218 REPORT— 1870. 



the centre vaW for a length of about 10 miles upon gradients of 1 in 20 for the pas- 

 sage of the Ghat, by "which a saving -would be effected of about £500,000. Tlie 

 cost at the present time of the transport of cotton and other produce over the 90 

 miles is stated to be £235,000 per annum, and there is, in addition, the disad- 

 vantage of not being able to convej' the •whole crop to the port of shipment before 

 the raiuA^ season sets in ; a large portion of it has consequently to be housed and 

 kept until that is over. Negotiations are going on with the Government local 

 authorities and people interested for the construction of centre-rail lines in Italy 

 from the Adriatic to Macerata and crossing the Apennines to Foligno from Florence 

 to Faenza, and for three branch railways in the Neapolitan States ; in France, from 

 Chambery to St. Andre du Gaz and Lj^ons direct, crossing the Col de I'Epine ; 

 in Switzerland, for the passage of the Simplon ; and in Spain, for lines from Leon 

 to Corunna and Gion. The concession for the Mont-Cenis Eailway expires on the 

 opening of the tunnel line ; and when that period arrives, it has been proposed to 

 remove it to one of the neighbouring mountain-passes, where it would have a per- 

 manent life. At the time the concessions were granted it was considered that the 

 line would be worked for ten, or at least seven years ; the progress of the gi'eat 

 tunnel has, however, been so much accelerated, that it is stated the tunnel line 

 may possibly be opened for traffic by the end of 1871. In that case, and taking 

 into account the difficulties of all kinds with which the enterprise has had to con- 

 tend, the ilont-Cenis Railway can only be regarded as an experimental line, and 

 the pioneer of a svstem destined to confer the benefits of cheap and safe communi- 

 cation between many countries separated by mountain-ranges hitherto impassable 

 by railways and locomotive-engines, and the promoters must look to the future for 

 the reward of their labours and the anxieties of the past. Drawings were exhi- 

 bited of a new system of narrow-gauge or suspension railways, an example of 

 which has recently been constructed as a branch line for carrying iron-ore from 

 the Park-house Mines to the Furuess Eailway in North Lancashire. The gauge 

 of this line is eight inches, and the length about one mile. It is carried at various 

 elevations, from 3 to 20 feet, over an vmdulating country, passing over the fences, 

 roads, and watercourses without requiring the construction of earthworks or 

 masonry. The structure consists of a double beam of wood, supported at intervals 

 on a single row of pillars. The narrow gauge is practically made equivalent to a 

 broader one by the steadying-power of guide-rails fixed on the sides of the beam 

 and below the carri'ing-rails. The bodies of the waggons are suspended from the 

 axles, and by this means the centre of gravity is brought low. They are also fur- 

 nished with horizontal wheels, which run upon the guide-bars, and thus maintain 

 the equilibrium of the carriages, and render it almost impossible for them to leave 

 the rails. The Park-house line will have a traffic of 50,000 tons per annum. The 

 cost has been £1000 per mile without stations or rolling stock. It was worked by 

 a stationary engine and endless wire rope. The saving effected in the cost of 

 transport will be at least Gd. per ton upon the distance of one mile. In Switzer- 

 land, applicntion has been made to the Government of the Canton "S^aud fo)- a 

 passenger Ihie on this principle, from the towai of Lausanne to the Lake of Geneva. 

 Plans have also been laid before the AVar Office for accelerating military transport 

 in foreign countries, and before the GoA'ernor-General of India for the constniction 

 of cheap branches from the trunk lines in that country. The gauge of these rail- 

 ways may be from 6 to 18 inches. They may be made of wood or iron, or of the 

 two combined, and may be worked by either stationary engines or by locomotives 

 of a form specially designed for the purpose. They have the advantages of being 

 economical in both construction and working; they occupy but little land and 

 cause no severance ; they may be erected with great rapidity, and, being portable, 

 miy be removed when no longer required and reerected in another locality. Before 

 the war commenced an offer was made to the French Government to construct one 

 of these portable railways to snpplj' their army -u-itli from 1000 to 3000 tons of 

 ammunition and pro\'isions per day. Tlie work would ha-^e been undertaken by a 

 gentleman in Paris, who, with a force of 2500 men, would have constructed from 

 four to five miles of railway per day, following the advance of the army into 

 Germany. The result has, however, shown how little such a provision was 

 needed. 



