The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-24 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

BARNSLEY JUNCTION RAILWAY.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
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 from the pits to the canal.
Mr. J. W. BRowx, a coal agent, testified to the circum-
stance that the chief supply of coal for the Silkestone bed
went into Brigg, Grimsby, and other places in Lincolnshire;
that before the opening 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 off in the supply
to the York, Selby, and other neighbouring markets
by more than 15,000 tons ; that in consequence of
the expense of carriage the Silkestone coal was sold in York
at 1 ls. 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 Ss. 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 tolls together being 4s. Bd., so that he was
not able to state what the precise saving by the railway
would be.
Mr. D. CHARLESWORTII, a coalowner, 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
tunnel. They had three miles of canal nnworked on
this particular bed ; and that it was a very
large unworked bed, if not the very largest un-
wrought coal-field in England, and that the formation of
this railway would give the coalowners 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
putting them on the canal.
Mr. Rhodes, engaged in the woollen trade, stated that the
consumption of twenty-two manufactories at Glossop, 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 Barnsley, was on an average
7s. 6d., and that the additional quantity of coal con-
sumed in the manufactures there was about 20,000 tons for
the half-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 Barnsley 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 Manchester Railway, which was not yet
completed.
Mr. Sidebotham, a large cotton-spinner at Hollingworth,
in Cheshire, stated that the coals which were used at his
works, which were within about half a mile of the Sheffield
and Manchester Railway, was 45. 41,0. at the pit's mouth,
with an addition of 3s. 6d. for carriage, making 7s. 101/2d. a
ton, and that he used twenty tons a day. He conceived that
they would get the Silkestone 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 Pennistone, stated that the land inclosed
under the Act could not be brought into effective working
without the use of lime, and that if they could get lime
cheaper, as they would do by the formation of this rail-
way, they would use double the quantity they now did.
He 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 88. 6d. a ton. The quantity applied was
from 2 to 3 tons an acre.
Mr. Jonathan Brown, lessee of the Greenmore stone
quarries, under Lord Wharncliffe, 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
experience in making estimates of passenger traffic for several
railways in the north of England. He put in several tables,
which showed that the revenue he anticipated from
passengers 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 15,0001.; for 40,000 tons o
limestone and timber at 2s. a ton for the whole distance—
making 4,000/. ; for goods and grain 3,617/. from exist-
ing traffic and from expected traffic 2,4ool.—making a
total of more than 6,000/; for cattle 8851.—making a total
of 35,000/. a year; and the expenses of working he estimated
at about 40 per cent.—leaving a net income of more than
21,000/. 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-
plained that there were three elements in the expense ;
first, the tolls; secondly, the propelling power; and thirdly,
the carriages ; and on calculating these several items, he
conceived that the total expense of carrying goods would be
2s. 6d. a mile.
The CHAIRMAN then suggested that Mr. Skidmore should
look over his evidence, and correct anything which he
thought needed amendment, at the next meeting, and the
Committee adjourned till twelve o'clock this day.

SYSTON AND PETERBOROUGH RAILWAY—
(Group T.)
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
Hobert 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
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 CHAIRMAN intimated that the Committee would take
the case of the petitioners to-morrow (this day) at twelve.
The Committee then rose at Four o'clock.