International Agricultural Exhibition at Kilhurn. 
559 
ence to the work thrown upon the London and North- Western 
Railway. It gives an account of the never-to-be-forgotten 
Kilburn Railway difficulties : — 
They — the L. and N. W. Co. — had 29S3 waggons of implements for the 
Show, which they mainly received between the 18th and 29th of June. They 
had also 407 trucks containing horses and cattle, which they received on the 
27th and 28th of June. The weight of the implements was about 4000 tons ; 
but tliis weight was of course exclusive of the implements and other goods 
that were carted in direct from other railway stations, and of a qiiantity 
delivered by road. 
The exceptional circumstances of their work were that they had to employ 
a force of from 300 to 500 men and 240 horses, at a considerable distance 
from their usual places of work, during the night and day, over a period of 
11 days, during which the rain was almost incessant, and the ground upon 
which the heavy goods had to be drawn consisted of 100 acres of mud from 
G inches to 4 feet deep. Seven or eight horses could do with difficulty what 
one ought to have performed with ease, and the vehicles in some instances 
could not be extricated without the aid of screw-jacks or other mechanical 
appliances. 
The Society found it necessary to put down a corduroy road made of old 
sleepers, and nearly 10,000 sleepers were supplied to them by the railway 
company for this purjjose. 
The difficulties of getting on to the ground wore so great as to necessitate 
their working the last week with relays of men from 2 a.m. to 9 p.m. each 
day. 
The largest staff they had on the ground on one day was about 240 horses,, 
and 500 men, and upwards of 2000 meals were served out to the men on 
one day. 
Had the ground been in ordinary fair condition, the work would have beee 
done with the greatest ease, but the incessant rains increased the expenses 
and difficulties at least fourfold, and the company incurred a serious loss by 
the transaction. 
If the railway difficulties were great, those of the Society 
were not less. Hundreds of loads of ballast were procured 
to form the main road, much of it being laid over flake-hurdles, 
of which a large number of truck-loads were procured ; while 
the amount of planking used — in addition to the 14,000 sleepers 
supplied by the several railway companies — was enormous. The 
actual expenditure in these extra works was as follows : — 
14,078 sleepers bought from railways, including carriage £ 
by rail and casting, less sleepers resold 860 
24,000 flake-hurdles bought, iuchuling carriage and 
cartage, less hurdles resold 800 
2786 yards ballast bought, including caning 557 
3428 deals, less those resold 455 
Draining pipes 45 
Labour account 460 
Team labour 152 
£3329 
Perhaps it may be here permitted the writer, Avhose own woik 
VOL. XV. — S. S. 2 P 
