CORNISH VIADUCTS. 221 



ing a contractor, as being not only much more convenient, but 

 cheaper. The Kailway Company is fortunate in possessing 

 an excellent quarry of building stone upon their own land at 

 Westwood, in the Grlynn Valley, and are necessarily the 

 carriers of all the materials brought upon the works. As, 

 also, most of the viaducts do not differ materially from one 

 another, it is plain that one well-trained gang of workmen 

 would accomplish the work far more efficiently and expedi- 

 tiously than would be the case if with every new viaduct a 

 fresh contractor brought a new and comparatively raw set of 

 hands upon the works. Taking these facts into considera- 

 tion, they decided, after trying one or two contract viaducts, 

 to employ a resident engineer and experienced staff of in- 

 spectors, and to place all the responsibility entirely in their 

 hands. These remarks apply only to the Cornwall Railway. 

 On the West Cornwall Railway the case is different. Here 

 the new viaducts are being built under contract in the usual 

 manner, under the supervision of the resident engineer. 



For a fuller consideration of the various types of new 

 viaducts, I propose to select three — Moorswater, Bolitho, 

 and St. Pinnock — as fairly representing the different styles 

 of reconstruction. 



Moorswater is the largest viaduct on the line, being no 

 less than 320 yards long, and 147 feet high. This noble 

 structure consists mainly of eight segmental arches, in spans 

 of 80 feet, with a rise of 32 feet, and springing from an 

 average height of 90 feet above the ground. It has a little 

 more ornament displayed upon it in the way of string course, 

 etc., than has fallen to the lot of subsequent viaducts, and 

 altogether forms one of the finest structures to be seen in 

 the West of England. Moorswater was originally intended 

 to be built by contract, but was finally withdrawn and built 

 by the Company themselves, at a cost, it is stated, of 



