1842.1 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



85 



able to show the action of change of weather on the result, also the effect of 

 thaw after frost in assisting the operation of the excavator. In the first 

 column is the date, in the second the number of days' work made in a week, 

 •which divided by the days will give the number of men. In the third 

 column are the number of wagons of 24 yards each carried into embankment, 

 and in the fourth column the number of cubic yards moved per man per day 

 in the excavation. 



The quantity removed and carried into embankment in one tip was nearly 

 400 cubic yards per day, which I consider very fine work. The width of cutting 

 at the formation level was 31 feet with slopes of two to one. and the width 

 of embankment, out to out at top of slopes, 34 ft. 6 in., which would confine 

 the deposit to that width, as the embankment was carried to the full height 

 of bottom of ballasting at once, and not in layers. 



From the above table it will be seen that eight yards is nearly the quantity 

 moved per man, and if the wages be 3s per day, the price per yard will be 

 4J(/, which is the fact under the circumstances above stated. The work 

 was carried on vigorously, but not pushed night and day, and every modern 

 operation was taken advantage of, viz., gulletting, faUing the earth by gravity 

 over a bench left in the bottom for the purpose. The difference between 

 the expcnce of excavating in side cutting out of land not in the line of rail- 

 way is a small fraction cheaper, but the amount in value of plant is greater. 



The above gross results are more satisfactory to my mind than the most 

 careful division of the men into getters and fillers, as whoever has seen a 

 work in full operation must be aware that some are gulletting, some filling. 

 some carving under, and some filUng into wagons, others wheeling at top 

 with barrows, some casting out at bottom, and all contributing their mite to 

 the same set of wagons, and in many instances to the individual wagon. 

 I cannot omit to mention that I found my results exactly to coincide with 

 those of Mr. James Day, in his Treatise on the Construction and the Forma- 

 tion of Railways, who states eight cubic yards as the average that is cut and 

 loaded by each individual ; his maximum having reached to twelve, and his 

 minimum to six. In the detailed account of how much per man excavated 

 you will find that my minimum is one only less than Mr. Day's, and that 

 minimum was on account of the extraordinary frost ; but that the ratio of my 

 minimum amount to his is much smaller than in the maximum, his being 

 twelve, and mine only nine, and that in only one instance. -Mr. Day docs 

 not state in what period of the year his observations were made, nor in what 

 year, or the nature of material, he only states that the locality was Durham ; 

 my observations were made on a portion of the Great Western Railway in 

 Buckinghamshire. Mr. Day's book reached a 2nd edition in 1839, and I 

 believe is the only writer who has entered into much detail, which, however, 

 he does not give.* 



The lectures of Professor Vignoles at the London University College, 



* 1 do not think any Information in detail is to be found in the " Public 

 Works iiftireat Brit.iin," the " Transactions of the Institution of Civil Engi- 

 neers "(who have however this year attempted to remeily the defect byoflcrinj,' 

 a Telford Medal on the subject, viz., on the various modes .iilupted for moving 

 earth in railway tunnels, cuttings, orcmb.inkment, with the cost ibireof). in 

 the " Papers of the Corps of Koyal Kngineers. " •• Wood on Railways, " 

 " 'Tre'lKold on ditto," " Brees' Railway Practice," the " Book of Lonilon and 

 Birmingh.-jm, and Grand Junction Railways," the " Railways of Great Britain 

 and Ireland," ir in^leed in any book professing to treat on the subject, except- 

 inK the one already nieiilioned. 



Much lime Hould,ljes,-jvid to parlies entering on a new course of study If indi- 

 viduals connected with any particular subjects for atudy, would eommunicalc 

 the results of their reading and practice to each other. A bold attempt to 

 carry out this is Ivlng made at the Literary and Philosophic Institution of 

 this town (Newcastlc-on-Tyne.) 



reported in the Journal, at the commencement has had a powerful effect, and 

 1 hope his wishes expressed in his first lecture will be accompUshed. " To 

 po|)ularizc the knowledge of engineering as a means of benefitting the public 

 at large."— rC. E. &i A. Journal, Feb. 1842.^ 



I have introduced the above remarks, although a Httle irrelevant to the 

 subject, knowing as I do the prejudice that prevails against scientific know- 

 ledge. I will now proceed to notice the relative quantity of earth removed 

 by estimation of the wagon at 2^ cubic yards, and by measurement with the 

 tape. In the period from Jan. to March, 19,660 cubic yards by measure were 

 removed, and 23,570 cubic yards by wagon ; from Jan. to the end of March 

 28,834 cubic yards by measure were removed, or 29,912 cubic yards by 

 wagon ; the wagon being in excess both for the long and short period, but 

 not in a greater ratio than it would be were too indifferent parties at 

 different times to use the tape; indeed, 2A cubic yards per wagon was so 

 well established, that the men were indifferent whether they agreed per yard 

 or per wagon, the price paid per wagon was lOd. Another coincidence which 

 show that the foregoing remarks are founded on sure data, is that 2^ cubic 

 yards at the rate of i^d. per cubic yard nearly agrees with both the yards per 

 man, and the rate of remuneration and estimated load of each wagon. 



The following table will also he instructive, as showing the proportionate 

 effect of small or large gangs of men on the quantity turned out. I will not 

 specify the times seriatim, but merely observe that it was over the same 

 period as the former table, and the same wagons were used. In the first 

 columu are the number of men employed at one time, in the second the 

 number of days, and in the third the number of wagons employed, and in 

 the fourth the price per cubic yard. 



From the above table it will lie seen that, like all questions, this has two 

 sides, viz., that the hurried work cost the most money, and that when the 

 work is not carried on with sufficient vigour, the same effect is produced. 

 The price of 4V/. will be seen is a fair estimate when the work is carried on 

 with a fair proportion of hands. The sub-contractor or ganger was paid 6i/ per 

 cubic yard, for which he had to superintend the navigation and the finding 

 of shovels, tools, and sharpening picks, advance the men money when come 

 off tramp, lay down the temporary road, including turn-outs, shunts, cross- 

 ings, boxes, spurring?, &c. take up and relay the road at the gullet and tip- 

 head, as the work advances both in the excavation and the embank- 

 ment, and to keep the road in repair, and tip or turn the dirt. Tl>e price he 

 paid for tipping was 13». 6rf. per hundred wagons, or nearly Jd. per cubic 

 yard, leaving i4. per yard for roads, and ^. for superintendence. He was 

 advanced subsisting money weekly, after the rate of 2j. Grf. per day )>er man 

 from the time-keeper's return, and his work measured every fortnight. There 

 being the following checks, viz., time, tape, and estimated quantity per 

 wagon : out of the }</. per yard, the price of keeping up the road, ^. per 

 yard, was retained in hand .is security until the final measurement at the 

 completion of the cutting. The price of Grf. was for the bulk of the excavation, 

 some portion of the bottom, say three feet, in depth, being taken up l)ack- 

 handcd I'tliat is, as the work was cleared up, and the temporary road taken 

 up) was paid for at the rate of 1^. .\gain, at the commencement of the 

 cutting at the balance level, where cutting and embankment commence, 

 barrows were use<I for a short way into the hill before the rails were laid 

 and wagon-work commenced, the prices varying from 3</., 3J</., 3Ji/., \d., 4^^., 

 hi^., 6d., and 7</., the latter being for a distance of about sixty yards, barrow, 

 work being rated at about bd. per cubic yard for the first run of 20 yards, 

 and 1(/. per additional run, when the tenacity of the earth requires no get- 

 ting, so that the earth can be as easily excavated as refilled.* 



Again, the top surface of cuttings and the seat of embankment are usually 

 uncallowed for the purpose of rcsoihng the slopes. The uncallowing and 



• A run IS 20 yards, allowing for the inclination, allhounh when on 

 descending ground it is taken at 25 yards, but in m.st cases the level and 

 ascent or descent, arc computed us e<)Uivalent, and 20 yards is used as the 

 measure in practice. 



