334 



TUB CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECrS JOURNAL. 



[NoVEJIBEB, 



The only return of tiles carried for building or agricultural 

 purposes is that of the Wishaw and Coltness Railway for the year 

 ending June 30, 1846, 502 tons. Receipts £20. 



The only return of clay carried for brick-making, pottery, or 

 other purposes, is that of the Wishaw and Coltness Railway, 1846, 

 346 tons ; and 1847, 475 tons. Receipts, 1846 £0, and 181-7 £8. 



The rates for the carriage of bricks are generally too high, and 

 are exclusive of loading. Twopence per ton per mile would be 

 enough. 



T)ie above returns give no means of calculating the quantity of 

 bricks and tiles carried on the whole length of railway. 



No. XII.— MISCELLANEOUS MINERAL TRAFFIC. 

 Besides the articles already enumerated are many otiiors, as lead 

 ores, copper, brass, lead and tin manufactured, salt, sulplnir, ronian 

 cement, glass, pottery, fullers'-earth, &c., but as to which no in- 

 formation is to be got. 



The rates for carrying salt are as follows, per ton per mile : — 

 Bodmin and Wadehridge, 4-OOrf. 



Newcastle and Carlisle, 2-50 



London and Brighton, 2'24 



Lancashire and Yorkshire, 1-32 



The rate for carrying fullers'-earth on the London and Brighton 

 Railway is 2-24(/. per ton per mile. 



No. XIII.— MINERAL TRAFFIC. 

 The whole mineral tralBc shows the follovying results in tons : — 



All these amounts, except for coal, are far below the mark ; but 

 they establish a total mineral traffic in 1847 of not less than 

 11,200,000 tons, besides unenumerated articles. 



Besides the returns already given are the following miscellaneous 

 returns, of Minerals and Stones (1); Stones and Timber (3) ; 

 Stone and Coal (3) ; Stone and Bricks (4). 



No. XIV.— TIMBER TRAFFIC. 



The quantity of timber carried in each year ending June 30, as 

 detailed in the returns, is as follows : — 



The amounts received are as follows :— 



Great North of England, 

 Lancashire anil Yorkshire, 

 Mar; port and Carlisle, 

 M'liitby and Pickering, 

 Whitehaven, 

 Wishaw and Coltness, 



£ 100 



506 



130 



•667 

 339 

 *37 

 •20 

 117 



1,453 

 331 



•15 



•81 



The rates for the carriage of timber are as follows : — 



5-OOrf. per ton per mile. 



3-00 „ „ 



3 00 



2-50 „ „ 



2-50 



2-35 



2-33 



*-24 



Whithy and Pickering, 



Ballochney, 



Whitehaven, 



Bodmin and Wadehridge, 



London and South Western, 



Wishaw and Coltness, 



Maryport and Carlisle, 



Lancashire and Y'orkshire, 

 Timber is in some returns mixed up with stone traffic, as seen in 

 No. XI n. 



On the Cornish and Northern lines, timber is carried for mining 

 purposes ; in tlie agricultural districts, for hop-poles and fences ; 

 on all lines for building. Bark is carried ou the Southern rail- 

 ways. 



In 1845, I estimated the quantity of timber carried at 40,000 

 tons, and there seems no reason for doubting that this is a safe 

 estimate. 



No. XV.— BUILDING TRAFFIC. 



On the whole, railways afford great accommodation to the build- 

 ing interests, though not to that extent which they may and will 

 do when the traffic is more developed. 



The following is an estimate of the traffic carried on for building 

 purposes under each head : — 



Tons. Tons. Tons. 



1845. 1846. 1817. 



Stone, 200,000 400,000 600,000 



Bricks and Tiles, 2,000 5,000 5.000 



Timber, 40,000 40,000 50,000 



Lime, 5U,UU0 50,000 50,000 



Saud, 10,000 10,000 10,000 



Total, 300,000 400,000 715,000 



The rates for the carriage of each of these articles, though below 

 those on roads and canals, are still too higli for the development of 

 the traffic. It is a great disadvantage that most of these articles — 

 stone, timber, and bricks — gi\e much trouble in loading and un- 

 loading. 



No. XVI.— FISH TRAFFIC. 



This traffic is of the greater importance, as it gives a positive 

 addition to the supply of food in the country, and is therefore of 

 great national beneiit. Railways stimulate the production, or 

 economise the cost of production, of grain, meat, and other article 

 of food; but all fish that can be carried inland, is so much added to 

 the resources of the country. In this respect, railways have done 

 much and can do more, both for the supply of food to the country, 

 and the promotion of the fisheries. 



In the beginning of last year, I laid before Mr. Hudson a sug- 

 gestion for extending the carriage of fish, as a means of relieving 

 the famine, and to wliich he gave his approval. In the last session, 

 Mr. Wyld, M.P., called the attention of the House of Commons to 

 my plan for increasing the consumption of fish, by adopting it as 

 an article of occasional diet in workhouses and prisons. This 

 would cause an increased consumption of at least 20,000 tons of 

 fish. Sir George Grey said there was no objection to the adoption 

 of this plan, provided enough fish were given. 



In consequence of the progress of the railway traffic, there has 

 been a great increase in the consumption of fish inland. A very 

 strong proof of this is given in the case of Bii'mingham, where 

 they find it necessary greatly to enlarge the fish market. 



On the South-Western, Eastern Counties, and other metropolitan 

 railways, great numbers of fish hawkers go down by the early 

 trains. 



It is very much to he regretted that there is a great dearth of 

 information on tliis very important subject; and it is very desirable, 

 in consequence of the absence of definite information, that a parlia- 

 mentary return should be obtained of tlie quantities of fish carried 

 by railway. This, however, can only be obtained by approximation, 

 as all the fish is not carried in bulk, but very much is carried as 

 parcel traffic, and some by pa,ssengers as luggage. 



* Half-year. 



