The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-09-03
From the Whig and .Egis.
GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD
Ihrough Ne1O England TO The Morthern and


GREAT NORTHERN RAILROAD
Through Ne,0-E England to the Northern and
UeStcrn States.
Mr.. HAYES 81 saw in the New. Hampshire
Statesman, of the ooh OF July last, an extract
| from a Report of MIR Dearborn of Maine, OF ii
Reconnaissance he had made through n. Ilanp-
| shire and Vermont for Railroad from Portland
in the State of Maine, to Lake ChampIan, the
spring precedng-which report hope will open
ii door for more particular enquiry into the
great benefit to all the New England States of a
Railroad through them from the Western Lakes
10 our Eastern seaboard. 70 such an enterprise
| am willing TO give such assistance, us is in my
! power.
| have therefore thought proper that The Gov
ernor Of Maine, and other gentlemen in that
State, well as the whole OF the New England
States, who are friendly TO internal improvements
and the prosperity of their own country, should
know what has been done 10y the United States
in an examination to obtain the kno Wedge OF
This great ohJect-as it may now possibly sove the
expense of thousands of dollars to such gentle
men as wish further to promote the enterprise
i'll an extended examination of the several routes.
therefore, for The benefit of the public, pub
! lish the following, viz =
! In the year 1925, | made communication to
the General Government that | thought it posi-
bic that canal or water communication could
he obtained through New England from the
eastern seaboard TO the Northern and Western
Lakes,-on which Governor Clinton got his son,
| De Wit Clinton, Jr. appointed at the War De
| partment an Engineer for that purpose, aud |
was employed Civil Engineer with him, 10
make such surveys aud examinations we
could that season 10 ascertain the fact. ON his
Report eng made at Washington the next win
ter (Which was favorable to the enterprise,) the
summer following Col J ohm J. Albert, who now
has the command OF the Engineer Department,
and the of the Typographical Bureau at
I w ashinglon, was sent with eight Engineers I'M
der his command to make further surveys,
which were continued through the summer
sons of 1896 and SCI and within the three
years aforesaid, survey was made of Connec-
ticut river from the head to tide water-aso
survey from Connecticut river at Minehead up
the Nulhegan, by the old Indian carrying place,
and down the Clyde river into Lake Memphre-
magog also another route from Connecticut
river at Northumberland up Philips river, after
wards called Upper Ammonoosc river, and by
the Androsco"gin river TO the mouth of Kenne-
bee river, in the State of Maine also another
route from Connecticut river up Passumpsic riv
er, and by Bar'on's river into said Magog lake /;
also another route from Passumpsic river up
Joe's brook route and the river La Noble to
Lake Cham. The Joes brook route & Lamoile,
are one of the routes viewed by Mr. Dearborn,
las understood his report,) for Railroad from
Lake Champlan into the State of Maine. A
route was also surveyed from Connecticut river
up Wells river and to Onion river, and down
from Connecticut river at the mouth of White
river, and up White river, to the branches of
Onion river, thence to Montpelier on The Onion
river route aforesaid. Also in New Hampshire
a route was surveyed from Connecticut river at
HaverhiIl up the Olveran stream, and down
Bakers river to Plymouth thence through
Squam Lake and Lake Wnnipiseogee to Dover
and Portsmouth ALSO another route was sur
veyed from Connecticut river in Claremopt ".
III. up Sugar river, through Sunapee Lake, and
| by the Black water to Merrimack river near
| Concord ALSO q reconnaissance Of n route from
Plymouth, down Pemgewasset and Merrimack
rivers to Concord to open communication
through Concord to Boston the capital Of New
| England.
The great object of cur Government was at
that time 10 find out the best route for Canal
or Railway or both, to pass through New Eng
land into the Great Western Lakes, as a route
had also been surveyed from Og,!ensburgh
through the State of New York to Lake Cham
plain, to connect with route through New
Hampshire TO orr seaboard, AS sthe Engineers
were generally ordered not only to take the
courses and distances, but the nights and levels,
together with the topography of the country,
through which they surveyed, that the line OF
levels used fora Canal might be used for Rail
way,-if Railway was afterwards found ne
cessary, or hereafter thought must practicah!e
for the country.
will here observe, that in the year 1888
Lieut. Jasper Mncomb, one of the engineers
aforesaid, after finishing the survey Of the An
Groscoggin and Kennebec rivers route in the
State of Maine, came to me in Vermont to have
me 90 with him through the north part of the
States of New Hampshire and Vermont, to re-
view the several routes previously surveyed as
| aforesaid. Having the nights and level, courses
and distances, together with the maps before
us, he then gave it as his opinion, that the best
and most practicable route for canal between
! Eastern SpnbOnrI ak a. ChamIJ luIn.
! by Wells river in Vermont. and by the Oliverian
stream and Bakers river in New sHampshIre-
and for a Railroad, 10y Waits river in Vermont,
and the same valley Of Overan and Bakers
river in New Hampshire, and he then said he
nnIc hIIfh he nrdn