Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-09-20


Braue5oro. am, very respectfully.
Your Ohpdpnt serv-n.
CHARLES HUDSON.
Hon. Tncs. II PEnsrSs.
LETTER III.
SR:-In nv last, / enipavorei IN show iha, the
Vermont and AIassachu eits Railroad raversed sec
non OF country now unaccommodaied by any railroad
facilities, and that the road was located where would
intercept the largest amount Of travel that it would
not interfere with the business of any other road and
that no new road co1i be constructed which would
take the travel from this road now propose TO take
a view OF the character and cost OF the road. The
rone has been surveyed from FItchbuigto Brnirebo-
rough and nm estimate Of the cost made by William
5 Nhtwe'' Esq, an experienced engineer. Appears
ny this survey that at the upper end of the ro three
disunct INES were run one by way of Greenfield,
mn INC the distance from Fchburg to Brattlebo,o'
- miles one through Warwick and Winchester n
II making the distance SO miles. and one through
Norihtiel, making the distance 63 miles On this
ilst line the estimates are presented to the public
The charter recognizes each of these lines, and il is
eit To the corporation 10 decide which of these shall
be adopted.
BY an examination Of this survey, it will be found
that the route peculiarly favorah.. The highest
grade ascending westward is only So feet TO the mile
AMI the h,hest grade ascending eastward only As feet
ami subsequent surveys have shown that this can he
reduced Ia IS or 40 on The important part of The
ro1d. In grades this rad has the advantage over
some Of the principal roads which have been cnnsric-
ted in the Commonwealth. The Western Rnlroad
mas one S3 et 10 the mile Tor about mile and
half and one Of 70 feet for four niles and one of 70
feet for Two miles, and of n feet for five and half
In word, il has grade offrom &C TO 80 feet per mile
for more man eighteen miles. Thus II will he
that the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad has an
advantage in its mnxnum grade of least e5 feet per
mile. This ia great advantage, particularly on n
road where large amount of freight is expected -
On this ro1d. as well as on the Western the freight
eastward will be much more than the freight west
ward 1t is highly important. therefore, that the
grades eastward should he lower than the grades west
ward. And The survey shows that about 40 feet per
mile is the highest grade ascending eastward which
Is 20 feet per mile less than the grade eastward of
Springfield on the Western road. In curvature also
this rund has the advantage Of The Wescrn road
whose greatest curvature is Of S95 feet radius. These
facts imp prian as they show the capacity of the
road or It's ability TO do the most work with the least
power and expense.
The cast of The road i. minated by the engineer al
81 $50, 303, being $4,000 per mile inclu,np depo,s
engines cars ard all the fixtures and apnuripnanres
Of the road The first oneson that nrcsa,,s self is
whether the road can be built within tie estimate
Ii wnnld not become me To ouestion tho oh IN and
judgment of an experienced en- Gineer nor o his stale
nents require any corrobornton from me- Wbereh e
is known his estimates will he relied man
Mr. Whitwell saws in his renor-aIt 10 fTicien, IN
say that in all the es,lInncs. have aimed IN excesd
rather than fall shor, of the cnnr nj recr;,eJ In
some Of the first railroads the enoinecrs had nor si
clent eyncrience II, ,.st;,,,o ,y,h ,ro,,a to',. l
consequently The cost cenaroIIy eycoars a',
PM exnsr,encs b,. en,lled ,h,n, -, ,,., ~
10 D q tEr V.l
pride prrCeclv ouJ,hle IN in ;,s cb,roc,ar ,,h, ~
dnccs every enoincer n cnver ,be cns, T Lo ,,or IT,
his esmnies This would noinr,IIv land ,hon IN ay
iimn,. sufficiently hiuh Such n, iii evor,s h,,
been The case with Mr.. Wh,welI whn a,n ;nr,r "'
ed buit the Concord n n ro,d c,r Iess ,h,n h;s
estimate From ,bcse circn'.,,nnos ho,a 49,, '
IN believe 'th,, he os,;mo,.s ,,li ,r,. ~ "a, ;,,
biuh IN cover The cost of tho road Rv ex,n,;';nh
estimates and he b,s mnde - Gheroi aIlnwnnna ,'s
rock cn,s e,on ubo,a ,ba nrosnn,n,r n,, ~ ~.
M roc, y;,I no 6,nd b,no VI y oomn,oa - .,'
m,,es in snver,i n,r,;cui,,s w;,h rho ,,i ns nr
The same Items on other roads and ali ,heso conn,r
sons sirenu,he, mo CON Jsncs in ,hs s,c,v ~ III;
esn,tes yll man,;on n Gey ;,ems ;IIs,r,,;,o Of
this point Mr. Whitwcll es,,mates land darnnoes and
fencing at an average Of 1900 drop the odd Iolars)
per mile. from Frhhnrp to BrntiIehoro' These
items on the road from Worcester 20 Sprinpfield cost
$1,000 per mile. Now every person. aro raned with
the Two routes must see thai $500 rer mile on This
road least ms high goo on hat portion of the
Western road. In the first place The soil is generally
more valuable on that pori,on Of the Western rood
h,n this road and in the next plare the cu,s and
fills being much grenicr gren ter width ofnnd wou,d
he required far the road and more land would be
d'maged bv borrowing and wasting earth and other
materials and ndl to this that thinner is none ahun.
dan' this road than on thai portion of the Wesiern
and hence. fencing would cost less Taking these