Part 12 (1/2)

had been left in the naiven that unless the horses were claimed on or before the 12th day of May, they would be sold to pay expenses Accordingly on that day they were sold

-_Household Words_

RAILWAY EPIGRAM

In 1845, during the discussions on the Midland lines before the Committee of the House of Co the Committee, when Sir John Rae Reid, as alines to the chairman:-

”Ye railway men, who mountains lower, Who level locks and valleys fill; Who thro' the _hills_ vast tunnels _bore_; Must now in turn be _bored by Hill_”

SINGULAR CIRcue property, and who had figured, if he does not now figure, as a Railway Director, applied for shares in a certain projected railway Fifty, it seems were allotted to him Whether that was the number he applied for or not, deponent saith not; but by soot added to the 50 and made it 500 The deposit for the said 500 was paid into the bankers', the scrip obtained, and before the mistake could be detected and corrected-for no doubt it was only a mistake, or at most a _lapsus pennae_-the shares were sold, and some 2000 profit by this very fortunate accident found its way into the pocket of the gentleman

-_Herepath's Journal_, 1845

LOUIS PHILIPPE AND THE ENGLISH NAVVIES

Whittlesea Will, Williae railway experience; during the construction of Longton Tunnel, he toldstory:-”Ye see, Mr Ser for Mr Price on the Marseilles and Avignon Line in France, and I'd gangs of all nations to deal with Well, I could not , the French Gang, the English, Scotch, and Irish Gangs, of course; the Belgic Gang, the Spanish Gang, and the Pea, d'ye see, that comes off the mountains somewhere towards Italy” ”Oh, the Piedmontese, you mean”

”Well, you may call 'em Peedmanteeze if you like, but we call'd 'e each gang by itself; gangs o' nations, the Pea there, and so on, and it worked capital, each gang worked against the other gang like good 'uns

”Well one day our reat entertainment at a sort of Tea Garden place, near Paris, called Maison Lafitte, and ere co-singing and shouting pretty loud, I dare say, when a fat, oldish gentle off his hat-'I think you are English Navigators' 'Well, and what if we are, old fellohat's that to you?' 'Why, you are reat noise, and I noticed you did not make way for me, or salute me as we entlelish,' by this ti hi to ride us down at once but the old boy beckoned with his hand for them to hold back, and continued his sarmont 'I should wish you,' says he, quite pleasant, 'whilst you re, civil, and polite; it's always the best-now re for you to re his hand into his pocket, he pulled out what silver he had, I suppose, threw it aive him a cheer!”

ADVANTAGES OF RAILWAY-TUNNELS

We cannot help repeating a narrative which we heard on one occasion, told with infinite gravity by a clergyman whose name we at once inquired about, and of e shall only say, that he is one of the worthiest and best sons of the kirk, and knohen to be serious as well as when to jest ”Don't tell hland brother, who had apparentlyup to the asseated evil: they serve high ot into a railway carriage, and I had hardly takenopposite to me two of the most rabid dissenters in Scotland I felt at once that there could be no pleasure for loomy heart and countenance I leaned back in ed into a deep tunnel, black as night, and e eed at the other end, my broas clear and my ill-humour was entirely dissipated Shall I tell you how this cahorrible ht Don't speak against tunnels again, azine_

DAMAGES EASILY ADJUSTED

It is related that the President of the Fitchburg Railroad, soers who had been wet but not seriously injured by the running off of a train into the river, by paying them from 5 to 20 each One of them, a sailor, when his terms were asked, said:-”Well, you see, e and calculated that we had fallen fifteen feet, so if you will pay me a dollar a foot I will call it square”