The Proposed Belfast Central Station and Railways. 47 



see them upon the map. I know he served the Trustees with 

 notice. I quite agree with Mr. JafFe that it would be most 

 desirable to have this Central Station for Belfast, and the 

 strange thing is that these railway gentlemen seem so apathetic 

 about it. I cannot understand that. I am not much of a rail- 

 way man myself, but I certainly think they should assist this 

 proposal as far as possible, 



Mr. MuNCE — I did not know I should be called on to speak, 

 and am taken a little by surprise. It is rather disappointing 

 that the diagrams are not clearer, as many at this part of the 

 room were unable to see what was being pointed out. Probably 

 every one in Belfast has the idea that a Central Station would 

 be a great convenience, and the question has occupied the public 

 mind for years. The old Central Company had various schemes 

 for uniting our Railways, but unfortunately no scheme hitherto 

 proposed has been successful. My remarks will only refer to 

 the scheme as explained to-night. The position of the station 

 would seem to make it impossible to pass from Great Victoria 

 Street to York Street without a serious detour via either Done- 

 gall Place or the proposed new street off College Square North, 

 instead of the direct route of King Street, Smithfield, and 

 Gresham Street now available ; and it would have been inter- 

 esting to hear the names of all the streets interfered with, 

 closed, or left open for traffic, because connecting streets between 

 different portions of the town are of much importance. It is a 

 pity a complete longitudinal section of the scheme is not shewn 

 to enable the audience to see clearly the levels with reference to 

 the present surfaces of the streets, and how much of the 

 railways are intended to be open and how much in tunnel — it 

 would also have made the description of the ventilation more 

 clearly understood. Mr. Lanyon mentioned one place where 

 HOC yards of line included 1300 yards of tunnel — this is not 

 quite clear. We have not been told the intended gradients of 

 the station approaches from the streets, which would be inter- 

 esting, seeing that the platforms of the Central Station would be 

 4 feet below low water level, and those of the Harbour Station 



