242 



TJIi: CIVIL ItlNGlNKEIl AND AllClllTECT'S JOURNAL. 



[July, 



J. The vcrv c.Nlfiisivc (Icniolitiou of Iiduscs at Wliiteliavcii, iuid the forma- 

 lioii of viailiict of half a mile in U'li;;;!! tlirougb thai town, 

 (i. Tlie tunnel to tlic north of Whilcliaven. 



7. The ernssing of Harrington Harbour, and the i]iJMrj- wliieli wouUl there- 

 by bccanMiil lo tliat port, anil 



8. The crossing of \\'orkingt.on harbour, and the Dervvent river. 



To these njay be added, the stoppage of the Ulverstonc trade during the 

 formation of the river channels, and a part of the ilorecambc Bay enibank- 

 nicnl. 



Altliongb eaeli of tliesc operations woidd be attended with considerable 

 expense, none of them jiresents what may be termed, great engineering ditti- 

 cnltics, excepting the enibanknients of Morecainle Bay, and the Dndrlen 

 Sands ; but the.se are Morl<s of an extraordinary charaelcr and magnitude, and 

 therefore rcipiire our particular notice. 



Mor/'cniiihi' l'>ny Ewlinnkmctil. — The formation of an embankment of up- 

 wards of ten miles in le.igtb. across an estuary where the sea has been known 

 to rise 30 feet, and wliere in gales from the liortb-wcst to tlie south-west, it 

 rolls in with tremendous force, and with a rate of tide during the springs, of 

 more than four knots an lionr, may justly be termed a ])roject of a gigantic 

 ebfiracler, and will, if executed, reflect much credit on the engineer. 



The mode in wbicli Jlr. Hague would form the eud)imkment is both novel 

 ami ingenious. {Vide Jnnrnol, Vol. i., p. 409). 



The n.iode projioscd for forming the embankment across the Duddeu is the 

 same as that for Jlorccarube Bay. 



In Mr. Hague's report, (wbicli will be found in the Jottrml, Yo\. I. p. 410), 

 be slates that the total cost of forming the embankments and railway across 

 Morecandje liay and the Uuddcn .Sands, would amount to £.34 j,230'3.'.-. 4</., 

 and of forming the new chanuels for the rivers which tlow into these 

 estuaries to 4)88,9(11 Gs., making a gross sum of .f 131,131 !).?. id. 



Not being satisfied with this statement, we called for a detailed estimate, 

 which Mr. Hague aceordingly ]u'ei)ared for ns. 



In this document tlie sum allowed for the embankments across the Bav is 

 .stated as .i'39.J,'lo3 Is. id., aud for the river cliannels ;f71,7.')8 ().«. 7d., mak- 

 ing a general total of .t'-lG7,21 1 l.s. 1 Id., which exceeds by .t'33,079 12.s. 7rf., 

 the sum specified in Mr. Hague's first report. 



On a careful examination of these documents it appeared to us that a 

 further detail was necessary, and we therefore requested additional informa- 

 tion in respect to the alteration of the river cliannels. 



iTO'.n Mr. Hague's reply, which we received on the 23rd March, we find 

 that be estimates the cost of raising the soil from the jiroposed river courses 

 at only one-t!iird,of a ]icnny per cubic yard; and of raising, depositing, .iiid 

 forming it into the embankments at 2d. per cubic yard. Conceiving this 

 allowance to be inadcfpiate to defray the cost of the work, we considered it 

 jirojier to obtain the best information within our reach on this important item 

 of expense; and, on appbcatiou, we were supplied by the secretary* of the 

 Trinity Board with a statement of the average cost of working the' dredging 

 engine used by them in the Thames. These are of the same power as the 

 engines which j\lr. Hague proposes to use: and it appears that, independently 

 of the first outlay for the pnrehase of the vessel and machinery, the average 

 expense of raising the mud from the river and shooting it into the barges, 

 amounts to not less than Sd. per ton. Estimating the wiMght of a cubic yard 

 to be 1 l-.')th ton, the cost of removing the soil from the River Thames to 

 the barges only, according to the above statement, amounts to 3 3-5ths of a 

 jienny per cubic yard. 



■\Ve have also been in communicaticn with 'the engineer -f- under whose 

 direction the improvements in the River Hart have recently been made, and 

 this gentleman has favoured ns with a statement, from wbiib it ajipcars that 

 the actual expenditure incurred in that work for dredging and ilcpositing 

 amounted lo W. jier tiui, or neariy 'id. per cubic yard.^ \Ve therefore feel 

 warranted coming to the conclusion that Mr. Hague's allowance of '.'</. ]icr 

 tubie yard, for dredghig and depositing .soil, in the formation of the river 

 conrscs within his proposed cmliankmcnt, is much too low, and that the 

 .smallest estimate that can be admitted for this work is :'i\d. ])er cubic yard. 



This increase of l\d. jicr cubic yard would make the cost of the channels 

 amount to .1185,990 l.v. Id. : a sum which we are convinced would be fouml 

 barely suflieient for the purpose, the more especially as there are other items 

 in the estimate for the channels inscirtcd at inadequate |iriccs. 



it is unnecesstiry for us, under all tbe circumstances of this impiiry, to go 

 into any great detail of the result of our examination of the estimates of tbe 

 endiankmeut ; but we must observe that an insiiflicieut allowance has been 

 made for the cost of some of t'ne items, and especially in respect to the mass 

 of stones jiroposcd to be jilaeed under the raihv.ay, in the centre of tbe eni- 

 bankmcnt. 



Mr. Hague allows .i'.')0,0S9 I'.f. (id. for this item; but he lias so much 

 under-rated the tpumtity of stones that would be lucd, that without ailding 

 anytlung to (he price which he has allowed for this material, and which we 

 also think (oo low, we feel bound lo.add one-fourth to the above stated gross 

 simi, increasing it to .t02,G12 G.v. lOSrf. 



We should also observe, that in Mr. Hague's estimate of the embankme-ts, 

 he has not only inserted very low, and, on some occasions, inailet|uatc |n-ices 

 for the ]n-uposed works, but he luis also given the mere net (piaiditics of ma- 

 terials and labour, allowing nothing for those contingencies wliicli, in all 



* .bicob llerl ert, Ivu. 

 Mr. William Kiiigsfon. 



great works, in>ariably arise. In an operation of the jicculiar and dillii;uit 

 character now under consideration, contending, as tbe engineer would ba\e 

 to do, with the rapid tide we have described as pouring into the bay, contin- 

 gencies beyond the ordinary jiroportion would be inevitable, and tbe least 

 allowance that could ])rudcntl\ be made for them would be 10 per cent. 



It is slated by Mr. Hague tluil the ojieratious of the tide would suppl\' 

 G, 149, 379 out of the 10,l,').'i,78'i of cubic ;.artls of sand and silt reipiircfi for 

 bis embankments, and that when formed as ]iroposed, they will be water- 

 tight, without having recourse to the exiieusive operation of puddling. 



We do not believe that these expectations would be realized; but even 

 admitting that this would he the ease, the minimum cost of the embank- 

 ment and channels, according to our opinion, would amount to .€193,97.'') 

 11.V. 9'//., and, with the addition of 10 per cent, for contingencies, tbe esti- 

 mate should not be stated at less than .t,')43,373 'li. ll{(/.,"bcing .€109,211 

 1 I.V. lid. more than the sum sjiceified in Mr. Hague's original report. 



The projectors and promoters of the Morecambc Bay line appear, how- 

 ever, to entertain a confldent expectation of ctfecling their object at a cost 

 which would r(;nder the work highly advantageous in a pecuniary ]>oiut of 

 view, and, at the same time, most beneficial to this part of the country. 



A very intelligent gentleman,* who is a land-owner at tbe upper jiart of 

 the hay, has made several experiments, with various kinds of grain, to test 

 the quality of the soil proposed to be enclosed; and based upon tbe results 

 he has thus obtained, he gives it as his decided ojiinion that it will be highly 

 productive. 



It is now necessary to say a few words respecting the proposed operations 

 at \^'hitellaven and Han*ington. 



Proponed oj/eratioiix at Jl'/iitr/mvpii. — We annex two sketches, showing 

 tbe line selected for the railway throu'gb those places. It will be seen, that 

 the intention is to take down houses in M'hitebaven to the extent of half a 

 mile in length, and to construct the proiiosed viaduct on the silcs which 

 these buildings occupy. It is true that, for the most part, they are of little 

 value; but, nevertheless, the compensation that would be claimed for them 

 would, in all ])robnhility, be considerable; and, should they become tlie sub- 

 ject of lirigation, the amount that would be .iwarded to the proprietors, and 

 the law expenees connected with this part of the work, would he found no 

 inconsiderable items in tbe cost of the railway. 



As we have alreaily stated, it is intended to cross Harrington Harbour by 

 a viaduct. 



y/ie crnsahir/ of >/ip Ilnrloiir at Harriitf/ton. — The whole extent of tbe 

 bariiour is only 7G2 feet in length, and 220 in breadth ; and, as it is used as 

 well for a jiort of refuge as of lading, and there is an insnttieiency of space 

 for vessels to anchor and swing in, an artificial beach has been formed at the 

 eastern or upper end, on which Ihey are enabled to bring up. 



The proposed viaduct would cut otf about a third of the harbour. This 

 would not only be objectionable on account of its diminishing the capacity 

 of the port, but also by its dejiriving the shipping of- tlie artificial beach to 

 which we have just alluded. The olijection to curtailing tbe size of tbe 

 harbour will be apiiarcnt, when we state that the harbour-master supplied 

 us with a return (verified by the custom-house officer), by which we find 

 that, in the course of the last year, no fewer than 510 vessels used this port, 

 and that, during gales of wind, it was frequently so full that (hey were in 

 actual contact from side to side. After well considering this part of the 

 subject, we are of o]>inion, that whatever expense or other inconvenience it 

 nuglil cause, it would lie necessary to adopt some other mode of carrying 

 the railway past Harrington than that proposed. 



I'Voni the t.ible of gi-adients it will be seen that the gradients of this hnc 

 are very favourable. 



KXAMINATION' OF THK INLAND J.INHS. 



r.'aniinafioii of ihp ]J,in from Vcnrith to Cnrlistr. — We shall now describe 

 tbe two inland lines, commencing witli the proposed railway from Penrith to 

 Carlisle, which is common to both projects. 



In this line, which is .ibout 17' miles in length, no engineering difficulty 

 presents itself. 



It would pass through or near the following places: Calthwaite, South- 

 waite, Biirro<'k, V.'reay, Brisco, and Upperby, to form a junction with the 

 Newcastle and Carlisle Railway at St. Nicholas. 



Tlie greatest embankment in this distance would he about two miles in 

 length, and of an average licight of about IG feet, between Penrith .and the 

 I'eteril stream. 



;Vt Sondiwaite, a cutting would be necessary of about three quarters of a 

 mile in length, averaging 20 feet in depth, in sand and clay. 



Near Wreay, a heavy cutting is proposed, in sand and gravel. Its length 

 is about a mile, and its extreme depth 50 feet, the .average being 30. 



K-rfiwivati'iu of tlir Uiic of the Linir, from Lancaster to Penritti. — We 

 shall proceed (o point out tbe course of tbe lines which are jiroposcjl to form 

 a junction w ith the i'enrith R.iilw.ay, and wc shall begin with tbe project of 

 the valley of the Lune, starting from. Lancaster. 



It is intended Ih.it the terminus should be that of the Lancaster .ind Pres- 

 ton Railway, and that (be line should be carried in tbe direction of Kirkby 

 i.ousdale; a few miles lo the westward of Scdbergh; thence by Borrow 

 Bridge ami Orton, and through Crosby, Kavensworth, Ncwhy, Melkenthorp, 

 aiul Clifton, to Penrith. 



Between Lancaster and Kirkby Lonsdale the prominent features of this 



* Mr. James Stockdale, of Carke. 



