Show MR ROBERT MP OV ox RAILWAYS on taking the chair for the first time since his election as president of the institution of civil engineers on the ath instant mr stephenson delivered an address in which he described british railways as spreading like a net work over great britain and ireland irell nd to the extent of miles mile 8 in length exceeding exceed n the ten chief rivers of europe united and comprising more than enough of single rails to make a mit wit of iron around the globe the cost of these lines had been or about one third of tire ore amount of the national debt already in two years more than one fourth of irad had been spent in the wai war and hyet byet yet how sm small smail all ail were the advantages advantage advant ag nes obtained by it in comparison with the results secured by railways there were fifty miles of railway tunnels eleven miles of viaduct in the vicinity of the metropolis alone cubic yards of earthworks earthworms earth works the earth of which would form a pyramid a mile and a half in height on a base larger than st jamess park trains ran miles annually with a working stock of engines and vehicles in a straight line the engines would extend from london to chatham and the vehicles from london to aberdeen the railway compa companies hies bies employed officers and servants the engines consumed annually tons of coals so that in ever every y minute of time toun tour tons of coal nashed hashed int into twenty steam tons of waterland wa water terran terlan an amount sufficient for the supply of the domestic and other wants of the town of liverpool the aal aai consumed was almost equal to the whole amount exported forted to foreign countries and to one half of the tha he annual consumption of london in 1854 the railways conveyed of passengers 4 each traveling an average of Fv kvelve twelve elve eive miles the old coaches carried an average of ten passengers passenger er s and for the conveyance of passengers aday a day twelve miles each there would have been required at least coaches and horses in 1854 railway receipts amounted to MCI and there was no instance where receipts had not been of continuous growt grow beven where portions of traffic had been abstracted by competition or new lines the wear and tear was ryas great tons of iron required I 1 to be replaced annually 26 of sleepers I 1 annually perished trees arees were annually felled to 0 o make good the loss and trees could be grown on little less than acres of forest land the principle of a renewal fund to meet these annual depreciation was he said questionable i after a certain period in the history of every railway deterioration reached an annual average a e and as that annual depreciation became a marge charge as fixed and certain as the cost of the fuel or the salaries of the officers it should be admitted as an annual charge against receipts liverpool albion jan aa 28 |