288 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[August, 



<)U"lit to be mentioned that on the Peru's return to Blackwall the efllcacy of 

 the apparatus and tackle by which the safety-boats are to be brought into 

 operation were tried ; the boats were let down hy slings into the wafer in less 

 than lour minutes, and the comiianv convoscd by one of them to the shore. 

 Kach of these boats will contain upwar.ls of 100 persons. They are in length 

 27 feet, and 10 feet 2 inches in the beam. 



rrmi .llaimer Briganil.—A rcmArkaUv fme iron built steamer, called the 

 Bngiiurl. arrived here on Thursdav. 9lli ult., from Liverpool, via Wexford, 

 being her first voyage. She is fitted up in a superb style; the saloon and 

 cabins arc elegantly fumi.shed ; the panels of the former are painted in a 

 similar style to those of the Gmil Jl'csU-ni. and in the latter si.\ty beds are 

 made up.' licr engines, we are infuimtd, are 180 horse power each, bhe only 

 draws seven feet of « atcr. The vessel is said to have cost £23,000. — ISristnl 

 Mirror. 



FUBI.IC BUIX.DIWGS, AND IMPROVEMENTS. 



The Neale Monument. — The decision for the design for the testimonial to 

 the late Admiral Sir llarrj- Hurrard Neale, liart., advertised in the May 

 Journal, has lieen given in favour of Mr. Draper, of Chichester, and is, 

 forthwitli, to be carried into effect under his superintendence. Mr. Draper 

 ■was also the architect to the military column at West Park, iu the neigh- 

 bourhocid of Lymingtou, and to the Goodwood Race-stand, for his Grace 

 the Duke of Richmond. 



Norwich. — On Tuesday, 23rd of June, was laid by the Dean of Koreich 

 the first stone of a church for the Hamlet of New Catton, on a site situated 

 about a quarter of a mile northward of tlie walls of this ancient city. Tlie 

 building which has been designed by Mr. John Brown, tlie Surveyor to the 

 County of Norfolk, will be cruciform, consisting of a nave, two transepts, 

 and a chancel. -Vt the west end will be placed a campanile or bell turret, 

 60 feet in height, so that although the church will not possess a regular 

 tower, there will be an object of sufficient eminence to mark, after the usual 

 manner, the sacred character of the edifice. The style adopted, is the early 

 English, the exterior being wrought with flint-work, white brick quoins, and 

 stone dressings, producing much tlie same effect as that of the Ladye Chapel 

 at Southwark. The church is to be completed for the sum of .t'2,400., and 

 will l)e capable of containing 750 persons, with the means of increasing the 

 accominociatiou by the future erection of galleries. It is a fact somewhat 

 remarkable, that this is the first chiu'ch erected in or near Norwich since the 

 Eefonuation. It must he lemembered, however, that within the walls of 

 the city, there exist no less than 35 churches, built in the olden time — a few 

 of these possess some good architectural features, but the majority of them 

 are of an exceedingly common-place character ; still, in those cases where 

 the innovations of the Goths of the Batty Langley school are not visible, 

 they are distinguished by a quality but seldom attained in our modern at- 

 tempts — viz. the pictitresijue. 



Bedford. — .\ new cliurch is nearly completed, for the parish of St. Paul, 

 from the designs and under the superintendance of Mr. John Brown, of 

 Nonvich. The first pointed, or " early English " style has been adopted 

 throughout. The plan of the building is perfectly regular and uniform, and 

 at the west end is placed a massive square tower, the pinnacles on the sum- 

 mit of which, reach to the height of 100 feet. In the interior, galleries are 

 placed on three sides of the church ; the ceihng, which is in one span, is 

 divided longitudinally, by main ribs, springing from corbels, into compart- 

 ments corresponding with the external bays, and these principal compart- 

 ments arc sub-divided into panels. Some portion of the area of the 

 building has been excavated, and a crypt formed. The walls throughout, 

 are built of the rough lime-stone, from the neighbouring quarries at Broniham, 

 stuccoed on the external surface, the dressings are executed in Whitby stone. 

 The contract for the building was taken by Messrs. Rollett and Son, of 

 Gainsborough, for .£3,338., but the crypt, which was not originally intended, 

 has cost i.'50O. in addition. 



Neir Cliurch at Lee, Kent. — In the notice of this church in our 29th 

 number, we omitted to state that Mr. John Brown, of Norwich, was the 

 architect, and that the contract was undertaken by a Mr. Butler, of Ather- 

 stoue, in Warwickshire, for .<;7,'146. 



The Hirer Shannon. — Our readers will perceive by the list of advertise- 

 ments that very considerable works are immediately to he contracted for and 

 commenced for the Shannon Commission, under the directions of Mr. Rhodes 

 the engineer. 



PROGRESS OF RAILV^AVS. 



RAILWAYS IN BELGIUM. 



A Report has been presented to the Legislative Chambers of Belgium, con- 

 taining the details relating to this branch of the public works, it appears 

 that the law providing fur the construction of the first raihv.ays was enacted 

 on the 1st of May, iSii, by H hich the Ciiivernmcnt was aulhorized to con- 

 struct 3fl7,10(i metres, or about 2.50 miles of railway, starting from a common 

 centre established at Mechlin, and forming a sort of network fur connecting 

 different parts of the country. Four lines were thus designed — the eastern 



line, terminating on the Prussian frontier, by Louvain, Liege, and Vervicrs, 

 wi 111 an extent of 136.3G3 metres: the northern line, to Antwerp, with a 

 branch towards the .Scheldt, or2.).500; the western line, upon Oslend by 

 Cihent and Bruges, of 127.111 ; the southern line to the frontiers of France, 

 by .Soigiiies and Mons, of 108,1."2. By the law of the 26th of May. 1S37, 

 tliree new lines were added, viz. one from Ghent to the Prench frontier antl 

 to Tournay by Conrtray. 75.100 metres: the line of Nanuir. 00,074 : the 

 line of Limbu'rg, 10.802 : making in the whole. 131.976 metres additional, 

 and the total of all. 5't9.082 metres of raihiay. The proportion actually 

 opened for traffic was 309.291 metres : that in course of execution 43.4.'53 ; 

 that remaining for execution, 196,338 metres. Upon the 309.291 metres of 

 lines completed, three-fourths are established with a sing'e line of rails or 

 road ; the other fourth, or 82.000 metres, on two lines, comprehending the 

 .sections fr^m Brussels to Antwerp, from Mechlin to Ghent, and from Mechlin 

 to Louvain. The outlay incurred to the 30lh of .September last for the lines 

 completed, and those in course of construction, the railroad, buildings, and 

 materials inclusive, atnounted to 55,264.211f., or about 2,200,000/. On the 

 enactment of the last law for the construction of additional lines, the expe- 

 rience derived from working out the first lines enabled the Government to 

 arrive at a more exact estimate of the presumed cost. The dilfcrences betw ixt 

 the estimates for the first lines and the actual expenditure. Iioivcver inte- 

 resting as comparative data, will nut surprise those in this country conversant 

 with, and interested in. the details of railway enterprise : thus, — 



Estimate. Cost. 



Francs. Francs. 



The first works, cuttings, embankments, kc. 16.512.000 .. 24.177. 648 



Fi.xed stations ... - 741,100 „ 2.100,.549 



Land 3.074,900 ,. 7.321.852 



Material Csteam-engines, carriages. S:c.) - 2.000.000 ., 8,300.135 



Surveys, &c. .... 502,250 ,. 1,394,475 



Total - - - - 22,830.330 ., 43,294,659 



Thus the cost has been nearly double the total amount of estimates. It is 

 equal to 33 per cent, increase upon the first works of the railways ; 138 per 

 cent, upon tlie estimated value of the land : 182 per cent, upon the stations, 

 work -shops, &c. ; and 315 per cent, upon the material of transport, &c. Con- 

 sidering the natural advantages possessed by Belgium for the formation of 

 railroads, in the general absence of hills or unequal ground, in the abundance 

 and clieapness of iron and coal, and in the low comparative price and plenty 

 of labour, these discrepancies between the original estimates and the ascer- 

 tained cost may, perhaps, be regarded as too considerable not to appear ex- 

 traortlinary. The lines, moreover, had the advantage of being all combined 

 upon one uniform plan, of parting from one common centre, and of being 

 executed under the same superintendence, which must have tended greatly to 

 simplify details, as well as to prevent waste. But it must not be forgotten 

 that in all enterprises where there can be no experience to guide, all previous 

 calculations will, to a great extent, be found fallacious in the end. The pro- 

 gression of the materiel on the Belgian railway presents these results: — On 

 the 1st of May, 1835. the number oi' locomotive engines was 3 ; of carriages, 

 40 : of waggons for merchandise, Sec, 5. On the 1st of May. 1856, the niim- 

 ber of the first was 8 ; of the second. 62: oi the third, 6. On January 1, 



1837. the first stood at 12 : the second. 102; the third. 47. OnJanuarvl. 



1838. the first at 29; the second, 184; the third, .55. On January 1, Vh^K 

 the first at 52 ; the second. 314; the third, 114. On the 1st ot November. 



1 839. the number of locomotives was 82 ; of carriages for passengers. 392 : of 

 waggi ns, 463. The prodigious increase of waggons serves to show to what a 

 large extent railway carri.age has been made available for merchandise. The 

 full complement of' 41 locomotives more h:id still to be made up. so that the 

 number would be 12'^ : and as they are of greater steam power, the expense 

 under that head woidd be surcharged more th,an 50 per cent. The increased 

 means of transport were the natural consequence of the increased pressure of 

 traflic. both in respect of passengers and merchandise. The progressive aug- 

 menfatinn of travellers is thus stated: — For the eight months of 1835, the 

 first section of railways alone opened, 421 .439 passengers ; 1836, two sections, 

 871 -307 ; 1837. (three sections during eight months, and six during 4 months), 

 1,384,577; 1838, (six sections during three months, eight for four months, 

 and ten for five months), 2.238,b03 ; ten months of 1839 (ten sections for nine 

 months, and 13 for one month), 1,694.019. Thus in the space of something 

 more than four years 6.609,643 persons have paid as passengers on the Bel- 

 giiin railroads. The fares in the first instance were fi.xed too low, and of 

 course afforded no fiiir return for ca\nt:il sunk. Last year the rates were ad- 

 v.anced from the mean jirice of If. 43c. jier head in 1838 to 2f 6c., and the 

 total product of the passenger traflie, which for the month of September, 

 1S3S. was 412. 542f. ascended in the same month of 1839 to }01.3o9f. The 

 total receipts from 1835 to the first nine months of 1839 inclusive, amount to 

 8,759,946f. ; the expenses to 6,422. 071f. ; nett product. 2,337.875f. It may be 

 remarked, that the single line of Brussels to Antwerp, which alone was open 

 in 1836, yielded a larger net return than the clear produce of the whole of 

 1838, when ten sections were opened. The nett result, afiir payment of all 

 charges, of the first was 403.997.'. ; of the second only 364,665f ;' from which 

 it may be inferred, as indeed is ihe fact, that several Belgian lines do not de- 

 fr.ay flie charges of working, and were probably only decided upon in defe- 

 rence to local interests, which could not conveniently, and for political rea- 

 sons, be denied. The carriage of merciiandise commenced only i\ith 1838, 

 the product of which year was 58,5911'., and in ten months of 1839. 331.747f. 

 The regular progress during the last year month by month was remarkable, 

 the amount of receipts for .January under this heal being 7,7131.. and for 

 October. 74.790f. The Belgian Min'ister declared that a stock of 400 waggons 

 for the transport of merchandise w;is far from being adequate to ihe wants of 

 trade. In the first instance the directors of railroads commenced with letting 

 out empty waggons to tiie common carriers, and confining themselves to the 

 mere service ot forwarding ihcm with the trains. But this method not prov- 

 ing satisfactory to all interested, a charge is now made according to onnage. 

 tliat is. one rate of price for all under 1,000 kilogrammes, and another for all 



