Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-05-24
The Grent English Raii Rond.

The Great Western Railroad in England, is
the most gigantic work of the kind in the world
, and were il not for the onward progress of the
age, it would hardly be expected to have its par.
aliel in our day, in any country. 1t is no, on.
ly of great extent. and made to surmount the
most formidable obstacles, but it is of the most
s'upendous proportions, surprising every other
Rail Road which has yet been built.
1t extends across the Island of Great Britain
from the Thames TO the Severn from London
to Bristol, distance OF lls4 miles. The Rail
Roads of Great Britain and the United States.
with the exception of the New York and Erie
Road. are feet 81 inches wide. Great ex.
pense has been incurred to preven, high grades
and with the exception of one grade near Brls.
tol, which is 52a feet per mile, the steepest
grad ent is l55 feet per mile, and this is but
a short distance. There are 43 planes, 20 of
which are ascending from London towards Br.
stol from 2 to 8 feet per mile. Twenty-Five are
descending towards Bristol from to Is feet
! per mile, l for short distance 522 feet. There
are IA levels. To reduce the line to these
! planes, required deep cuttings, high embank-
men,s and tunnels. Tie cuttings are 81 feet
! wide at the level of the Rails, with banks
slopug from 3 to |. The average cost OF the
earth work was 40 cts. per cubic yard. The
Stafford cutting, measures 525 600 cubic yards,
costing S2lO,OOO and the Saiord embankment
5S3 coo, costing much larger sum.
The Box Tunnel is the largest Rail Road
or Canal Tunnel in the world. II is 3I23A yds,
or, over Il miles in length. The clear width
of the tunnel, at 7 feet from the bottom, is 80
feet, and the clear height over the rail is %
feet. The eastern cutting contained ! .j33 600
cubic yards, costing S623, 200. Where the
tunnel is lined with bricks, the sides are con-
structed OF seven rings, the arch of six rings,
and the invert of four rings. The founc1:.on is
36 feet in width. AT the eastern entrance, the
surface is 69I fee, above the level OF the rails,
and at ,he western entrance 6l feet. The hill
was less than 300 feet high. There are II
shafts for airholes, varying from 81 to DOB teet,
from the rail road to TIE top of the hill. They
are % feet in diameter, and lined with brick or
stone masonry. The brick work in mortar cost
Sl5, and in cement, SIG IS per cubic yard, in.
cluding the excavation for brick work The
total excavation of the tunnel, which consisted
oftrees,one, and ireestone and marie, was 2i1,-
coo cubic yards, costing, exclusive of the II
shafts and the arching. more than S600,000.
AS two sets of men could work in each shaft,
and one set at each end, making twenty four
sets of men--and each set of men consisted
Of sixteen, ten miners and six feers at each
heading, $50 men could work at time, or So.
ven hundred and s. &ty men during the day and
night. The tunnel aud shafts were comnenc.
ed in 1896, and finished in juno. lsil, not uuie c
five years. The quantity Of powder used in the
tunnel tor blasting, was one pound for each cr
bic yard of freestone. costing about $1,000
Three of the shafts, the deepest ones, were
worked by steam engines, and the others BY
{ horse gins, each shaft having two gins DR. yer
by three horses. In one shaft were two en-
, gnes, one for raising and lowering the materi
ais and the other for pumping out The water
! Such are some Of the facts relating TO this gi
, gautic tunnel which cost, including every
thing, more than 81 0OO00, and employ ins
t more than 200 men, nearly five years.
There are, besides this great tunnel, severa
others; the Brisl'net ton. 1919 yards IN length
another near Bristol, $50 yards and anohe
2225 yards.
There are several viaducts, the principal o
which is one over the valley of the Brent, con
= constructed of brick with stone mposts, cornic
sand capng-s length is SS6 !eer, height 81
A bridge at Maidenhead, 76S feet long, and 5,
=, feet high
The land enclosed for this rail road average
: II aoresa rle costing Sis ,O6S pounds ster
n ling, goout S3,5o0,010: and the whole rua,
If cost more than f5,5000n0, or S26i0o,0O0.
The want Of room prevents us from gon
- more into detail in reference TO this srupendou
IT, work. II cos, nearly as much as all the Put
, lie Works of Pennsy !vana, and could onl
ID have been constructed ina country of grea
T. wealth, and connecting such place as Brst,
70 with London, the creates, city Of the world
De liar. Argus.
BEAUTIFUL INvENTDS.-The Newark Advel
It tlser says that Mr.. Crane has recently added
d. mother ingenious contrivance 10 his Twelv
~ Month Clock. Ii shows now the day of tn
month, and also of the year, and exhibits III
Sun and Moon rising and setting every day
the year-wth the utmost Underwriting accur
cy and regularity. The Moon as she revolvs
IS, in her orbit is made also to revolve upon hs