The Proposed Belfast Central Station and Railways. 53 



out the water in addition to pumping it out in the first instance ; 

 but we have heard nothing of this to-night, and no one has 

 told us that there would be any serious expense in pumping out 

 the water coming in. It is a matter of detail which only 

 practice can decide, but the difficulty would strike myself, and 

 we know that Belfast is on a quicksand. I myself saw the screw 

 piles driven by hand instead of by the usual mechanism, because 

 the sand was so soft, when they were making the Central 

 Railway Bridge, and we know that cellars in certain parts 

 of Belfast are often flooded ; but we have heard nothing to- 

 night of the precautions that will be taken to keep out water. 

 However, if the engineers are satisfied on that point, I am 

 satisfied. I certainly think it is a great blot on our system 

 generally at present, that when you want to go from Portrush 

 to Dublin you have to make a break of a mile in Belfast. You 

 arrive by one train and wait, perhaps for hours, until there \& 

 another train to start ; it is a great nuisance. I dont think 

 there should be any diflSculty about the ventilation ; the trains 

 will be going the same way, so they will carry the air in one 

 direction. I wish the project all success. 



Prof. FitzGerald. — I think in his paper Mr. Lanyon very 

 wisely avoided any discussion of estimates of cost, because in a 

 general meeting such as this the majority of people present 

 are not competent to form an accurate opinion of the value of 

 estimates, so that in any case it is impossible to enter into a 

 discussion on that point. However, I think we are all of the 

 opinion that it would be a great convenience to have a station 

 in some such central place as that selected. If circumstances, 

 which invariably alter cases, had been other than they are, it 

 might have been possible to put the station at such a level that 

 streets would not have to be altered ; but, of course, you have 

 to do what can be done with the state of affairs as they are, and 

 Mr. Lanyon has taken very great trouble in bringing this 

 important subject before us in so interesting a manner. I shall 

 now call upon him to make his reply. 



Mr. Lanyon said in reply : — It has been more than gratifying 



