The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-10-10 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

A survey is at present making for a line of railway from
Darlington to Barnard Castle.
A portion of the Great Northern railway, including the
loop in Lincolnshire, is to be opened on the 17th inst,
The opening of the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway,
the first Railway communication direct from Shrewsbury,
is announced far Thursday next.

THE ROTHA VIADUCT.—The jury at the inquest ac-
companied their verdict with an expression of their opi-
nion that " the foundation of the arches was insufficient."
CHESTER. AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic for the
week ending 30th ult. :—Coaching, £1,487 ss. 3d.; parcels,
£7B 4s. 10d. ; goods and cattle, £lB5 lls. ld. ; steam-
boats, £l7B 95.: total, £1,929 10s. 2d.
The through traffic of the Peterborough branch of the
London and North-Western Railway has been entirely
stopped by the floods, which, we understand, have carried
away one of the timber bridges. .

We are sorry to have to report an accident to the via-
duct over the River Dane, of the North Staffordshire
railway, by the falling of four arches, in consequence of
an unexpected settlement in the foundation of one of the
piers.

Another accident occurred on the Great Western rail-
way on Tuesday. An engine ran into a coal truck, cutting
it in two. The only persons who sustained any injury
were a passenger, who received a slight cut on the head,
and one of the guards, who was severely bruised.
Mr. Macgregor, the chairman of the South-Eastern, is
restored to health, and able to attend to business; he was
present at Dover to receive the Queen of the Belgians on
her arrival on Tuesday, and attended her majesty in a
special train to town.
On the forenoon of Wednesday, the third arch from the
east end of the viaduct of the Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire Railway, which crosses the Wicker at Shef-
field, fell in. The arches immediately adjoining it on the
west side, had their centres still remaining beneath theni,
and consequently were safe.
LIVERPOOL, MANCHESTER, AND NEWCASTLE JUNC-
TION RAILWAY.—The adjourned meeting of this com-
pany was held on Tuesday, and, after a stormy discussion,
a resolution was unanimously passed for the return of 14s.
per share, on the Ist of November next. The directors
undertook to carry out the resolution if they possibly
could. The meeting then adjourned till the 24th instant.
At the half-yearly meeting of the Manchester and
Southport the report was adopted. The portion of the
line (three miles) connecting the Liverpool and Bury, was
expected to be finished next month, and to be opened
simultaneously with that line. lt was not yet determined
whether the extended time for finishing the line would be
required.
From official returns it appears that the amount of
traffic for the last week, on 4,119 miles of railway, was
£224,988, thus accounted for :—£115,384 for the convey-
ance of passengers only, £51,124 for the carriage of goods,
and a remainder of £58,480 for passengers and goods to-
together, not respectively apportioned ; being an increase
of £25,196 over the corresponding week of last year, when
the mileage was £3,271. The average earnings per mile
were £55, whilst in 1847 they were £6l.
SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAVELLING.—The Queen in
her late journey from Scotland travelled over 500 miles by
railway, and, when it is known that over this distance
Her Majesty was conveyed, without any previous notice,
at the rate of 35 miles an hour including stoppages—at a
rate amounting to but not exceeding at any time, 50 miles
an hour, over a country rising twice to an elevation of
1,000 feet above the level of the sea, and descending, at
intermediate stations, nearly to the level of the sea, and
so conveyed without the slightest alarm or cause for dan-
ger, we may be permitted to say that the railways of Eng-
land, under their present system of management, have
reached an amount of perfection, regularity and security
unsurpassable, and almost unhoped for.
FLOATING OF THE SECOND GREAT TUBULAR BRIDGE.
—Active preparations are now being made, under the
superintendence of Mr. Stephenson, M.P., and Mr.
Clarke, his assistant, for floating the second great tube
oyer the Conway into its groper place,_ prior_to_being
rovv-for-the-thorouih transit of the trains. The six pon-
toons, on which the tube will be cradled during the
process of raising, are in readiness. They are of gigantic
dimensions, each being 95 feet long, 25 broad, and eight
deep, capable separately of sustaining 400 tons, though.
the real demand made upon them will be only 220. The
castings at the pier ends are completed. and the hydraulic
machines for lifting at the right time of tide are ready.
The total weight of the tube is 1300 tons, formed of
rivetted iron plates ; span over the river 400 feet, and its
inside width 14. The cube in juxtaposition with the new
one now to be lifted has been up four months, and during
that period has been subject to the daily transit of express
and heavy trains, and from observations made as to the
effect procuced, it appears that the deflection does not
extend to the 16th of an inch.