Part 17 (1/2)

THE GOAT AND THE RAILWAY

In Prussian Poland the goods and cattle trains are prohibited froent their necessities, the only exception allowed being the herd-keepers in charge of cattle So strictly is this regulation enforced that even o by theency, and where life and death enerally considered a great hardshi+p, the er trains daily on the above railroads But the inventive genius of a small German innkeeper at Lissa has hit upon a clever plan of circuitioat, which he hires out to persons wanting to proceed in a hurry by a cattle train, at the rate of 6d per station, the passenger then applying for a ticket as the person in charge of the goat, which he obtains without any difficulty In thisat Lissa, is frequently seen travelling by the cattle train to Posen, in the passenger's carriage, and the goat is so tame that a very slender silk ribbon suffices to keep it fro

THE FIRST RAILWAY IN THE CRIMEA

During the Russian War, in 1854, when the whole country was horror-struck with the report of the sufferings endured by our brave soldiers in the Crimea, Mr Peto, in the most noble and disinterested manner, and at the cost of his seat in the House of Commons for Norhich city he had represented for several years-constructed for the Governlish camp before Sebastopol, which at the end of the ith its various branches, was 37 English nition of this patriotic service the honour of a baronetcy was, in the following year, conferred upon him by Her Majesty

-_Old Jonathan_

THE BALACLAVA RAILWAY

The following interesting extract from a communication to the _Ti the construction of the railway from Balaclava to the British camp is worthy of preservation Sir Morton remarks:-”It was in the midst of the dreary winter of 1854, when the British ar unparalleled hardshi+ps before Sebastopol, that it was resolved to construct a railway froiven where honour is due-The idea emanated from the Duke of Newcastle His Grace applied to our firn The syland were excited at the tis of our troops Every one was emulous to contribute all that could be contributed to their succour and support

The firm of which I aood work, and, on the Duke of Newcastle's application, we cheerfully undertook tohis Grace's views into execution, on the understanding that the work should be considered National; and that we should be pere for profit

We accordingly placed at the disposal of Her Majesty's Government the whole of our resources We fitted out transports with the stores necessary for the construction of the railway; employed and equipped hundreds of men to execute the works; provided a coed medical officers to attend to their health, and placed the whole service under the direction of the ents on our staff These ied so effectually, and with so ent to this country to instruct himself as to the mode in which we equipped the expedition

Every item shi+pped by us for the works was valued before shi+p price; and for all these items of valuation, as well as for the payments which we made for labour, we received the certificate of the ineer of the day (the late lamented Mr Robert Stephenson) We undertook the execution of the Balaclava Railway as a 'National' work, agreeing to execute it without profit We performed our contract to the letter We never profited by it to the extent of a single shi+lling

The works (nearly seven miles of railere executed in less than athe season of the year, the severity of the cli the distance from home, ere all of us exposed It is a reat fortress of Sebastopol Before the railas made, all the shot, all the shell, and all the ae, had to be carried from Balaclava to the cae, upon the backs of the soldiers An immense proportion of our troops was told off for this most laborious service; of whom no less than 25 per cent per month perished in its execution On the day the railas opened, it carried to the camp of the British arht from Balaclava for six weeks previously

To our principal agent in the Crireatest credit was due for the way in which the arrangements were made, and the work executed on that side Mr Beattie's labours were so arduous, and his efforts so untiring, that he died of fatigue within six weeks after the completion of the work-a victim, absolutely, to his unparalleled exertions The only favour in connection with these works which the Duke of Newcastle ever granted at our request, he granted to the faentleman Mr Beattie left aand four children to deplore his loss, and through the favour of the Duke of Newcastle, the ho now resides with her father, an estiyman in the North of Ireland, enjoys a pension as theof a colonel falling in the field”

PassENGERS AND OTHER CATTLE

At the Eastern Counties(1854) the solicitor cut short a clause about passengers, aniers and other cattle” We do not recollect passengers having been classed with cattle before Perhaps the learned gentleht was defective, or the print was not very clear

EXPANSION OF RAILS

Robert Routledge, in his article upon railways, re at a line of rails that they are not laid with the ends quite touching each other, or, at least, they are not usually in contact The reason of this is that space must be allowed for the expansion which takes place when a rise in the telect of this precaution has soe and accidents A certain railas opened in June, and, after an excursion train had in thepassed over it, the midday heat so expanded the iron that the rails became, in some places, elevated to two feet above the level, and the sleepers were torn up; so that in order to admit the return of the train, the rails had to be fully relaid in a kind of zigzag In June, 1856, a train was thrown off the metals of the North-Eastern Railway, in consequence of the rails rising up through expansion”