1843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



409 



square miles, is so intersected with natural canals, as to render the 

 adoption of railroads below Calcutta impossible, and many of the 

 fertile valleys of India, from being annually inundated, will be found 

 insuperable difficulties to their adoption in these particular parts : but, 

 the vast plains of upper India, of the Deccan, and the Peninsular, 

 present an inexhaustible field for the skill of the engineer, the archi- 

 tect, and the surveyor, in forming railroads. From Calcutta to Benares, 

 now a distance of 444 miles, a considerable time might be saved by a 

 railroad passing through the coal district of Burdwan, Magore, and 

 the rich province of Bahar; or a still nobler road might be formed 

 from thence through Berhampoor, Bhaugulpore, Dinapoor, Ghaza- 

 poor, Benares, Allahabad, Etawa, Kajghant Agra, Muttra, Delhia, to 

 Kernaul, a distance of 1208 miles. Again, let railroads radiate from 

 the tributary state of Nagpoor to Benares through Jubbulpore, Rewar 

 and Mow Gunge, meeting the railway half way from Calcutta to Be- 

 nares. From Nagpoor to Hyderabad, a distance of 315 miles over a 

 very fair road, from Benares to Lucknow, Barielly, Mouradabad and 

 Hurdwar; a branch from Agra might be formed passing through 

 twelve considerable places of trade to Gwalior, the capital of the 

 Mahratta chief, a place of great note as a commercial and military 

 depot. From Nagpoor to Saugor via Taru Ghat to Chandar via 

 Hingun Ghat. Nagpoor from its central position, its vast fertile plains 

 adapted for the most extensive cultivation of cotton, &c, its proxi- 

 mity to other fertile provinces, and its position as a British military 

 station, is invaluable as a central point of railway communication. 

 From thence to Benares on the one side, and Hyderabad on the other, 

 there are few natural impediments, none but what might be readily 

 overcome by the skill of English engineers. Again, from Calcutta to 

 Hyderabad via Masulipatam, the distance is only 225 miles bv the 

 present route, and there is little doubt, but that a railroad could be 

 formed on this route, approaching to within a very easy distance from 

 Calcutta: from Hyderabad to the Poovrah Ghats, the road is gently 

 undulating, passing occasionally over narrow valleys rank in vegeta- 

 tion, which would require to be crossed by viaducts; the chief river 

 is the Bemab, a deep rapid stream, but having a firm soil beneath 

 the deep vegetable earth covering its banks, capable of supporting 

 the viaduct or bridge. From the Madras to the Hyderabad via 

 Cuddapap, Nundiaul, Pangtorr and Paungaull is a distance of 405 

 miles by the present route, the natural difficulties are far greater than 

 other routes previously noticed, there being four great rivers to cross 

 from the second barrier pass to Hyderabad. There is another route 

 to Hyderabad via Nellove and Ongole. 



Other routes from the central provinces to the presidencies, and 

 from Calcutta to the Upper Provinces, might be pointed out as appli- 

 cable to railway communication, but those we have already enumerated 

 are sufficient to show the importance of railway communication in a 

 country so densely populated, and so extensive. It may be said that 

 the Indian government has no power to cause railroads to be con- 

 structed in the tributary states of Hyderabad and Nagpoor; but, in an- 

 swer to this we. must observe, that where they must derive such bene- 

 fits, no reasonable objections can be made on their parts: that common 

 roads have already been formed under the direction and control of the 

 Bengal, Madras, and Bombay governments ; and that the expences of 

 constructing them are so insignificant as not to be worthy notice, in 

 fact, are not to be compared to the cost of railroads in America, The 

 land through which they pass costs nothing, labour may be had for 

 3s. or 4s. per month for each labourer; the Deccan, and in fact all 

 India abounds with several kinds of acacia and other woods almost 

 equalling iron in hardness and exceeding it in durability. The de- 

 structive attacks of the white ant on these wooden rails may be readily 

 guarded against by the nse of creosote, or mineral solutions, which 

 will not only effectually remedy this evil, but preserve them from the 

 effects of dry rot. 



It is true that the skill of the engineer practically acquainted with 

 the formation of railways in this country, is wanting for these projected 

 improvements; bnt many able engineers may be obtained in this 

 country, several also in the honourable company's service have greatly 

 distinguished themselves in forming common roads, building bridges 



and other works of improvement, and schools for this department of 

 engineering might be very advantageously established in the three 

 presidencies, being placed under the control of practical engineers 

 sent out from this country. 



The only railway ever attempted in India, was that from Saugor 

 to Calcutta, a distance of 50 miles through a swampy countrv periodi- 

 cally overflowed by the waters : it was an unfortunate project set on 

 foot by a few individuals, inexperienced in knowledge of that portion 

 of the country, and its failure, which was foreseen by everv person of 

 common sense, had the ill effect of discouraging future plans of the 

 like nature based on better principles. We can hardly expect that 

 iron rails can be adopted until such time as foundries are established 

 in that country for manufacturing the native material, nor is iron at 

 all necessary so long as India contains wood equally durable. For 

 the protection and constant repair of these railways, it would be 

 politic to have walled villages built every seven or ten miles: the 

 tenure of occupation of land to a certain extent being held by the inha- 

 bitants to watching and keeping them in repair. Where the land is 

 very soft and yielding, the rails should run upon piles driven deep 

 within the earth and resting upon the firm strata beneath. 



We trust that the East India directors will take this matter into their 

 most serious consideration; the example, set by them would soon be 

 followed by the union of private individuals, both native and European, 

 as well as by the capitalists of this country, who at present find much 

 difficulty in employing their capital to advantage. A slight glance at 

 the amount of import and exports of India, at its internal trade, and 

 boundless resources, must convince every one that railroads so cheaply 

 constructed, and kept in order, must eventually prove exceedingly pro- 

 fitable. 



THE NELSON MONUMENT. 



(With an Engraving, a Double Plate, XVI.) 



Architect, William Railton, Esq. 



We feel much pleasure in being able to present our readers with 

 some particulars as to the construction of this column, particularly 

 with regard to the scaffolding, which is at once ingenious, effective, 

 and of great strength, and at the same time of great simplicity ; if 

 our readers will turn to the first volume of the Journal, page 2G7, 

 they will there see the drawing of the scaffolding adopted by Sir 

 Christopher Wren, in the erection of the Monument of London : they 

 will observe the immense quantity of poles used, and the mode in 

 which they are put together with some hundreds of cords, so that this 

 fragile scaffold is greatly dependent upon the tenacity of the cords ; 

 if one were to break while raising a heavy weight the whole would 

 be in jeopardy of falling down. 



In the scaffold before us there is no hazard of this kind, all the up- 

 right posts and horizontal beams are constructed of whole timbers, 

 varying from 11 to 15 inches square: the posts are morticed at the 

 top into the beams, and the latter are halved on each other at the 

 angles ; the struts S, springing from the ground up to the level of the 

 first stage are also of whole timbers, about 11 to 12 inches square ; 

 the braces or struts of each upper story are of half timbers bolted 

 together in the centre, and abut at the top with a mortice and double 

 shoulder onto the posts. 



The total height of the scaffolding above the level of Trafalgar 

 Square is ISO feet by 9G feet square on the ground line, and contains 

 150 loads of timber. As each story of scaffolding is erected, the 

 machine called the "traveller," a moveable crane or crab engine, is 

 placed on the horizontal beams, and travels in the direction from A 

 to B, on rails with a cogged rack, on the side laid on the top of the 

 beams; and it also has a transverse motion on cross beams resting on 

 a carriage, which travels upon the rails A to B ; these cross beams 

 also have rails with a cogged rail on the side, to allow the traveller to 

 run in the direction from C to D: it is moved either way by gearing, 



