14 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



there are shoals in foreign countries, and there are establishments even 

 in Ireland and Scotland. This would be about on a par until their other 

 reasonin", for although the Irish and Scotch may want agricultural 

 schools, The English do not. " It is not the healthy who want a phy- 

 sician, but the sick." 



IRISH RAILWAY COMMISSION. 



" Haviug thus eiideavoureil to explain, tliat tlie constnu-lion of the best lines of 

 Railviay between Loudon and Dublin, and between Dnblin and Cork, the latter 

 beiDj rstablislied as the fixed port of embarliation, a mure eertain, expeditious, and 

 convenient, if not a cheaper, comrannication would be eflected lAilh America, than 

 from any port of Great Britain directly, unless with partial advantages from Bristol 

 only ; ami that even from Bristol, circumstances are likely to induce many vessels to 

 touch at Cork, We may, then, safely urye the construction of these Railways as a 

 consiiieration of national importance, quite independent of the amount of direct 

 profit from increased busiuess which the intercourse thus created is likely to pro- 

 Jiic0_ — Page 00, Irhh ConuninSfonen^ UtiiUoaij Report. 



I shall now endeavour to examine and investigate the general 

 utility of this plan recommended by the Irish Railway Commissioners, 

 as its main object is put forward on merely assumed data, evidently for 

 the purpose to induce the Government of tlie country, either to em- 

 bark in the project, or to advance public money to carry it into execu- 

 tion ; and as it is an undertaking not only gigantic, but of a very 

 formidable kind, it otight to be subjected to tlie test of the stern 

 scrutiny of reason and discussion; because it appears to involve the 

 making of 140 miles of railway througlt Wales, and also 316 miles 

 througb the south of Ireland, and a consecpient expenditure of more 

 than ten millions sterling. I sball, therefore, be brief, and approach 

 the subject at once by caUing public attention to the time of travelling 

 from London to Cork by railway, as compared to tlie sea voyage by 

 steam to the same port. The merits of the direct voyage from London 

 to NeviT York — the superior advantages of the route from London 

 to New York, by the Western railway to Bristol, and then 

 direct by steam across the Alantic — the central position of 

 Liverpool, in the British empire — its great American trade, 

 and the many advantages it possesses as a point of general departuie 

 for America, and its becoming the great emporium of steam intercourse 

 with the states of the new contiiiciit. To the nautical and geographical 

 statements to illustrate and show that the recommendations of the Irish 

 Railway Commissioners, as to Cork being established as the fixed port 

 for embarkation, would be productive of no benefit, either as to general 

 convenience, economy of time, or expense to passengers departing from 

 the port of London, Bristol, or Liverpool, boiintl to America ; and 

 that even the making of 456 miles of railway through Wales and Ire- 

 land, would neither lessen the time nor the expense of steam navigation 

 intei course between the principal ports of Great Britain and those of 

 North America ; but on the contrary, if viewed on the basis of national 

 utility, would be attended with immense trouble, inconvenience, and 

 expense, not only in general to the travellers of England and Scotland, 

 but also as to the transmission of packages by that route from Great 

 Britain to America. 



It is stated in the Irish Commissioners' Railway Report, that if the 

 line of railway they recommend be made from Dublin to Cork, "and 

 the most rapid possible communication opened between London and 

 Dublin, persons or packages might then reach Cork from London in 

 about twenty-nine hours, allowing twenty miles per hour for railway 

 travelling." The Railway Commissioners have not given any detail of 

 tlie calculations regarding how the journey fiom London to Cork by 

 railway could be performed in twenty-nine hours, it may therefore be 

 worth while to examine that statement put forth by them. 



Hours. 

 Railway conveyance from London to the Irish Channel . 11 

 Steaming across to Dublin . . . . . 12 



Travelling from Kingstown to the Cove of Cork . . . 9 



82 



The Railway Commissioners mention tliat a saving of two or three 

 days would be made in going by railway from London to Cork, as com- 

 pared with performing the same voyage going by sea. This, upon in- 

 vestigation, does not appear to be the case, for tlie distance from Lon- 

 don to Cork straight through the English Channel is about 595 English 

 miles, which a powerful steamer could perform in about fifty hours in 

 favourable weather, and which would only be a saving by the railway of 

 about eighteen hours instead of two or three days ; so that this state- 

 ment of the Commissioners does not even appear to stand investigation 

 when compared to the circuitous route of touching at Cork. 



Looking into this question, and viewing it in another way ; sup- 

 posing passengers and .packages leaving London in a steam vessel 

 bound direct for New York in America, they would reach it even 

 sooner than if they were to travel by railway to Cork, and then em- 

 bark, for America ; because Cork lies 230 miles north-west of the 



middle entrance of the English Channel : and again, a ship steaming 

 from London bound for New York, and calling at Cork, incurs an 

 immense loss in running from the Land's-end to that port, her course 

 then requiring to be changed from W. by S. to N. W. 4;^ west for a 

 distance of about one hundred and eighty miles, and in place of 

 making southing, which she ought to do if sailing in a direct course, 

 she would be making northing to the amount of not less than 190 

 miles, taking it from the centre of the mouth of the English Channel 

 te the harhour of Cork. The direct voyage from London to New 

 York would, therefore, possess many advantages in lessening the time 

 compared to the same voyage being performed by going round the 

 Land's-end and calling at Cork ; or even going by railway through 

 Dublin to that port, and then embarking for New York. Let it be 

 further observed, that besides the great expense of this railway land 

 journey from London to Cork, that the embarkation to cross the Irish 

 Channel, the disembarkation at Kingstown, arrival at Cork, and again, 

 the re-embarkation at the Cove, would entail much more trouble, loss 

 of time, expense, and inconvenience to passengers and packages taking 

 this route, than the Iiish Railway Commissioners appear to be awar« 

 of. But let any one acquainted with travelling just examine for a 

 moment this plan recommended by the Commissioners, and it will 

 appear, that there is neither reason for it, nor any kind of advantage to 

 be derived from its adoption, and much less to the interests of the 

 state ; that there should be 456 miles of railway made, costing more 

 than ten millions sterling, at the public, expense, upon such a senseless 

 project, and which could never be of any national benefit whatever in 

 accelerating the communication between London and New York, or 

 the other ports in Nortli America. 



Can this favourite project of the Irish Railway Commissioners, so 

 strongly advocated and put forward by them, of London passengers 

 and parcels going through Dublin to Cork, and embarking for Ame- 

 rica, stand one moment in competition with the route from London by 

 the Great Western Railway to Bristol, and then direct by steam to 

 New York. A glance at the map of Great Britain and the chart of 

 the Atlantic, will show the very great superiority of this line of com- 

 munication between London and 'New York, as compared to any other 

 that has yet been laid before the public, and which is now working 

 practically to a great extent, with the most triumphant success. The 

 Great Western Railway from London to Bristol, is wide and level, 

 which will ensure to it a very considerable velocity per hour. The 

 time of travelling on it from London to Bristol may be taken at about 

 four or five hours, and then 28 hours steaming W. by S. towards New 

 York, would place the passengers on board of the steamer at the end of 

 .32 hours after departing from London, not less than 1.50 miles S. by 

 W. of Cork. I ask, what is the Royal Commissioners' London, Dub- 

 lin, and Cork project, requiring 456 miles of railway to be made, and 

 costing more than ten millions sterling, compared to this plan, which is 

 now, to a great extent, in full operation. 



The Railway Commissioners' reasonings as to the advantages of 

 Cork, compared to Liverpool, are equally fallacious as those which 

 they have expressed regarding London and Bristol. As Liverpool is 

 the largest commercial port on the west of Great Britain, and possesses 

 a very large American trade, I shall offer a few observations in com- 

 paring it with Cork, as a fixed point of departure for America, and 

 which the Commissioners very erroneously think will become the great 

 port of communication with the states in the new continent. 



Hours. 



Passengers crossing from Liverpool to Dublin, say . .11 



From Kingstown to the Cove of Cork . . .9 



Amount of time from Liverpool to Cork . . .20 



A powerful steamer departing from Liverpool and bound for New York 

 would, in 26 or 27 hours, with moderate weather, reach the same longi- 

 tude as Cork, but with a favourable wind 50 miles more southerly ; £0 

 all that would be gained in point of time would be about six or seven 

 hours, and as to the expenditure of fuel it would only be about 25 or 

 26 tons. But on the other hand, looking to the many eminent 

 advantages which Liverpool possesses, and above all to lier central 

 position in the British Isles ; united already to London and Hull by 

 a railway, and also will be with Glasgow shortly— possessing a steam 

 navigation intercourse with Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, and all the 

 principal ports on the west of Great Britain, and those on the shores of 

 Ireland, her immediate connection with all those great manufacturing 

 districts within the interior of England, the work-shop of the world, and 

 justly exciting the admiration of people from every region of the globe. 

 Looking at her wealth, the extent of her commercial activity, her 

 rapidly growing trade, points out Liverpool, without requiring 456 

 miles of railway, and a ten million expenditure, to be destined to 

 become the emporium of Britain, for steam navigation intercourse with 

 all the rising states of Araerica^ The writer of this is as thoroughly 



