THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[Maech, 



vinced that wherever wurks of a public nature have been executed by 

 the Government, they have not only besn inferior to those now named, 

 but they have also been attended with much more expense than if 

 undertaken by private enterprise. If we look at the imperfect execu- 

 tion, and unfinished state, of the Caledonian Canal, after an expendi- 

 ture of one raillion sterling, and thirty-live years of time, it is really 

 not calculated to inspire people with confidence in the executive of 

 the country, as either being the best or most competent authority to 

 execute public works. Or, again, at the suspension-bridge erected 

 over the straits of the Menai, a structure strongly characterised by its 

 inferiority of strength and durability, as compared to those bridge- 

 works erected either in ancient or modern tinie.«. This fragile and 

 perishable work was constructed under Royal autliority. and which 

 the passing breeze not only dismantles and renders impassable, but is 

 also fast consuming its strength by the vibratory motions to which it 

 is constantly exposed, as well «s the never-ceasing oxidation of the 

 material which forms the main and imposing feature of that structure. 

 The expense of the Holyhead-road and bridges is stated in the ap- 

 pendix, p. 366, of Sir Henry Parnell's book on roads, at £759,710. ()S. 

 Ud. sterling, and the expense of the execution per mile of the road is 

 from .£4,000 to .£.'i,000 sterling-, and the tolls upon that road are 

 much higher than upon any other road in England. We are not 

 aware that Government toll-roads or Government steam-boats are 

 cheaper to travel on, and voyage in, than those of private companies. 

 For example, the fare from Dublin to Liverpool, in her Majesty's 

 steam-vessels, is from five to ten shillings more than what is charged 

 by the Dublin Company's steamers from the quays of Dublin ; so 

 much for Government cheapne.ss. 



It is not only painful to contemplate the odious monopoly of govern- 

 ment in the post-office department, but it is really extremely injurious 

 to this great commerci.il country tliat the postage of letters should 

 be overwhelmed with so high a tale of duty. Wiiat insanity th^n to 

 talk of the government of this country becoming constructors of railroads 

 and carriers of passengers. " Legislation is not health but human 

 welfare ;" and the government of Great Britain has quite enough to do 

 in legislating for this great empireand thecolonies thereunto belonging, 

 without interfering with projects which should be left entirely to the 

 enterprise of the people under proper legislative restrictions for the 

 good of the public. 



Looking at France, one of the most powerful nations in Eui'ope, and 

 where by arbitrary authority the public works of that country had been 

 placed under the controul of the state ; are those works, we ask, more 

 substantially executed, or kept in a better .state of repair tlian those of 

 Great Britain ? Is it not allowed by every person who has travelled 

 through England and France, that the roads of the former country are 

 much better than those of the latter, and that the superiority in the 

 velocity of travelling in Great Britain is well known and admitted to 

 surpass that of any other country. It is also remarkable that our bridges, 

 docks, harbours, canals, aye and also our railways, are, we venture to 

 lay with pride, the most substantially executed, and the grandest works 

 of the kind that the people of any nation in the world has yet executed. 

 These noble engineering works astonish all travellers who' have visited 

 Great Britain ; they announce the genius and enterprise of not only a 

 great, but that of a free people, whose unparalleled activity and intel- 

 ligence have not been fettered and withered by legislative enactments 

 in the promotion of commerce, the increase of our national wealth, and 

 the consequent greatness of this empire : and this may be justly at- 

 tributed to perfect freedom being allowed to every kind of private en- 

 terprise under parliamentary regulation. 



Let us examine how far the Railway Commissioners have been able to 

 lay out a judicious system of railroads lor the southern division of 

 Ireland, and whether they have been able to do so upon better levels, 

 and at a less expenditure of mileage than private companies. 



First, to connect tlie cities of Dublin, Kilkenny, and Limerick, the 

 following will show the extent of mileage and the gradients. 



Lengtli^of mileage by the Railway Length of mileage by the Coni- 



the number of miles of Railways which will be required to connect 

 them, first, by the system proposed by the Railway Commissioners, and 

 secondly, by the Companies" system. 



By the Railway Commissioners' > By the Companies' system. 



svsteni. I 



M. 

 Dublin to Limeiii'k 128 



Kilkenny branch 2G 



Cork branch 76 



Small Southern htanch at } 

 Donahill ] 



Commissioners' lines. 



Dublin to, Limerick cha- 

 teristic gradient tIb 



Branch to Kilkenny, clia- 

 teristic gradient -^^ 



M. 

 128 



26 4 



panics lines. 



• Dublin to Limerick, cha- J 

 teristic gradient shs J 

 Branch to Kilkenny ^ 



M. F 

 111 



28 



155 I l;J9 



Difterence in favour of the Companies' lines 10 



Hence it appears by these facts that the svstem of railways proposed 



by the Companies to connect Dublin, Kilkenny, and Limerick, would 



be sixteen miles shorter than the length ol those railways proposed and 



recommended by the Railway Commissioners. 



At»in, taking Dublin, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Cork, and comparing 



13 



244 4 207 4 



Difference in favour of the Companies' lines 37 'i 



Here again, in comparing the Companies' lines of proposed railways 

 with those laid out by the Railway Commissioners, there would be a 

 saving of 37 miles 3 furlongs by adopting the Companies' system, which 

 is very serious, viewed both as to the first expense of construction, and 

 afterwards in working those lines cf r.iilroads. 



We shall now exhibit the distances to be travelled in going from 

 Dublin by Limerick to Cork, from Dublin to Kilkenny, and from 

 Limerick to Cork, &c., by the Commissioners' lines and also by those 

 proposed by the Companies. 



I Dill', in 



favour 

 of Com- 

 panies' 

 lines. 

 M. F. M F. M. F. 



128 4 Dublin to Limerick 1 1 1 17 4: 

 98 2A Limerick to Cork 68 4 29 6^ 

 S2 Dublin to Kilkenny 75 7 



Bythe Railway Commissioners' lines By the CompanieE' lines 



Dublin to Limerick 

 Limerick to Cork 

 Dublin to Kilkenny 



Dublin to Limerick, ,„ . ,, ^i 

 and Cork '^^ * '^' ^'' 



Dublin toWaterfordlCJ 41 2 



Dublin toLimerick & Cork220 6^ 



Dublin to Waterford 144 2 



The direct distance from Dublin to Cork by the Commissioners' line 

 not passing thro\igh Limerick, would be 169 miles 5 furlongs; by the 

 Company's line, passing through Limerick to Cork, would be 179 miles 

 4 furlongs ; difference in favour of the Commissioners' line 9 miles 7 

 furlongs. Looking attentively at the above table, and also at the map 

 of Ireland, it «ill appear that the Companies' lines po.ssess many and 

 great advantages over the Railway Commissioners' system of railways 

 as laid out in the south of Ireland. 



It appears by the Railw.iy Commissioners' maps that a railway has 

 been delineated on the map from Clonniel to Waterford, but in ex- 

 amining the estimates, it does not appear that any item of expense is to 

 be found for constructing the continuation of the railroad from Clon- 

 niel to Waterford, distance 261 miles, wliicli, at 10,000/. per mile, would 

 be 262,500/., which is a serious error committed by the Railway Com- 

 missioners ; for it is not pessible to think that they ever thought of ex- 

 cluding the city of Waterford from the benefit of railway communica- 

 tion. In the Railway Report, appendix A, No. 1, page 11, it i"^ there 

 stated that no survey was made of the Limerick and Waterford line for 

 the Coinniissioners further than (.'loHuiel. This is certainly an extra- 

 ordinary admission as regards the city of Water(ord, containing 30,000 

 inhabitants, having an excellent port, an immense shipping of both 

 sailing and steam vessels, and an export trade of more than two millions 

 sterling. 



In looking over the Railway Report we find it st.tted at page 4 1 , tliat 

 the distance from 



Dublin to Cork is 166 niiles 5 furlongs 



to Limerick 125 4 



to Waterford 141 2 



to Kilkenny 79 



These distances are all incorrect, for in looking over the sections, the 

 zero of mileage is placed three miles from the Dublin Post Office ; and 

 therefore three miles should be added to each of the above distances; 

 for example Cork is 169 miles 5 fui longs from Dublin according to the 

 figured sections given by the Railway Commissioners, and not 1(1(5 miles 

 5 furlongs, (&c., &c. 



At pa>.'es 104 and 105 of the Irish Railway Report, the powers of lour 

 locomotiv !■ engines are given. The diameter of the cylinders, the length 

 of stroke of the pistons, diameter of the wheels, and the weight of the 

 engines and tenders have also been stated. 



" No'.v ilie whole power of these several engines is found by niiihi- 

 plving tl'.c :;rea of their respective pistons by the pressure (64.71hs.,} and 

 then reducing this product to the circiuiiference of the wheel." 

 ^' In this way it will be found that the whole power is : — Class first, 



