18-lO.J 



THE CIVTL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



13» 



MANCHKSTER AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY REPORT. 



Mr. Buck's Report In ttie Bowd of Diric/ms, ( Marth 3, 18'IO.j 



Fti'irfcld Strret Coittracl. — This conlract is finished, witli ihp t-xcrpfion df 

 the bi-iilge over Fairficlil-slreot. 'Vlw ironwork of iliis hriil^^c iy now in course 

 of erection. Half of I lie ni.iiii rihs are fixed, and 1 ex[)eet Ihat in .seven weeks 

 from lliis (late, all the roadway plate.s will be fi.Ned. and Ihe bridge reaJy to 

 receive the ballasting. In my report of la-t September. I stated that tlie 

 founder had undertaken to have Ihe ironwork erected by the end of Decem- 

 ber la.st : however, he his Ijeen un ible to work up tii his calculatior.s in tli-s 

 resjiect, by reason of the extraordinary wetness of the wcaiher, which pre- 

 vented the workmen from continuously jiroceeding with tlie fitting of the 

 eastings ; an operation w Inch. ( from the nature of tlie « ork.) w as necessarily 

 peiformrd in the open air. I)Ut it is saiisfactory to state, that although 

 some additional time h-i.s consequently been requisite for this portion (»f the 

 work, the opening of the line to .Stockport will not he rctardeil thereby. 



CAaneen/ ia"e eonrtnr/ is finished, and the contractor for laying the per- 

 manent way is now balkisling the arches. 



/{i/i/e Road Conlnict.— The brick arche.s are all turned and ballasted, in 

 ri'adiness for the permanent way. About one-third of the parajiet remains 

 to he built. The ironwork for the cast iron arch over the Myde Road, is now 

 in progress of erection ; all the main ribs, and a p(U-lioii of the span drills are 

 fi.ved. 1 r.xpect that the roadway plates will he ready for the ballasting in 

 four weeks from this time. 



Hrnlon Norr/s Contract. — The excavation is very nearly finished : about 

 8,000 yards only remain to be moved, in addition to th.it which has been re- 

 served for ballasting Ihe permanent way ; and tliis will go out as wanted for 

 the purpose. An opening remains in the embankment at the crossing of the 

 .Sloekporl Ro d and its diversion, where two temporary bridges have been 

 erected during the con.struction of tlie permanent one. The masonry for the 

 latter is at the lieight for Ihe reception of the iron arch, which is ready, and 

 will lequiie about eight weeks (or fiNirg. 'I'his is the only bridge iindrr the 

 line which is not built. Ulthe bridges over the excavation, there aie five of 

 various sizes in different stales of forwardness, three being nearly finished. 

 These will all be easily completed during the time of fixing the ironwork of 

 the Stockport Road bridge. Of the permanent way. .5.100 yards of single 

 road have been, and 13,400 yards remiin to be laid. Here more was calcu- 

 lated upon, but the contrad'or has leer, unable to procure s'eepers so rapidly 

 as he expected ; however, in corseipience of rei-ent ariangemen Is which la- 

 has made in reference to a more expeditious delivery.! have every confi- 

 dence in his completing the whole williin the period of his contract. 



Sturkport 1'iadiwt Contract. — The north abutment .and seven arches are 

 (ini.shed ; three other arches are in dill'erent slates of forwardness, and the 

 centre is fixing for the elevenlh. The pier on the right in,irL;in of the river 

 Mersey is erected to the height of the impost, which is partly set ; the pre- 

 ceding ten arches comprehend all that portion of the work on the north or 

 Lancashire side of the river. The foundation of the river |iier on the left 

 margin is just commenced. Five other piers on the south or Cheshire side 

 are in progress, one being nearly finished, and the others in |iroporliunate 

 states of advance. The foundalions of the three next in succession are exca- 

 vated, and the south abutment is partially erected. I have great satisfaction 

 in stating Ihat all the foundations are upon rock. 



Castle Street Contract rxiends from the south ahulment of the Stockport 

 Vi.aduct lo the Mecca Brook, a distance of two miles six chains. The con- 

 traclor has just commenced operations. 



The designs are prepared for that portion of the line extending fr m the 

 enil of the last mentioned contract to AJderley, a distance of seven miles 

 sevi'ii chains. 



1 have every confidence that my former statement will be realised, and 

 111 It Ihe line from Fairfield-street to .Stockport may be opened in the minilh 

 of May next. 



MMand Comities Railway. — This line of railway will be opened from Not- 

 tingham and Derby to Leicester, in ,\Iay next, and throughout to Rugby in 

 Juni-. in lime to receive the traffic when the whole line oi' the North Midland is 

 opcueil. This important ivilway is one of ihe few in Knglaml that will be 

 made with the original suliscribed Cijiilal. It will be in hill operation without 

 the creation of either half or quarter .siiires : and noln ithsiamliiig Ihe presm.re 

 ill the money-market, so great iuis been the confidence in this undeitakuig, 

 that the directors have already been enabled to borrow nearly Ihe whole sum 

 authorised to be taken on loan by their Act. The cost of the line, including 

 everything, will only be about 22,.)0(l/. per mile. — Railwai/ Times. — This rail- 

 way will untim.ately become one id' the most important lines in the kingdom, 

 particularly if an act should be obtained for the Nottingham, Lincoln and 

 Hull railway, which is sure to be carried into execution sooner or later. 



Gloucester and Binningliam Railway. — This company appear to be using 

 their utmost exertions to hasten operations along that portion of the line 

 promised, in their Ijite report, to be (»pened in tlie spring. On Monday last 

 the directors and engineers inspected the works at the Cheltenham station, 

 with the state and condition of which they expressed themselves much pleased ; 

 and, proceeding on the railroad to Tewkesbury, examined in like manner the 

 different works in that neighbourhood. The return from Tewkesbury was 

 accomplished in sixteen minutes ; we believe the distance has been gone over 

 before in thirteen. The engines to be employed on this line, if that now at 

 work is to be taken as " a sample for all the rest."' jiiomise to equal, if not 

 excel, those of any of the other railroads in the kingdom. — Cheltenham Look- 

 er-on. 



mune of llermi«s, ni'ar Bapaume. which we .are inclined to receive w ith some 

 hesitation, till we meet wiih a confirm ition of the statement. It is therein 

 said, that during the late heavy rains a great lanil-slip took place close lo 

 Hermies. into which some of the young men of the place had the li.irciihood 

 to descend, by means of Ladders tied together. What was their surprise, to 

 finil theniscLes. at a depth of thirty metres, in the niidsl of handsome streets, 

 bordered on boUi sides Ijy cells and chambers, which h.ad evidently been once 

 inhabited ! The strees are of w idth sufficient to admit of a carriage p.as.sing ; 

 and ihc chanibers, of various sizes, are also of various degrees of cunirort an. I 

 elegance. Some are flagg.'d ; ami their number is said to amount to between 

 twelve and fiflevn hundred. Among the objects by which the iwplorers were 

 more particularly struck, was an old stone tower, with a winding staircase. 

 This they .ascended, and, having beaten through th» vaulted roof, discovered 

 that It opened imo the belfry of the church of licimies. 



Arrhitertnre. — The Rev. John Parker, MA. lately de'ivored a course of Lec- 

 tures on Cotbic Architecture before the members of the .Shropshiieand North 

 Wales Natural History and Antiipiarian Society. The lectures were princi- 

 pally directed lo an explanation of ihc scientific conbtriu-tion of gothic vault- 

 ing, with a ilissertation on Ihe suiiniorily of the upright or pointe.l gothic 

 arch over the c rcular arch of ihe Anglo-Nurnian .and other schools of archi- 

 tecture. The pre-eminence of the gothic vault in the conveyance of sound, 

 and of the upright or pointed arch in the great particulars of lightness tind 

 strength, were clearly .shown and most happily de cribed.— Sections of ribbed 

 work from gothic vaulting in Valle Crucis Abbey, the Castle of Beaum.ari.s, 

 Tintern Aljbey. the Old Chapel of Si. Stephen (the late House of Commons),' 

 Shiffnal Church, Ihe Priory of Kennilworth, the White Abbey (in this county), 

 .St. David's Cathedral, Lidificki Cathedral, and titoneleigli Abbey, were pro- 

 duced, with a molel in wirework that pourtrayed the several forms in which 

 the ribbed work of golliie vaulting could be made a ailable by thi^ arlist ; 

 while the superioriiy and beauty of the pointed arch were illustrated by 

 drawings ni.ide by Mr. Parker on visits to Kilpec Church, near llercford, and 

 to the ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey, aided by the more simple hut efleetivc 

 application of seienlifie acquirement to Ihit praelical illustration which the 

 conr-e ot lectures require 1 t.i be made during the progress of its delivery. 

 — Salopian Journal, Feb. 5, 1810. 



BIISCEIiIiANBA. 



j1 buried Village. — M'e find, in the Progres du Pas de Calais, the following 



account of the accidental discovery of a subterraneous village ia the com- 



I.IST OF BJSAV FATJE5NTS. 



GRANTKU IN ENGIAND FR0»4 'iDxH KKBRIIARV, TO 28tH, MaBCH I840. 



James Beaumont Neii.son, of Glasgow, flentleman, for " oer/ain ini- 

 provcd methods of coating iron under various circumstances ^ to prevent o.tiila- 

 lion or corrosion, and for other purposes."— ;Sealed Kehruary 21) ; six mouths 

 lor enrolment. 



Rowland Macdmnalo Stei'henson, of f'pper Thames .Street, Civil En- 

 gineer, for " an iinproi'cd metliod or melhod.s of adjn.itinc/, .stiif/iiii/, ami 

 workini/ t/ieatrical sivneri/ and apparatus." — February 20 ; six moutlis. 



Richard Edwakos, of [''airfield Pl.ace, Bow, Dealer in Emery Cloth, for 

 " iaijjroucmeu/s in preparint/ and cumbininy of malerials used in lii/hliuy or 

 kindliny Jires." — February 20 : six months. 



John Svlvkster, of Croat Russell Street, Engineer, for " in:proremenlii 

 in the con.flrnclion of doors and frames for closiny the openings of fire 

 2)ltt-es, ash pits, flues, chimtieys, and certain retorts." — March 3 ; six months. 



JosErii Shore, of liurminghaiu, Merchant, for " improvements in pre- 

 serving and covering certain metalu anil allogs of metals." — March 3 ; six 

 months. 



James IIorne, of Cla|iliam Common, Esquire, for " improvements in the 

 stnffing-tioxes of lift pumps." — March 3 ; six months. 



Joseph Clisii.d Daniei.i., of Limpley Stoke, Bradford, in the county of 

 Wilts, for "an improved method of preparing slioot or weft to be used in 

 weaving voollen cloth and clollus made of wool and other materials." — 

 March 3 ; sfx months. 



Jonx Rangei.ev, of Caiuherwell, Gentleman, for "improvements in the 

 construction of railways, and in Ihe means of applying power to propell- 

 ing carriages and machinery." — March 3 ; six mouths, 



William Craig, of Glasgow, Engineer, and William Douglas Shari-, 

 of Stanley, Perthshire, Engineer, for "certain improvements in machinery 

 for preparing, spinning, ami doubling cotton, flax, wool, and other fibrous 

 substances." — March 3 ; six months. 



Joseph Newton, of High Bridge Mill, York, Manufacturer of Fancy 

 Cloths, and George Collier, of the same place, Meclmnic, for " an im- 

 provement in looms, for the weaving of figured or twilled fabrics." — Marcli 

 4 ; six months. 



Joseph Bower, of lluuslct, York, Soda Ash Manufacturer, for " certain 

 improvement in ftie manufacture of carbonate of soda." — March -1 ; sl\ 

 months. 



Charles Alexander Pellerin, of Leicester Square, Gentleman, for 

 •* improveynents in wind and stringed musical instruments." Communicated 

 by a foreigner residing abroad. — March 4 ; six mouths. 



Charles Kober, of Leadenhall Street, Cloth M.amifacturer, for " im- 

 provements in fixing colour in cloth." — March 7 ; six months. 



Caroline Julia Sophu Cox, of .\ddisou Road, Keusington, Spinster, 

 for " a7i improved mode of fastening and unitiiig the edges of tlie divided 

 parts of shoes, boots, bandages, packages, and oilier articles of dress or 

 utility." — Marcli 7 ; two months. 



Joseph Atkinson, of Roundhill, York, Farmer, for " improvements in 

 thrashing and winnoiving-machine." — March 7 ; six months. 

 ,^Robert Molvneux, of Southampton Row, Chronometer Maker, for " an 

 improvmrnt er m^rovemeni^ in fAr»«e»(€;en","i— ■March 7 ; six aeutlis. 



