The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-20 00:00:00

RAILROADS IN GERMANY.

We have already, on two occasions (Aug. 15 and
Sept. 20), noticed at some length the progress making
in Germany in the construction of railroads. That
progress continues, and the extent to which the system
is likely to be carried, bids fair, at no distant period,
to exercise a most powerful influence over all Europe.
It is our intention, therefore, from time to time, to
direct the attention of the readers of the Morning
Chronisk to what is doing in this matter among our
neighbours.

Since our last report, another has been added to the
list of active German railroads, by the opening of that
between Berlin and Frankfort on the Oder. The
number of German railroads is, consequently, now
twenty-one, and the following table, made up from
official returns, will show the number of passengers
who availed themselves of each during the first ten
months of the present year, and the gross receipts
during the same time :

During October, During the first ten
Names of Railroads. 1842. months of 1842.
No. of Money No. of I Money
passengra received. passengrs, received.
1,409 21,82211 14,274 206,47811
Linz- Gmunden 11,212 21,72311 108,140 170,3758
Berlin-Stettin
Breslau-Oppeln 13,306 6,644d' 112,6811 45,744 d
Hamburg-Bergedorf 15,366 7,039 ms 135,0201 81,659 m
Leipzig-Altenburg 19,263 10,7044 t 29,4621 16,577 d
Brunswick-Harzburg
!Munich-Augsburg
Mannheim-Heidelberg 28,919 9,19011 272,758;, 85,97411
Vienna•Brunn-Olmutz 29,183 111,2358 252,291'910,3438
Vienna-Stockeran
Cologne-Aix-la-Cha- 1
pelle
Berlin- Anhalt ...... .
Dusseldorf-Elberfeld 31,685 9,670 d 346,274; ...
Leipzig- Dresden .... • • 34,718 44,735 d! 335,937; 428,621 d
Berlin-Potsdam
Nuremberg-Furth
Magdeburg-Leipzig.., 52,419 56,96841 487,837, 452,787 d
Mentz-Frankfort ...... 67,286 41,32211 737,191,413,880 d
Vienna-Raab ... 81,662 56,36011 1,070,223, 638,3031
Berlin-Frankfort was opened in October, and has as yet

made no return.

N.B. D. signifies Prussian dollars; fl. florins; and M
marks currency.
From this table it appears that 635,527 persons tra-
velled on the several railroads of Germany during
the month of October. During the corresponding
month of 1841, the number was only 544,442, so
that the present year shows an increase of 90,985.
The number of travellers from the Ist of January
had been 6,055,075. During the corresponding
months of 1841 the number was 4,276,416.
The first line in the above list—that from Linz to
Budweis—is remarkable as being' the first railroad
ever constructed for the conveyance of passengers ;
the progenitor, therefore, of the goodly family that
have since sprung into existence in various parts of
Europe. Budweis, in Bohemia, is the highest point
to which the Moldau, a tributary of the Elbe, is
na-
vigable; Linz, in Upper Austria, is an important
manufacturing city on the Danube. This railroad
may, therefore, be said to connect the navigation of
the Danube with that of the Elbe, and though the
number of passengers is not great, the receipts, it
will be seen, are considerable, owing to the large
amount of merchandise constantly conveyed along
this road. This railroad has been in existence for
about twenty years. It was built by M. Von
Gerstner, an enterprising speculator, whose name
is well known on the Continent, and ought to
be better known in England than it is. He was
afterwards invited to St. Petersburgh, where
he directed a great part of the construction of the
railroad to Zarskoje! Zelo. He subsequently went to
America, to examine the railroads in the United
States, and after completing his journey, was just
preparing to return to Europe, when he was suddenly
taken ill and died in a few days. His widow, who
had accompanied him on his American journey, has
since published M. Von Gerstner's papers relative to
the railroads of the United States, but a work of such
a nature can scarcely fail to be very imperfect and
unsatisfactory, composed, as it must often be, of hasty
remarks, which more mature consideration might have
led the author to modify.
Immense difficulties had to be surmounted in the
construction of the railroad from Linz to Budweis.
The whole intervening country is mountainous, and
the consequence has been that, though in a straight
line the two cities are only ten German miles apart,
the railroad, owing to its many windings, is not less
than 17 German miles long. Even the carriage road
from the one town to the other has been obliged to
snake a number of bendings, to avoid the mountains,
and measures not less that 14 miles.

The railroad from Linz to Gmunden, ten German
miles in length, is, properly speaking, a continuation
of the former, and has been constructed chiefly with a
view to the important saltworks of which Gmunden
is the centre, and whence all Austria and Bohemia
are supplied with salt; but though originally con-
structed only for the conveyance of salt, the existence
of the railroad seems to have created a trade that did
not before exist, many articles of merchandise now
finding their way from Italy to Bohemia that were
formerly rarely, if ever, deemed likely to repay the
cost of transport.
The traveller would be grievously disappointed who
expected to find in these primitive railroads anything
capable of rivalling the magnificent constructions that
now intersect our own country in every direction.
The road was, in the first instance, constructed in a
rude manner, and has since been allowed to go very
much to decay. A recent German traveller says—
" The rails, some of wrought, and some of cast iron,
are in many places loose, and rattle as the carriages
pass over them, and every now and then a very de-
cided jolt announces a marked difference between the
elevation of two succeeding rails. In some places the
descent is so great that the wheels have to be locked ;
and in some places, again, the rails have sunk so far
into the earth, that the wheels of the carriages touch
the soil as they pass over it. The importance of this
line is, however, so great, that it is impossible the
Austrian Government should allow it to remain much
longer in its present state of neglect."
The cost of the Linz and Budweis railroad was

originally 1,700,000 florins, or about 100,000 florins
(not quite 10,0001.) a mile. It has only one pair of
rails, but at certain distances arrangements are made
to enable two trains to pass each other. The car-
riages are not drawn by steam, but by horses, and
one horse, it is calculated, can draw upon the rail-
road, with ease, seven times the weight which it would
be possible for him to draw upon a common road. At
Leopoldschlag, its highest point, the railroad reaches
an elevation of 2,000 feet above the level of the sea,
and 1,000 feet above the plain of Budweis; there is,
probably, no other railroad in the world that can boast
of an equal ascent.
The Berlin-Stettin railroad, originally opened (on
the 30th of July) only to Newstadt Eberswalde, has
since been opened as far as Angermundet being one-
half of the whole line. The present traffic affords
but an imperfect criterion for estimating its eventual
importance. It is only when the whole line has been
opened, that merchants will be able to avail them-
selves of it, to any great extent, for the conveyance
of goods.
The small railroad between Hamburgh and Berge-
dorf continues to be used chiefly for holiday excur-
sions to the Bergedorf-wood. During the Sundays of
October, the passengers were 5,046; during the rest
of the month 10,320. The. Sunday traffic, conse-
quently, is about three times that of a working day.
There seems now to be every probability, that this
line will be continued to Berlin, and that this will be
done without crossing over to the left side of the
Elbe, which it was at first thought would be neces-
sary, in consequence of the hostility of the King of
Denmark. That Sovereign, it seems, has not only
rbandoned his opposition, but has even expressed a
aeadiness to contribute to the construction ; and as
the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg has testified an
equal readiness, the works, there is now little doubt,
will in a very short time commence. The only ques-
tion still under discussion, we believe, is the extent to
which the King of Prussia may be induced to gua-
rantee the dividends. It is generally understood that
he is willing to guarantee a dividend of 3i per cent.
for one-half of the line, being that portion of it which
traverses his own dominions. It is not likely, how-
ever, that the Company will ever call upon his Ma-
jesty for any pecuniary assistance to make up the in-
terest on the capital. Almost the whole of the country
between Berlin and Hamburgh is an unbroken level,
and no railroad of equal length has ever yet been
built, where so few natural difficulties had to be over-
come. The estimates have already been made, from
which it appears that the cost of the whole line will not
exceed eight millions of Prussian dollars, and it is but
justice to Mr. Lindley, the engineer of the Hamburgh-
Bergedorf Railroad, to add, that the expense of its
construction was not found to exceed the original
estimate. In our next report we hope to have it in
our power to afford more definite information respect-
ing this railroad, than which there is none likely to be
of greater interest to the British public.
The Austrian Government manifests at present
great zeal in the cause. The Vienna-Raab railroad
will certainly be continued to Trieste, although it
seems not yet to have been decided in what way the
mountains are to be passed. Vienna will also soon be
.united by one railroad with Prague, and by another,
over Breslau, with Vienna.
The Berlin and Frankfort railroad was formally
opened on the 22d of October, but the trains had been
running upon it for several weeks previously, the
formal opening having been delayed, in the hope of its
being honoured by the presence of Royalty. The ab-
surdity of such a state of things became too mani-
fest, and the Directors were at length obliged to de-
clare their railroad open, without waiting any longer
for the King.

We are sorry to announce the death of Miss Mur-
ray, of the Adelphi Theatre. This fascinating actress
expired on Sunday, after an illness of only arm days.
Her loss will he greatly felt by the play-going Phil'

--
1 RAILWAYS. -
We take the following statement regarding the
length of railways in this country, and the capital
expended in their formation, from a pamphlet recently.
published by Pelham Richardson, entitled, " Rail-.
ways, their Uses and Managements :"
The number of miles of railroad amount to 1,8602,
at a cost of 58,149,1591., being on an average about
31,2461. per mile. With 12 acres of land to a mile,.
' there will be 22,332 acres of land formed into new
' roads, which, at 4001. an acre, would have paid
8,932,8001. If we suppose 100,000 cubic yards of
earth-work per mile, this would give 186,100 cubic
yards of earth moved in their construction, and if we
allow the cost per yard to be Is., 9,305,000/. will
have been expended in manual labour, but the proba-
bility is, that the earthwork averages nearer 150,000
cubic yards a mile, and at Is. per cubic yard for
moving it, would give 279,150,000 cubic yards, and
13,957,5001. Suppose the weight of the rails to ave-
rage sGlbs. per yard, some being lightef' and some
heaver, reaching to 751b5., and taking off sets and sta-
tions, to make all the lines as having a double set of rails,.
and allow the average cost to be 101. 10s. per ton,
13,101,440 yards of railway would give 327,536
tons of rails, costing 3,439,2181., besidei sleepers,
blocks, chairs and pins, turn-plates, &c. There are
also the viaducts, bridges, stations, and works of all
descriptions ; warehouses, inclined planes, &c. All
these materials and labour are, with the exception of
some of the timber, home produce. The number of
locomotive engines may equal in number, perhaps,
970, which, with their tenders, must have cost at
least 145,5001.; and when we look at this beautiful
piece of machinery, and see that power,,equal to 70
and 80 horses, is embowelled in so small a compass,
fitted with a delicacy and neatness more resembling a
watch than could have been expected from, a draft of
such power, we must admit that some capital may
fairly have been sunk in the invention, construction,
and perkction of such a piece of mechanism. Again,
there are the carriages of all classes, giving employ-
ment to an immense variety of persons, and which
must have cost not less than 2,000,0001., besides
trucks, horse carriages, sheep and cattle pens, &c. These
machines carry yearly upwards of 15,000,000 person,
besides goods, coals, stock, horses, carriages, letters,
and parcels ; and through these means, wherever rail-
ways exist, distance is reduced at least one-half, the
cost of travelling much reduced, and the comfort in-
creased a thousand fold."