The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-08 00:00:00

SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY AND SHAKSPEARE

CLIFF,

(By die Editor of the Railway Mirgazine.)

We had lately an opportunity 'of visiting the works of thi;:,
line about the terminus at Dover It was originally intended
to fix the terminus at the Military Hospital, some hundred feet
above the town, and to have three successive tunnel's through
the cliffs, together of about 1?-,: mile, the intermediate half-mile
being an open gallery.
Mr. Cubitt, the present engineer, bas, by an alteration in the
direction df the line, reduced the two tunnels of 11 mile to one
of of a mile, and intends to bring the line so closely to the
docks that goods may be craned from the vessels to the waggons
of the company, and the contrary. By this means the expense
and delay of cartage will be avoided and, what is of vestry
more consequence to the company, the cost of construction will
be considerably reduced, an incline of between thirty and forty
feet per mile will be avoided, and the tunnel), which is to be a
double one, with Gothic arches, each thirty feet high by twelve
wide, will be capable of much more else and certain natural
ventillation. To effect these objects the line will run on a low
embankment on the highest part of the beach under Archcliffe
Fort, and enter the Shakespeare Cliff just beyond the garden of
a little place called the Mulberry-tree Public-hotise, where a
perpendicular face is now cut of 110 feet in the' hard cliff. Seven
vertical•shafts, six feet diameter, varying fro!rt sixtv-nine to
fifty-six yards deep, and continued with brick-work ten feet,
above the surface of the ground, descend to the tunnel in the
course of the three-quarters of a mile ; and, likewise, to the
sea-face of the cliff,*from the bottom of the tunnel are made,
from 188 to 123 yards long, as many gangways, seven feet high
by six wide. These decline at the rate of 176 feet per mile to-
wards their mouths, which gradually expand in the shape of
funnels at the sea end.

By this means ventilation is insured in summer as well as in
winter, a property which no tunnel with vertical shafts only can
effect; for the air within the tunnels, being then heavier than
that without, would not raise up the vertical shafts, but here will
roll down the sloping gangways and escape at their mouths over
the cliffs.

From the place where the tunnel ceases, the line runs along
in a gallery l mile, cut out on the edge of the clig, until it
meets with what is called the second cliff beyond Lydden Spout,
where it is generally in cutting, butsoinetimes on embankment.
To those who know the localities it will be obvious that the
ride along the beach, and afterwards along the gallery facing
the sea, will be one that most will regard as singularly beautiful,
while the admirers of our great bard will be gratified to learn
that the cliff which goes under his name still rears its 330-feet
head undisfigured, and, as they would say, undesecrated.
The manner of executing the work is exceedingly simple, in-
genious, and comparatively inexpensive. Mr. Cubitt first sinks
his shafts only four feet diameter, over the pier left ten feet wide
between the two tunnels, to about seven feet below the verticles
of the two tunnels. He then drives a cross-heading, six feet, or
thereabouts, high, into the middle of each of the arch Ways of
the tunnels. After this, be sinks the shaft to meet the gang-
ways descending outwards towards the cliff. He has now out-
lets through which the remaining two-feet portions of the shafts,
amounting to five-ninths of their total contents, and all the ex-
cavations of the tunnels, may be 'taken to the sea. Having
thus prepared for discharging the spoil, Mt. Cubitt drives drift-
ways along the heads of the tunnels from shaft to shaft, and
then gradually forms his-tunnels downwards.
At the places where the shafts descend, the pier between the
tunnels is taken away, leaving in those places free communica-
tion between the two tunnels over which the roof is groined to
meet the shaft.

The total excavations are estimated at 96,000 cubic yards for
the mile tunnels, and the contract has been taken at £12,000,
that is, about £8 per yard run, or 2s. per yard cubic, exclusive
of 9,000 cubic yards at the face, which are executing at 6d. per
yard. These sums include all the expenses of clearing, re-
moval, &c. But previous to forming the gallery, it has been
found requisite, owing to the irregular face of the cliff, to cut
two benches or paths following the sinuosities of the cliffs,
one at the level of the railway, and the other 100 feet above.
Of course, the expense of these, about £7OO or £BOO, is not in-
cluded in the contract for tunnels or gallery. The lower of
these benches communicates at present with the summit of the
cliff over the tunnel, by long flights of steps cut out of the rock
chalk. The object of these benches is for the purpose of making
the necessary plans to expedite the operations of the works; but
if the benches could after Wards be preserved, they might, in
our opinion be turned to profitable account, as most beautiful
and attractive walks. At all events, it would be well woith the
consideration of the town of Dover to pay the expense of con-
struction and preservation.
It will hence be seen that the entire cost of this very expen-
sive part of the line will not exceed about £20,000 or £21.000
per mile. We believe the company limit it to £23,000, which,
in such a material and under such favourable circumstances, it
seems hardly possible it can reach.

RAILWAY FROM CARLISLE TO EDINBURGH

AND GLASGOW.

The Committee appointed to obtaia a survey of the country
from Carlisle to Edinburgh and Glasgow by Beattock, with the
view of ascertaining the practicability of a Railway by that
route, have published a report from which we extract the follow-
ing passages :
By the actual measurements, it appears that the distance
from Johnstone Bridge to Edinburgh, according to the survey
now made is 64 miles : and it being known that the distance
from thence to Carlisle, by a line of very easy gradients, can-
not (supposing it taken by the thriving port and town of An-
nan ) exceed a 5 miles—the whole distance from Edinburgh to
Carlisle would be under 100 miles, or only about 7 miles farther
than by the shortest turnpike-road now existing. The distance
from Carlisle to Glasgow Would also be under 100 miles.

In comparing this line, therefore, with the one proposed by
Cumnock and Kilmarnock, the Committee beg to call the at-
tention of the subscribers to the important fact, that in point
of distance from Carlisle to Glasgow, it will be 25 to 30 miles
shorter, and this saving they cannot doubt, will do a are at deal
more than counterbalance every disadvantage there may be in
the ascent of the Evan, is now reduced. And with regard to
Edinburgh, it is obviously almost 70 miles shorter than by any
other projected line, from that city to Carlisle, and consequently
to Liverpool and Manchester, while by the Birmingham Rail-
way to these towns it will afford the nearest possible communi-
cation with London.

The committee believe that the period is not now distant
when the subject of a general Railway communication from
England to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, must engage the at-
tention of the Public and Legislature, and when that arrives,
they have no doubt it will be found that this is the only line
which combines all the advantages,necessary to induce capital-
ists to embark in such an undertaking.
Under this impression the Committee earnestly recommend
to the landed proprietors of the counties of Edinburgh, Lanark,
Peebles, Dumfries, and Cumberland to co-operate in the pro-
motion of a measure which, by opening up the central districts
of the south of Scotiand, will increase their produce and value
to an extent of which no estimate can now be formed.