1840.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AN1> ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



179 



passeil at 3 hours 41 muuites anil 50 seconds, ami the second at 5 hours 16 

 mimilcs and 51 seconds, which is equal to the speed of 1 mile in one minute 

 and 1 If seconds, or an average 501 per hour. The sreatest speed attained 

 was from the 26th to the 24th mife post, n hich was done at the rate of 56 

 miles an hour. This is the greatest speed at present attaineil in tlie history 

 of locomotive power — what «ill ultimately he the greatest, it is impossihie to 

 forelell. Messrs. Jones and Co. have since forwarded a second engine from 

 Iheir works to London, and they have four others in process of erection for 

 tlie use of the Great M' astern Railway Company. — Maurhexler Courier. 



Midlaml Counties' Railway.— The works on this line as far as Leicester are 

 in an extreme state of forwardness, and there is not the slightest doubt the 

 (irst week in May will see the train flying over the high embankment, or 

 througli the deep cuttings, to that place. From Long Eaton to .Sutton Ben- 

 nington, two lines of rails are completed— the splendid bridge over the Trent 

 being now crossed by engines and trains of waggons, and the tunnel being 

 also quite passable. At Sutton Bonnington there is a deep cutting beside the 

 church-yard, and a station is building, which will require some lillle work, 

 hut the number of hands employed will soon complete that. Past Norman- 

 1on-on-8oar and Loughborough all is finished, the station at the latter place 

 lieing a very large one; but at Barrow-upon-fe'oar there slill remains con- 

 sider.able cutting to be done, one place being cut down to 50 or 60 feet and 

 not being yet completed. At Cossington there is a little work, but at Sileby 

 this is cinmterbalanced by there being a total completion, comprising several 

 very high bridges, which support the line above the village streets, and also 

 sonie exceedingly deep cuttings. At Sy.ston. the bridges and station are also 

 nearly finished, the latter being only one story high, hut still very compact, 

 and containing plenty of room. At Tluirmaston, about a mile and a half 

 from Ijeicester, a piece of embankment is yet to be laid, and about a mile 

 from Leicester there is some embankment required, hut near to Leicester the 

 works are in an extreme state of forwardness. Tlie station is a noble one : 

 the front facing the street is supported by five huge iron pillars. The engine 

 house, depot for carriages, workshops for engineers. &;c., are on a most ex- 

 tensive scale. — The bridges across the railway at Leicester, viz.. across the 

 Hnniberstone-road, Lonoon-road. he. are finished, but .at the top of New 

 M'alk, a funnel is being built which will require sume time lo complete. 

 About a mile and a half i)ast Leicester, a very fine viaduct is in course of 

 erection : and at Rugby another viaduct, not equalled by any in the kingdom 

 for workmanship, is finished. In short, on the whole, the line may be fairly 

 said to have sprung into being, so quick has been its progress. A new plan 

 has been adopted at Leicester in building the bridges, viz., to build the side 

 walls so high as to prevent any one looking over, and thus at llie same time 

 proleeting numbers from accidents. The process of bla.sling is much prac- 

 tised at Leicester, in conclusion, we are sorry to add, that within the last 

 fortnight two men have been killed on the works at se]iarate times. A horse 

 was also killed on Tuesday morning week, by falling down an embankment. 

 The Directors intend giving a grant! opening day when the trains run to the 

 Rugby station for tlie first time. — Notts Review. 



Eilitihiirgli and Glasgoto Railway. — This line of railway is getting on rapidly, 

 and the tunnel in Bell's Park is getting forward at a quick rate. Tliere are 

 three steam engines employed at this tunnel bringing up the stcmes and ruh- 

 hish at tin ee holes, technically called " eyes." and a great quantity of stnft' 

 is brought up in the cnur.se of a day. — Glasgow Chronirle. 



Great Western Railway. ~-Th\s hne was opened on Monday, March 30, fo"" 

 public traffic asi'ar as Heading ; and the day beingainusually fine, attracted 

 a large concourse of people there to witness the arrival of and department of 

 the trains. The Company appear to have made the arrangements at this 

 station conducive to the comfort of the passengers, as well as lo the facility 

 of carrying on a very considerable traffic in that important to\vn. On .Satur- 

 day last the Directors went down for the purpose of finallv inspected the 

 station and line, previously to their being opened to the public. The train, 

 consisting of two earriages, and a truck, with aliout forty persons, left Pad- 

 dington at eleven o'cloci; «ith the Fire-Fly engine, and reached Reading, a 

 distance of .'5J miles, in 45 minutes, being at the rate of 471 miles per hour. 

 On their return with the same engine and train, after stopping at Twyford 

 for w aler, they travelled the whole distance of 30^ miles, fmrn that station to 

 Paildington, in 37 minutes, being au average speed of ,50 miles per hour. The 

 maximum speed oluained was at the rate of .58 miles per hour. — Daily papers. 



South Eastern and Dover Railway. — A report has been industriously circu- 

 lated by a cotemporary that a great number of men have been discharged 

 from the tunnel works'of this railway in our neighbourhood, which is calcu- 

 lated to create a suspicion that the company i< in difliculties. We are happy, 

 however, to be enabled to find, on the most miiuite inquiry, that such a pre- 

 sumption is entirely void of foundation. It is true that a few bricklayers 

 have been discharged, owing lo a limited supply of bricks on the part of the 

 contractor ; but at the same time, nearly 200 additional workmen have been 

 set on at the contracts extending from Abbot's C'liH to I'olkestone. On a 

 personal inspecli<m we find the work in a most promising condition. The 

 Sli ikspeare tunnel will, we doubt not, be completeil by the end of May. A 

 large portion of the sea wall is nearly finished, and the Warren contracts are 

 proceeding as well as the nature of the ground will permit. — Dover Clironiele 



NE'W CHURCHES, 6tc. 



Staffordshire. — The foundation stone of a new Church on the estate of 

 Eirl Talbot, at .Salt, near Staftbrd, was laid on Thursd.ay. March 26th. by 

 Kb Lordship's daughter, the Mai'chioness of Lothian. The edifice will be 

 Ijuilt oi stone in the Gothic style, and will aceommodale about 250 persons. 



Birmingham. — On Tuesday. March 31. the foundation stone of the new church 

 of St. Mark, being the second of the ten churches proposed to be erected 

 in Birmingham, was laid by James Taylor, Esq,, in the presence of a large 

 and respectable body of spectators. The spot chosen for the edifice is a 



beautiful and commanding site near the Sandpits gate. Messrs. Scott and 

 Moflatt, of London, are the architects ; and Mr. fc:. J. Brailsfnrd. late of 

 Huddersfield, is the builder; .Mr. ft. David, of Lichfield, being appointed 

 clerk of the works. The church will be built entirely of stone, obtained from 

 the quarries of J. F. Ledsam, Esq.. of Weoley Castle, and will contain one 

 thousand sittings, one-third of which will he free. It will he erecteil in the 

 early English style of architecture, and though the moderate sum for which 

 the contract is taken (£3.000.) will not .admit of much costly decoration, the 

 edifice will present, when finished, a very chaste and elegant appearance ; 

 .and the committee have every confidence that the work will be completed in 

 a substantial and satisfactory manner. The church will, we understand, be 

 finished by the 1st of M.ay, 1841. — .Midland Counties Herald. 



New Episcopal Chapel at Camborne. — On Tu"fesday the lOth March, the foun- 

 dation stone of this building was laid by the Venerable Archdeacon Sheep- 

 shanks. The chapel, (designed by. and being built, under the superintendence 

 of Mr. M'ightwick.) is in the Early Pointed style, exhibiting, in no stinted 

 degree that appropriately ornate character which should distinguish every 

 building of its cla.ss. Indeed we understand it was to this end that Mr. Pen- 

 darves increased his suliscriptinn from £300 to £500. The building is in- 

 tended to accommodate about 330 persons, of whom not less than 200 have 

 their sittings free. The total length of the interior, (including the chancel 

 .and choir projections at the east and west ends) is about 82 feet : the width 

 of the main chapel 30 feet ; ami its height 31 feet. The interior will derive 

 its chief effect from the exhibition of the timbers of its orn.amental roof, and 

 the lofty arches opening before the triple windows of the chancel and choir. 

 The approved success of this fashi(m in the chapel at Bude Haven, erected 

 some years back by the .same architect, has induced him to repeat it in the 

 present instance. The chapel is expected to be completed in eighteen months 

 from the present time, — Plymouth Herald. 



Rome. — The Viceroy of l<^ypt has offered to the Pope four magnificent 

 columns, each upwards of 13 feet in height, cut from a quarry of alabaster, 

 discovered a few years ago. They .are intended to adorn the new church of 

 Saint Paul at Rorne. Tliis splendi'd present has been accepted by his Holiness, 

 and is to be conveyed to Rome at his expense. 



PUBLIC BUILDINGS, flee. 



Cornwall. — The new Market Houses at Bodmin. Cornwall, are fast approach- 

 ing towards completion. This building will form a most conspicuous im- 

 provement to the main street of the town, as it is erected upon a site of land 

 formerly occupied by .several ruinous tenements with projecting pent houses. 

 The front is built of granite, the centre part or entrance being formed by 

 four massive pil'ars in single blocks, with architraves over. 14 feet long each, 

 weighing nine tons each ; indeed, this front may he likened unto .Stcjnehenge, 

 as, with the exception of the ashlar and cornice, it may le said to consist of 

 13 massive blocks. In the architrave over the pillars are sculptured oxen 

 heads, taken from the .anti.iuities of Delos. Tlie shamble fittings are to be 

 iron, and the front enclosed with three pair of handsome iron gates. The 

 cost of the erection will be about £3000. Willuam Harris, Esq.. of Bristol, is 

 the architect. 



Cornwall. — The new Town Hall at Helstone was opened for public business 

 on the 14th of April, by the Recorder. This erection is in the Grecian Doric 

 style, and cased entirely with Constanline grar.ite ; the front is compose<l of 

 a basement having three entrances, viz., two to the corn markets, wliich are 

 uniler the Guildhall, and one to the Guildhall. Above the b.asement are 

 fluted granite Doric columns and pilasters, with entablature over and sculp- 

 tured pediment, consisting of a clock in the centre, the band of which is com- 

 posed of oak leaves and acorn-wreaths, and upon e.aeli side, forming sup- 

 ports, figures of St. Michael and the Dr.agon, being the town arms, which 

 have been ably pourtrayed by Mr. Thos. Tyley, Sculptor, Bristol. The new- 

 General Market Houses in lliis town are now quite completed, and. together 

 with the Town Hall and Corn Markets, reflect great credit upon the archi- 

 tect, William Harris, Esq., of Bristol. The cost of the Market Houses and 

 Town Hall, including all expenccs, £6000. 



MISCSIiIjANEA. 



Burning Coal Mines. — Letters and papers from the department of the Allien 

 bring accounts of a remarkable conflagration whi.ih broke out in the coal 

 mines of Commentry, on Sunday the 1.5lh March, and had been burning for 

 a week with daily increasing fury. It appears that Ibis fire, which, for the 

 last four and twenty years, has" been silently smouldering in the bowels of 

 the earth— revealing its existence by perpetual smoke, and occasional out- 

 breaks of flame, which, however, had always lieen confined within the limKs 

 abandoneJ to its dominion— had, at length, made its way through some 

 breach into one of the vast galleries of these exiensive workings ; and there, 

 meeting with Ihe air-current so long denied if, had spread through all the 

 suhferr.anean chambers and passages with a rapidity before which resistance 

 became utterly powerless ; showing itself at every crevice and outlet of the 

 vast labyrinth, and flinging its points and columns of fire far up into the air, 

 through all the shaf s that led into the wide fie'd of the rich deposit. Luckily 

 Ihe solemnities of the day h.ad emptied the workings of their human tenants, 

 for no mortal aid could have availed them against the suddenness with which 

 the fiery flood swept over all things. The authorities of the ilistrict were 

 early on the spot, but have hitherto been little more than idle and awe struck 

 spectators, ffeither Vesuvius, nor :,ny other irruption, say the accounts, 

 can give a notion of the dreadful and sublime scene, " If," says one writer, 

 " it were possible to forget that the flames have been, three whole days, de- 

 vouring immense wealth, and that by this conflrgration three hundred fathers 



