§ MR. READsaid, he wished to ask the Vice President of the Board of Trade, If his attention has been called to the great and increasing destruction of growing crops and other property by fires caused by sparks from Railway Engines; and why Railway Companies should not be prohibited from 1288 using Coals in Locomotive Engines at least till the harvest is ended?
§ MR. STEPHEN CAVE, in reply, said, the Board of Trade had received no recent communication on this subject. Fires were, no doubt, occasionally caused by sparks from locomotives, and in dry weather, such as that which now prevails, the danger was, of course, much increased. Still, if negligence could be proved against a company, it was liable for damages. It had been suggested that wire caps should be used for the funnels, such as are seen on Italian railways; but these were found materially to impede the draught, and besides had not proved effectually preventive. There was no law prohibiting the use of coals, and the Board of Trade was also powerless in the matter; the objection to the substitution of coke consisted in its much heavier cost. Sparks, like smoke, were formed of particles of imperfectly consumed fuel, and a clause in the Railway Regulation Bill of this Session, which, provided for a more perfect consumption of smoke, would, he hoped, tend to prevent the mischief of which his hon. Friend complained.