the petition. The complaint now made by
his Learned Friend was not stated in the petition, and no such
complaint ought to be made.
Mr. ALEXANDER said that Mr. Sergeant Shea's conduct was
irregular.

Mr. Sergeant SIIEA persisted in his objection, which, however,
was overruled by the Committee.

Mr. ALEXANDREC then stated that the proposed line passed
within fifty yards of Mr. Baker's house, and cut off his garden and
several outbuildings, doing also great damage to the property of se-
veral persons in the neighbourhood. The South-Eastern Railway
would pass through some part of Mr. Baker's land, but instead of
passing near his house it would go across the marshes, while the
Chatham and North Kent line would pass through arable land.
Mr. Alexander then called

Mr. Rose Baker, who stated that he was the owner of 228 acres
of land at the villiage of Chalk, and proved the facts stated by Mr.
Alexander.

On being cross-examincd by Mr. Sergeant SHEA, he stated that
Messrs. Solomon and Legg, two of the petitioners, were not owners
of any part of the land through which the line would pass, being
tenants of Lord Darnley. The petition had been drawn up by Mr.
Lewis, the attorney to the South-Eastern line. This line (the North
Kent) would cross six parish roads, and the South-Eastern eight.
Mr. Brown, a landowner from the same neighbourhood, gave
similar evidence as to the injury the North Kent line would do his
property.

Mr. Sergeant Sna• said that this was clearly a case for compen•
sation. But in answer to

Mr. ALEXANDER, the witness said that no compensation would
be sufficient to reconcile him to the injury to his estate.
Other landowners and petitioners were examined to the same
effect.

(LEFT BITTING.)

GROUP FF.

EDINBURGH AND NORTHERN LINE.

The Select Committee on this Group reassembled at one o'clock
this afternoon, and resumed the evidence in support of the land-
holders' opposition, against the Edinburgh and Northern line.
Mr. Errington, a civil engineer of considerable experience, had
examined Burntisland Ferry, where the proposed line would cross
the river Forth, and was decidedly of opinion that there were
natural impediments at this point which would render the working
of the line a matter of no small difficulty. The ferry was five
miles acroes, and the possibility of crossing at some periods of the
years extremely uncertain. It was quite out of the question, with
this uncertain element to contend against, and with only a single
line of way, to think of working the Edinburgh and Northern
Railway in conjunction with the Caledonian and the other northers
lines with any reasonable degree of punctuality. On many parts
of the proposed line the gradients were extremely severe, and the
cost of working must necessarily be very great. The traffic
was on the whole large and heavy, and it was, in his opinion,
quite impossible that a railway with only a single line of way
could sufficiently accommodate it.

On cross-examination, he said he was engineer to the Scotch
Central Railway, which he laid out as a single line, and he be-
lieved, to a certain extent, that line would be a competition with
the present railway. The Scotch Central could have been worked
for local purposes without any danger had Parliament sanctioned it
only as a single line, but having regard to the through traffic it
would have been extremely dangerous and inconvenient.
(Lan' sirrpra.)

GROUP K.
NORWICH AND BRANDON LINE.

The Committee on this line resumed this morning, by hearing
evidence on the merits of the Lynn and East Dereham project,
Mr. Talbot, Q. C., with Messrs. Birch and Baggalley appearing to
support the Bill. _ _ _

Mr. Rastrick, civil engineer, examined by Mr. Maul—Has
examined the line of country through which the proposed Lynn and
Derelsam Railway will pass, and considers it unusually favourable.
The gradients are easy, the worst being 1 in 100, and the
radius of the smallest curve at the termini is twenty chains.
Passengers will be taken at the rate of twopence per raile. Mer-
chandise is anticipated to yield 4,5271., coal 4,432/., and lime and
other contingencies 1,0001., making a total traffic income of 9,9601.,
which, with the passenger receipts, will give a return of 11 per
cent. on the capital of 270,000/., the sum computed for the under-
taking.
Robert Pitcher examined by Mr. BAGGALLEY—Is mayor of Lynn,
the traffic of which town in oil-cake and ironmongery—general
merchandise is very considerable, and a direct railway com-
munication would be very valuable, as enabling them to
send their produce either to the north or the metropolis,
and affording them goods for their own consumption at
economical rates. The cost of conveying coal from Lynn to
Swatham is at present I le. per ton.
Mr. Frederick Lane, examined by Mr. Brace—ls Town.clerk
of Lynn, and having heard the testimony of Mr. Pitcher, as to the
desirability of the proposed line, can confirm it in every particular.
Mr. Everard and Mr. Armes gave similar testimony of the im-
portance of the project; but that point being uncontested, the wit-
nesses were not cross examined, and the evidence was merely
formal, and wholly devoid of interest.

GROUP L.
PORTSMOUTH ATIVCOSPHRRIO lima.

The inquiry on this line was resumed at twelve o'clock to.day,
Mr. E. B. Denison in the chair, when
Mr. RAWLINSON called Mr. Pickford, lessee of the Epsom tolls,
who stated that the tolls were heavier thaw on any other road out of
London.

Mr. Evrett, an extensive contractor for tolls, stated, in reply to
the Chairman, that there was no road which had been so little in.
terfered with as this had.

Mr. White, surveyor of the Horsham and Dorking Trust,
which began at Horsham and ended in the town of Epsom, a dis-
tance, including a branch to Horsham, of 26 miles. The tolls from this
trust:might be divided into four heads, public conveyanoes,3Bll 65.6 d.
post and job work, 881. ss. 10d. ; private conveyances,
5181. 14s. 4d. ; and heavy carriage, 1,1201. Bs. 10d.—making a
gross toll of 2,1081. 15s. 6d. The number of horses that passed
was 126,588, and the tonnage 86,903 tons. He was also sur-
veyor of the Leatherhead and Kingston road. It was from the
latter place that two.thirds of the coals were brought to Dorking
and the surrounding country. The price of coals at that place was
38s. to 40s , out of which 12s. was for carriage, the tonnage being
about 14,000 tons.

(LIFT PITTING.)

GROUP LL.

THE LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN
RAILWAY EXTENSION.

The Committee on this group sat at half-past twelve o'clock this
morning. The evidence in favour of this extension was proceeded
with.

Mr. Cornelius Tobin was called and examined by Mr. SMIAR6•
lie stated that he was the principal manager of traffio on the South-
Western Railway. He was of opinion that the intended extension
of the passenger part of the railroad would be of great assistance to
the Nine Elms part. He saw Mr. Herne's traffic tables, and he
perfectly coincided in them. The goods traffic had increased 500 tons
per week within the last six months. The present station was ex-
tremely inconvenient, and tho subject of general complaint. The
removal would do away with a great nuisance arising from cab
and coach stands in that part of the road. The alteration would
be of great advantage to the Company; and the interest of Mr.
Francis and that of the Company were the same.
The witness was then cross.examined by Mr. Francis's agent, but
his evidence was unshaken.
The case for the promoters of the extension having been closed,

Mr. MONTAGUE CLIANBERS addressed the Committee on the part
of the petitioners who opposad the extension. He said that he
appeared for Messrs. John Francis and Charles Francis Burnett, the
Bishop of Carlisle, and his leaseholder, Mr. Alleyne Williams, Mr.
Woodward, the Rev. H. Tower Streeton, Martha Carr, and certain
inhabitants of the parish of Lambeth. The Learned Counsel then
went Into details of the injury that would accrue to the petitioners
for whom he appeared. The Bishop of Carlisle and his lessee, Mr.
Alleyne Williams, would be irreparably injured.
(LEFT SITTINIII.)

GROUP P.
NEWPONT AND PONTYPOOL.

The Committee re-assembled at their usual hour this morning,
and were occupied, up to the time of our going to press, with
amending and passing various clauses of an unimportant nature,
and affecting only the interests of parties locally concerned in the
construction of the proposed line.
It is expected that the South Wales Railway will be the next
scheme that the Committee will take under their consideration.