The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-07-22 00:00:00

ENGINEER'S REPORT.

TO THE COMPANY OF PROPRIETORS OF THE EDIN-
BURGH, LEITH, AND GRANTON RAILWAY.
GENTLEMEN,—Before proceeding to describe the state
of the works upon the Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton
Railway, it will not, I hope, be considered out of place
briefly to advert to the very improved position which this
Railway now occupies, when considered with reference
to the new railways which communicate with it from the
south, as well as those which extend through it from the
city of Edinburgh to the north of Scotland.
As respects these railways from the south, since the
report to the last half yearly meeting of this Company
was drawn up, two bills have passed both houses of Par-
liament, the one authorizing the execution of the Edin-
burgh Branch of the Caledonian Railway, and the other
the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway. The present bill
for the latter line does not extend beyond Hawick, but

arrangements are made for an application to Parliament
in the ensuing session for its extension to Carlisle, where
it will join the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, and thus
form a connexion with all the existing lines on the west
coast of England.
These two new lines of railways from the south, the
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway from the west and the
North British Railway from the east, cannot fail to
conduct a large stream of traffic into this line.
With regard to the new lines of railway to the north,
the Edinburgh and Northern Railway is the most im •
portant. Before this report can be submitted to the
general meeting of the Company, the bill for making that
railway will have all but passed both houses of Parliament.
This (the Edinburgh and Northern Railway) at Perth
joins other three important lines of railway, the whole of
which have or will obtain the sanction of Parliament
during the present session. These three lines are, the
Scottish Central, extending along the valley of Straith-
earn, the Dundee and Perth, extending along the Carse of
Gowrie, and the third, and not the least important, when
viewed in connexion with the south and north traffic by the
Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton Railway, is the Scottish
Midland Railway, which stretches along the valley of
Strathmore by Cupar-Angus, and joins the Arbroath and
Forfar Railway at Forfar. In addition to these there is
also the Aberdeen Railway, to which the sanction of the
Legislature will also be obtained this session.
All these new lines of railway, to say nothing of the
projected extension of railway communication from Aber-
deen by Banff and Elgin to Inverness, or the further pro-
longation of the Edinburgh and Northern Railway to the
city of St. Andrews and the Ferries of Ferry-port-on-
Craig and Newport, on the River Tay, opposite Dundee,
cannot fail to add considerably to the traffic of the
Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton Railway, and increase its
importance as a link of the chain of railway communi-
cation along the east coast of the kingdom.
As to the present sta'e and progress of the works on
this railway during the last six months, I have to report
as follows :

TUNNEL CONTRACT.
In the report to the last half-yearly meeting, it was
stated that the north entrance and a small portion of the
arch adjoining thereto had been completed, and that
Messrs. Barr, contractors for about two-thirds of the
tunnel, were making arrangements for commencing the
work ; it was further stated, that the arrangements for
the remaining portion of the tunnel were engaging my
at'ention. _ _

-With respect to that portion of the tunnel and works
embraced in Messrs. Barr's contract, it may be stated,
that there has been excavated from the ground adjoining
the south entrance (which is intended to form part of the
station) 10,800 cubic yards of earthwork, and from the
tunnel itself 8,230 cubic yards, making together 19,030
cubic yards excavated under this contract.
At each of the four shafts on this contract the con-
tractors are working each way ; and these faces, along
with the south entrance, enable them to carry on the
work at nine different points. There is now finished 115
lineal yards of arching, besides a considerable portion in
progress ; and there are employed on this contract about
300 men, and the works are being prosecuted with
energy ; and I hope that nothing will occur to prevent its
being finished by the time specified in the contract.
SCOTLAND-STREET.
As to the works on the remaining portion of the tunnel
at Scotland-street, the chief point which I had to consider
at the time of my last report was, whether, under all the
circumstances of the case, it should be contracted for in
whole or in the usual way, or executed by workmen em-
ployed by the Company, under the immediate superin-
tendence and direction of a competent inspector. After
giving the subject my most attentive consideration, and
communicating with Mr. Buchanan, the engineer ap-
pointed by the Sheriff to attend to the interests of the
public, I had no hesitation in recommending that the
latter arrangement should be adopted. In this view of
the question the Board of Directors readily concurred,
and steps were immediately taken for carrying on the
works accordingly. A considerable time, however, ne-
cessarily elapsed before the arrangements could be com-
pleted for doing so.
The works, however, have been going on for some
time, mid there is now complete about 35 lineal yards of
arching, making together, with the portion executed by
Mr. Barr, 150 lineal yards of tunnel finished. The portio❑
of the tunnel executed under the immediate superin-
tendence of Mr. Paterson, the Company's inspector, has
been done in a most substantial and satisfactory manner,
and i- calculated to ensure the safety of the property ad-
joining the tunnel, as well as to give confidence to the
inhabitants in the security of the works, and to the Com-
pany in their successful execution. On this division of
thetunnel upwards of one hundred workmen are employed.

LIVERPOOL AND BURY RAILWAY.
THE PROVISIONAL DIRECTORS have the satis-
faction to announce to the Shareholders and the Pub-
lic that, in addition to the extended Junction with the
Docks, an extension of the Line for a Passenger Station
into the neighbourhood of Dale-street, &c., the attention
of the Directors will be forthwith turned to the following
tributary projects, with a view to obtaining power for their
construction in the ensuing Session of Parliament, viz. :-
Ist. A Main Line of Railway to thi towns of Chorley
and Blackburn, diverging from the Liverpool and Bury
Line near Upholland, for,the purpose of affording to these
important gbanufacturing towns the most direct possible
railway cemmunication with Liverpool and the Docks.
2ndly. A Branch Line to connect the St.. Helen's Coal
field with the Main Line near Itainford.

3rdly. A Coast Line, diverging from the Main Line at
Sandhills, near Liverpool, and passing through Bootle,
Seafortb, and Crosby to Formby, from whence it may be
extended along the coast to Southport.
4thly. An extension of their Ormskirk Branch from
Blague-gate to Southport, affording to Manchester, Wi-
gan, Bolton, Bury, and the Manufacturing Districts to
the east, the most direct railway communication with that
favourite watering place.

LIVERPOOL, CROSBY, AND FORMBY

RAILWAY.-
(Provisionally Registered.)

PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT.
THIS Railway is intended to open a more expeditious
communication between Liverpool and the rapidly
improving and populous districts lying to the north on the
eastern banks of the river M:rsey.
The Line starts from a point upon the proposed Liver-
pool and Bury Railway, at or near the Sandhills-bridge
of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and proceeds by BoAe,
Seaforth, Litherland, Waterloo, Great and Little Crosby,
to Formby, from which place it is proposed to obtain
powers to form an extension to Southport, should it here-
after be deemed desirable.
A detailed Prospectus, with a List of the Provisional
Committee, will be published in a few days ; in the mean-
time all communications to be addressed to
Messrs. BRABNER and HAIGH,
Solicitors, Liverpool.