The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-23 00:00:00

tbirb Xbition

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Cloek.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.
(THIS DAY.)

BLACKBURN, BURNLEY, ACCRINGTON, AND
COLNE RAILWAY.—(GROUP D.)
The Committee re assembled this day at twelve o'clock, and
s'iortly afterwards proceeded with the adjourned business;
Mr. Bernal in the chair.
Mr. Cawley, the engineer, was the first witness called,
but in the course of his examination was interrupted by the
Chairman, who observed that he thought the standing orders
had not been complied with in one particular instance; but
after an explanation from Mr. Sergeant Wrangham, the
Chairman was satisfied that they had been complied with.
Mr. Sergeant NV RANGH A M put in several letters to prove
that a satisfactory arrangement for compensation had been
made between the Company and Mr. Parker, who was op
posed to the Bill on account of the railway passing through
his property.
The examination of Mr. Cawley was then resumed by
Mr. CA LVERT, when it was elicited that the gradients be-
tween Bromley and Accrington were favourable to the con-
struction of the line. There were several embankments
necessary to be made. The distance between Blackburn
and Bolton, by the present means of conveyance, was
twenty-nine miles, but if the contemplated railway were
made, the distance would be reduced to twenty-two miles.
The best means of bringing cotton from Liverpool to Bolton
would be by the North Union Railway, ant. then by the
Blackburn branch to Bolton, and this would afford
greater facility far the transmission of goods than by any of
the present modes of conveyance.
Mr. GREGORY, who appeared to oppose the Bill on behalf
of Mr. Parker, then examined Mr. Cawley, and inquired
whether there would be any entrance to the brornley Station
for the public, unless it were made through pi ivate property
in Royal-street at Bromley, when Mr. Cawley replied
that the public station would be made in that street, but he
was ignorant whether it was private property or not.
The CHAIRMAN then observed that it would be necessary
to bring evidence to prove if it was private property or not,
and he further suggested that, in the examination of Mr.
Cawley, it would tend to facilitate the business if he would
make a sketch when there was any difficulty in describing
the means of approach to the stations.
Mr. Cawley's examination was resumed after Mr. Gregory
had stated that he would not press the point to delay the
time of the Committee. In reply to Mr. Gregory, Mr. Cawley
stated that the land in the neighbourhood of Bromley, be-
longing to Mr. Parker, would not be materially injured by the
passage of the railway, and that at an interview he had
had with that gentleman, lie expressed his satisfaction at the
manner in which it was proposed to carry the line by a
deviation through his grounds, only requesting that as little
land might be taken as possible. The Act would provide
for all compensation for injury done to the property by the
making of the line. The limits of deviation were necessary
as laid out at present ; and Mr. Cawley presumed that it
was necessary to retain the powers of deviation over every
portion of the line until it was executed.
Mr. ST. JOHN then proceeded to examine Mr. Cawley, but
nothing further of importance was elicited.
After a long conversation between the Committee and
Counsel, the Chairman stated that it was admitted on both
sides that the proposed station at Bromley should be carried
into Royal-street, within the limits of deviation.
Mr. Gooch was the next witness examined, but his evi-
dence merely tended to corroborate the evidence of the for.
mer witness, Mr. Cawley.
The Committee then proceeded to the consideration of the
traffic on the proposed line, so far as regarded the distance
between Accrington and Haslingdon, but what transpired
was only of local importance.
Mr. Sergeant WRANGHAM then rose and stated the grounds
of his objection, on behalf of the Blackburn and Colne Rail-
way, to the formation of theßlackburn and Darwen Railway,
which he maintained would not afford any remuneration to
the promoters, owing to its being merely a competing
line between Manchester and Blackburn with the
Colne Railway, and that there was not sufficient
traffic between the two points to support two lines of rail-
way. He put it to the Committee whether the Company which
he represented was to submit to the great loss which they
must inevitably suffer, if the line of railway between Black-
and Darwen were permitted to be made.
Witnesses were about to be called for examination, when
an Honourable Member suggested that the room should be
cleared, for the Committee to consider some plan for
shortening the proceedings. The room was accordingly
cleared, and on our return the Chairman stated that the
Committee had come to the decision that it was useless for
Counsel to pursue the cross examination of the witnesses
at the present stage of the proceedings, for prima
facie there was no evidence before the Committee
that one line was preferable to another, or that the Black-
burn and Darwen line would injure the traffic of the Colne
Railway.
Mr. Sergeant WRANR HAM then proved compliance with
the standing orders as regarded the traffic of the Blackburn
and Colne Railway, &c., when it appeared that the whole ex-
pense of construction was estimated at 530,0001., the gross
income, 62,0001. a year, and the net income, making allow-
ance for cost of working, 37,000/. a-year, leaving as nearly
as possible 7 per cent. as the returns upon the money laid
out, while the fares on passengers would be half the present
charge by coach, and the cost for conveying goods only one
third.
Mr. GREGORY, after making a general statement of the
grounds of objection on behalf of Mr. Parker, called
Mr. Ward, whose evidence tended to show that there were
two modes of access to the station at Burnley.
At the close of the examination of this witness, Mr. GRE-
GORY requested that he might proceed to examine Mr. Locke,
when, as he was proceeding to the table, a messenger from
the Commons announced that the Speaker was at prayers.
The Committee then adjourned till twelve to .morrow.

SYSTON AND PETERBOROUGH RAILWAY.
(Group T.)
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Robert Stephenson was examined at considerable length,
and expressed similar views to those advanced by his father
(the previous witness). He thought the present line much
preferable to that proposed by Mr. Giles on account of the
engineering, and also to the one originally proposed by his
father but afterwards abandoned, upon better information, for
the present one.
The witnesses during the day were cross-examined at
great length, without altering the main features of the evi-
dence produced.
The case for the promoters of the Bill being closed,
The CHAIRXA-N intimated that the Committee would take
the case of the petitioners to-morrow at twelve o'clock.
The Committee then rose at Four o'clock.

BARNSLEY JUNCTION RAILWAY.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mr. Croft, a colliery overseer, bore testimony to the con
venience which this railway would afford to the coalowners,
for conveying their coals to York, as well as to Hull and to
Lincoln.
Mr. Hopwood stated that the price of engine coal was
4s. 6d. a ton, and that of engine slack was 3s. a ton at the
pits, and that they had no outlet for their coal west-
ward, but that their outgoing was 50 tons a-day, or
15,000 tons a-year eastward, and that if they had an
outlet westward they would be able to supply a
considerable demand that way, but the greater
portion of the coals were passed by the canal, and the Canal
Company were compelled, upon being required so to do, to
form a tram-road for the pits to the canal.
Mr. J. W. BRowN, a coal agent, testified that the circum-
stance that the chief supply of coal thr the Silkistone bed
went into Brigg Grimsby and other places in Lincolnshire,
that before theopening of the Northern Railway, the quantity
of coal sent away was 102,000 tons, but since the opening of
that railway, the amount has been less than 65,000 tons, and
that there had been a falling in the supply to the
York, Selby, and other neighbouring markets that had
fallen off by more than 15,000 tons; that in consequence of
the expense of carriage the Silkestone coal was sold in York
at I Is. a ton, while the Durham coal was sold at 9s. 6d.,
and that if the railway was formed, the Silkestone coal
would be able to compete with the Durham coal ; that the
price at Selby was at present 10s. 4d., and if the railway
were formed the price would be from Bs. 3d. to Bs. 6d., but he
had not calculated what would be the expense of carrying
by waggon, the price at the pit's mouth being ss. 6d., and
the freight and lls together being 4s. Bd., so that he was
not able to stateto what the precise saving by the railway
would be.
Mr. D. CHARLESWORTH, a coal-owner, stated that there
were no means of getting westward by canal, and that this
railway would give that facility. He had recently sunk two
new shafts, at the Higham pits, which had cost him
10,0001., from which communication was to be obtained by
means of a cutting with the Sheffield and Manchester
t nnel. They had three miles of canal unworked on
this particular bed ; and that it was a very
large unworked bed, and not of the very largest
unwrought coal-field in England, and that the formation of
this railway would give the coal -owners a double facility in
the transit of their coals, and open up a road to Manchester,
where there was now no road at all. In the event of this
railway being formed, there would be a readier means of
putting the coals on to the railway than there now was of
platting them on the canal.
Mr. Rhodes, engaged in the woollen trade, stated that the
consumption of twenty. two manufactories at Gussop, which
was a town largely connected with the manufacture of cotton,
was thirty thousand two hundred and twenty-eight tons during
six months, and that the price of this coal which was
inferior to the engine-slack at Barnesley, was on an average
of 7s. 6id., and that the additional quantity of coal con-
sumed in the manufactures there was about 20,000 tons for
the halt-year, and that the whole yearly consumption of
coal was 120,000 tons. If this railway were made he be-
lieved that the whole of this consumption would come from
the Barnesley district. The house coal now burnt in
Glossop was about 12s. a ton, and that coal had been de-
creased in price about 6d. a ton, since the commencement of
the Sheffield and Menchester Railway, which was not yet
completed,
Mr. Lidebotham, a large cotton-spinner at Hollingsworth,
in Cheshire, stated thatthe coals which were used at his
works, which were within aoout half a mile of the Sheffield
and Manchester Railway, wars 4s. 41/2d. at the pit's mouth,
with an addition of 3s. ) fotcoarsria ge, making 7s. 101,A. a
n
ton, and that he used twentya-day. He conceived that
they would get the Lilkestone coal,. which was of a better
quality than that which they now used, at 2s. 6d. a ton
cheaper.
Mr. BINGLEY, a surveyor under the Inclosure Act, in the
neighbourhood of I'enistone, stated that th
under the Act could not be brought into effective land inclosed
lective working
without the use of lime, and that if they c
cheaper, as they would do by the formationofotVs raiget 117
they would use double the quantity of that thcyl now did.
Be conceived that the quantity used would be about 18,000
tons a year, the cost being 255. a ton, and the saving by the
railway would be Bs. 6d. a ton. The quantity applied was
from 2i to 3 tons an acre.
Mr. JONATHAN BP.OwN, lessee of the Greenmore Stone
quarries under Lord Wharneliffe, stated that he exported
about 3,000 tons a-year, most of which went to the east-
ward, and that a considerable saving of time would be
effected to Swinton by the Barnsley Junction Railway.
Mr. B. Skidmore stated that he had had considerable
xperience in making estimates of passenger traffic for several
ailways in the north of England. He put in several tables,
Twhich showed that the revenue he anticipated from
p assengers was 10,126/. 7s. 4d., from 224,939 per-
sons. This was doubling the present coach traffic,
and certain additions on other points of the line.
He estimated for 400,000 tons of coal at 9d a ton,
which would amount to 15,000/. ; for 40,000 tons of
limestone and timber at 2s. a ton for the whole distance—
making 4,000/. ' • for goods and grain 3,617/. from existing
traffic, and 2,400/., and 2,400/. from expected traffic—making
a total of more than 6,0001; for cattle 885/.—making a total
of 35,000/. a year the exenses of workin he estimated
at about 40 per cent.—leavinpg a net income gof more than
21,0001. per annum.
On inquiry by the CHAIRMAN, Mr. Skidmore stated that
he was not aware that there was any limit to the charge
made by railway proprietors for carrying goods, and ex.