The Chester and Holyhead Railway and Its Prospects
Date: 2020-05-17T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Chester and Holyhead Railway; Railroads -- Wales; North

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Chester and Holyhead Railway and Its Prospects

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The Chester and Holyhead Railway and Its Prospects

Author: William Morgan

Release date: May 17, 2020 [eBook #62157]

Language: English

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY AND ITS PROSPECTS ***

Transcribed from the 1849? H. Hughes edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

THE
CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD
RAILWAY
AND
ITS PROSPECTS.

BY
WILLIAM MORGAN,
A SHAREHOLDER.

LONDON:
H. HUGHES, BOOKSELLER, ST. MARTINS’-LE-GRAND.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Price 4d.

THE CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.

Amongst the Railway enterprises in England, the above line must be considered as possessing peculiar claims to our attention.  The stupendous character of the work—the difficulties which had to be overcome, and the vast sum invested in the undertaking, place this line in the foremost rank amongst the splendid achievements of our days; indeed, we may justly consider it the masterpiece of the human intellect, and the wonder of the 19th century.  In its course, it divides broad estuaries, it penetrates the bowels of the loftiest hills, and the hardest rocks have succumbed to the irresistible energy of human action and scientific skill—it crosses the important navigable river of Conway, and the Menai Straits, by the means of immense iron tubes, at such an elevation as not to impede the progress of the largest vessels.  The practicability and safety of the tubes over the Conway have been amply tested during the last six months, and the greatest difficulty attending the elevation of the tube into its position over the Menai, was satisfactorily overcome on the 22nd of June, and in a short time we shall have an uninterrupted journey between London and Holyhead, at a considerable saving of time and expense.

Whether we contemplate the magnitude of the undertaking, or the vastness of the interests, which it is intended to accommodate, it is hardly possible to exaggerate its importance.  Indeed, we may safely affirm that there is not a line in England which links together interests of greater importance in a social, political, and commercial point of view, than the Chester and Holyhead Railway.  To our vast American and West India trade this line will prove itself a most valuable adjunct; and on the completion of the Irish Midland Great Western line, which will unite the important harbours of Dublin and Galway in the West of Ireland, the mails and passengers from the United States, Canada, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, in fact, from every part of the western world, will be conveyed to the shores of England in about seven days, or three days earlier than by the present route, and by which means the most dangerous part of the voyage will be avoided.  It is well known that the voyage along the north coasts of Ireland to Liverpool, has been attended with as many disasters as any in the annals of navigation.

The harbour of Galway is not only ample in its dimensions, but easily accessible at all times; and the Midland Great Western line will traverse the very centre of Ireland, forming as it were a vast artery for the flowing of its produce into the markets of England.

Our observations are peculiarly applicable to Ireland.  What can tend more to a speedy and healthy development of the resources of that unhappy, but fertile island, than a means which facilitates the exportation of its agricultural produce to supply the increasing demands of our large manufacturing towns?

We find that all the Irish lines converge into Dublin, the produce of the north and south of Ireland can thus be conveyed to that port, and shipped off to the port of Holyhead, and from thence by railway to the markets of England.

The passenger and parcel traffic bids fair to become a very important feature in the development of this line.  The week ending the 16th of June, the revenue derived from this description of traffic amounted to about £1,700, while on the succeeding week it had increased to £2,100; but it is right to observe that the great influx of visitors to witness the floating of the Menai Tubes, operated, to a great extent, in causing this increase, at the same time we may fairly anticipate that this is but a commencement of a succession of other numerous excursions, not only to view the romantic sceneries of Wales, but also to the picturesque lakes of Ireland.  Arrangements are even now in progress to enable the public to visit the far-famed Lakes of Killarney, and the enchanting sceneries by which they are surrounded.  And we may anticipate the happiest results from such a facility and cheapness of communication between the two nations.

Of the geographical position of the Chester and Holyhead line, the public at large are comparatively ignorant; and even on the Stock Exchange we hear little more than that it has Chester at one end, and Holyhead at the other, and that it crosses the Menai by means of stupendous iron tubes.

But let us examine for a moment into the advantages conferred and to be derived by this line from its geographical position.  In the first place it traverses the beautiful vale of Clwyd, and the romantic vales of Llangollen, Conway, and Ffestiniog, are situate conveniently for the resort of visitors from its stations.  The delightful watering places of Rhyl, Abergele, Colwyn, Llandudno, and Beaumaris; the ancient and castellated town of Conway, with its elegant suspension bridge, and stupendous iron tunnel.  Bangor, with its commodious hotels, slate quarries, and slate shipping wharves; the sylvan and picturesque banks of the Menai, with its celebrated suspension and tubular bridges.  The whole range of the Snowdonian Mountains, abounding with lakes such as would gladden the hearts of all true Waltonians; the town of Carnarvon, with its time-honoured castle, are all within easy distances from this line.

The influx of visitors from London, Manchester, Liverpool, &c. to North Wales, is daily on the increase, and we may fully expect that North Wales will enumerate as great a number of visitors in the course of the present summer, as any other attractive spot in her Majesty’s dominions.  To the pleasure seekers, the antiquarians, the lovers of the gentle art, and invalids, North Wales affords a combination of interests and advantages not to be excelled.

Independent of its prospects from this essential and remunerative description of traffic, and its guaranteed payment of £30,000 a year for the conveyance of her Majesty’s mails, we may calculate on a very extensive merchandize traffic.  The conveyance of corn and agricultural produce, slates, flag stones, and minerals, will form an important item in the receipts of the line; the districts traversed are replete with commodities of this kind, and capable of being rendered doubly productive when transit has become so cheap and expeditious.  And, while the best railroads in England have to contend for the share of the traffic of one county, in consequence of competing lines, this railway has the monopoly of the entire traffic of the districts through which it passes.

It is by no means a flight of imagination if we add another important feature to this line by associating it with our vast interests in China, New Zealand, Australia, &c.  The completion of the great railway across the Isthmus of Panama will greatly facilitate our intercourse with those distant possessions; from the port of Galway our mails could reach those places many weeks earlier than by the present circuitous voyage round the Cape of Good Hope, or Cape Horn, with less danger, and at a lighter rate of insurance.

Having thus glanced over the prospects of the Chester and Holyhead line, we would respectfully urge upon the shareholders not to sacrifice their interests in an undertaking whose prospects are of the most hopeful and cheering character.  In parting with their shares at the present prices, they do so at one-sixth of their real value.  The works are on the eve of completion, and the traffic is very much on the increase.

Hancock, Printer, Aldermanbury.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY AND ITS PROSPECTS ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

- • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

- • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

- • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

- • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

back

Table of Contents

- THE CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY AND ITS PROSPECTS.

- THE CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.

- THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE