The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-29 00:00:00

One of the peculiarities of thurescnt age i=,
the unprecedented improvemesit.4. which are
making in turnpike-roads. It is a4aracteristic
rf the enterprising and public spirivisl• commu-
nity which forms ti e population of Great Bri-
tain, that works of art, of the most immense
magnitude, which would be the'wonder of any
heartother
of the country, a
empire,
re
almostpe rfo rmed
in
se within, the
indsile,v,ecrey.
Many of the great roads and travelling convey-
ances of England, are of themselves matter of
itter astonishment to most foreigners ; while we
scarcely bestow a passing thought on the labour,
skill, and capital which have been required in
the formation of the former, or of the effects of
•he animal and mechanical powers engaged in
he latter, by the combined operation of which
we are whirled through the country at the rate of'
ten miles an hoer, with the utmost certainty and
regularity, and with comparative safety. J Let
there be an object to accomplish, however stu-
pendous, by which a more easy and expeditious
transit for goods and passengers can be secured,
or likely to confer any other public advantage or
utility, holding out a fair prospect of remunera-
tion, and there will not be wanting either the
skilful hand to direct, the labourer to perform,
or the enterprising capitalist to find the means
for its completion.
We have been led into these remarks, on vi-
siting the excavation now going on at Godly-
lane, within a few minutes' walk from our town.
and which is now rapidly advancing towards
completion,—a work of art which, we believe,
has scarcely a parallel of its kind in the kingdom,
although, we dare affirm, numbers of our towns-
men have never so much as seen it, and which
has scarcely been so much as publicly noticed.
The extreme length of the cut, commencing
in Godly-lane, and terminating at the New-
Bank, on the Northowram read, approaches to
half a mile, being upwards of 790 yards. It
opens a little below the bar-house on the old
Bradford road. Its greatest perpendicular depth
is 60 feet, which is continued, with little varia-
tion, for the distance of upwards of' 1200 feet—
the remainder of the excavation varying from 20
to 30 feet. The opening at the bottom is 44
feet wide. The sides of the excavation are to
be sloped ; so that the greatest width of the ex-
cavation at the top, will probably be from 60 to
70 feet. The bar-house presents a singular al:.
pearance, having only the old narrow road inter-
vening between it and the chasm, which, viewed
a little above this place, forcibly impresses the
mind with the greatness of the undertaking.
The sloping on the sides of the excavation will
not, however, reach within several yards of the
bottom, and we venture to predict that many a
future traveller, enclosed between its huge sides,
will pause to contemplate the stupendousness of
the work.
We have before said that the extreme length
of the cut will not fall far short of half a mile ;
but the total length of new road formed by the
excavation and the filling up of the valley below,
will be nearer three quarters of a mile. It adds
considerably to the immensity of the undertak-
ing, when we reflect that the depth of material
laid in the hollow ground is greater than that
which is taken from the cavity,—the latter is,
sunk 60 feet perpendicularly, but the valley is
risen 64 feet, having a base of from 130 to 150
feet, and a level surface of 44 -feet. For the
purpose of conveying the materials, a double line
of rail-way is laid down from the place where
the excavators are at work, to the other extre-
mity, where the rubbish is poured down, links
being added to each end as the work progresses.
The road being upon a gentle slope, the loaded
waggons do not require the employment of'animal
power, but horses are in readiness to brine.
them up when empty. The line of road will
cover the site of a public-house, which, judging
from its appearance, has held out its hospitable
shelter to the weary traveller in times " hang
sync." It still remains tenanted, but the stones
and earth continually poured from the summit of
the immense artificial covering we have been de-
scribing, already rolls within twenty yards of the
door of " mine host," and of a surety, if step
are not taken to remove the " old homestead,"
and the workmen proceed in their labours, " The
Stump Cross Inn" and its appurtenances will be
hidden from the view, and not a vestige remain
in sight to tell that " such things have been.''
A handsome new erection, higher up the road,
is, however, in preparation for the landlord.
We have expressed our belief that no turnpike
road in England can furnish a parallel to the
excavation at Godly-lane ; and, in saying this,
we are not unaware of that which is making
through the solid chalk hill at Petersfield, near
Portsmouth. The entire length of this cut, and
the filling up of the valley, will not be more than
one-third that of Godly-lane, and although the
excavation there for about seventy feet, will be
much deeper, yet, as a work of magnitudt.%
it must suffer in comparison with that which
forms the subject of the present at tide. 'We
have also seen the cut through Highgate-hill,
which, when in progress, was compared to some
of the undertakings of Buonaparte, which had
been so extravagantly praised in the Imperial
Journals,—and have perused a statement wherein
a doubt is expressed whether any part of the
road over the Simplon, or the road round the
Maritime Alps, begun by Napoleon, (although
the more wonderful from the difficulty of access),
surpasses in magnitude the great cut near Pc-
tersfield. This, we should think an exaggerated
statement, but however that may be, none of
them can vie with the one at Godly-lane, as to
utility and the benefit likely to accrue to the
public ; for notwithstanding that the cut through
the chalk hill is so short, it has been in progress
three or four years, and will take an equal length
of time to complete it, from the circumstance
thai no person is set to work upon it, except the
unemployed labourers of the neighbourhood.
This, we think, is pretty conclusive proof that
the want of a road through the chalk hill is by
no means severely felt ; and, as to the works of
the Simplon and the Alps ambition and a love
of fame, not usefulness, dictated their formation.
One advantage of the road at Godly-lane will
prevent the necessity of coaches and other vehi-
cles going over Clayton-heights, on the road
to Bradford. Our readers at a distance, who

may not have travelled over this road, will form

an Idea of it when we state that, if they imagine
to themselves an arch, eight miles in length, with
steep banks, they have something like its real
form. The road formed by the excavation, too,
will branch into the Wakefield and Halifax
road, and will be an indispensible adjunct to the
new road called the Leeds and Whitehall road,
as well as an important portion of the Lydget
road to Bradkrd through Notthowram, shelf,
Wibsey, &c. It will also f0rm;',4,51-tinwof.t4
great line of road through the inknot.of tbe_tvyo..\
important counties of Yor
is in the direct route betty qieir-outittatitilpe
4-4