Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1845-10-16
Nermnnt and Mnssaehusetts RaIIroad.


and Railroad Company for leave to alter the
location of portion Of their road and Of the adjudication
Of the Worcester County COMMISSIONER nPon that pe.
ton and Of the statement made by them, the grounds Of
their opinion and decision
To he Honorable he County Commissioner Of tie County
of Worcester, at their meeting in JHne, 1916.
The Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Company res.
pectuy represents that by their charter passed In 1874
hey are authorized to lay out ard construct Railroad FROM
point on the Ficbbug Railroad 10 the town Of Fitch.
brv in the said County of Worcester along the valley of
Nashua River, the valley Of Whmnns River, in West
bnrnham, thence through the north part Of The town Of
Gardner 10 the Otter River thence down sad otter River
~ Inc village of Baldwinsvle in the north part Of Tenn
peion; thence down said River Mers River, passing
through the southwest Of Winchendon, DC That
the portion Of the route above descroea rom the said
valley Of Otter River 10 the westerly part OF Wnchendou
is for large part Of the distance through rugged and
uneven county, uniavofable for the construction Of Rail
road Of character convenient and safe for the public
vel and transportation 10 be done on said Railroad That
the summit Gardner must be approached from the pro-
nosrd station in Ashburnham near fairbanks Mill Pond
by grade Of less than 90 feet TO the mile ground
10 other respects deS sdo occurring curve , o. we neon
(which adds the difficulty Of ascending the Plane and
he danger in descendng) that 10 render this summit pas
sable, will require heavy and expensive cut through
ridge of this mountan region which Is both rocky and
sprngy That this route and IN the neighborhood Of
this summit the only passsbe line is through three mill
honda one Of them an extensive reservoir which Be
rayersed from 30 TO so rods, which circumstances will add
the expense of constructions as wen as occasion damage
ea, from the vicinity Of this summit will have plane Of
three miles length Of so feet 70 the mile the lower end
Of which plane will be at the village Of Dadmansvle,
place desirable way station, i would accommodate
Inc principal 70 be expected between the said sta
ton Ashburnhsm, and the said westerly part OF Win
chendon, Mllers River.
And the said Railroad Co further represent, that they
have surveyed route which passes more northery from
the said Ashburnham station, down the valley Of Mef
River and near u the village Of Wncheneon, uniting
with the chartered line at the before mentioned westerly
corner Of Wnchendon. That this northern line Is much
| -.
by - feet tina, il may be approached from the east by
grner grade a feet that the cut at this summit is nsg
n6cant amount, and through gravel suitable for embnnk
for the road bed that the grades that part Of this
line west from the summit which corresponds 70 that
maIimnnn hona o6 ei In the mile and severa miles If il
being nearly level that the remaining portion of this line
(weserly from Wnchendon vllage) quite good as the
corresponding portion of the chartered line through Bald
wnsve that this line, though longer than the chartered
line, the most Of beautifully direct miles of il together
being perfectly straight having only short Of
1000 feet radius, and no other Of less than 1000
The said Railroad Co further represent that in addition
the above consderaiions the earth formations
favorable for the Of Railroad this north
route than the chartered line that the expense
Of building good road this line will be many thousand
dollars less than said chartered line They tberefoie
respectfully pray your Honorable body 10 authorize them
70 alter the location Of their road defined in the Act Of
ham norlhery Of the Fchburg Reservoir into the valley
Of Mllers River thence along the said valley passing
westerly se Of IKE town NO Of Winehendo lon
In behalf Of the Vermont and Massschnsetts Railroad
CO. A. CHOCkER, PresL
On the Petition aforesaid, the County Commissioners
notice to be given 10 all persons and corporations
interested therein, that they would the house Of
Joseph Davis 10 Ts%Pe,on ~ said county on wednss
afternoon BY publishing attesed copy Of said petition,
and the order thereon, the Massachusetts, Spy public
newsPsPer printed in said Worcester, three weeks success
sively the last publication being fourteen days, least,
before said tweny;hrd day Of July Iasiand BY causing
the Town Clerks OF the towns Of Gardner Tempeton,
IWInchendou nd
by T. Eaton, Deputy Sheriff Of said county, with at
tested copy of said petition and Order thirty days at least
and also by posting public places in each Of said
towns Of Gardner, Trmpeton, Wnchendon, and Ashbun
ham, aies,ed copies thereof fourteen days. least before
the said twenty day Of July last; which time and
place the said Commissioners would proceed to view that
part Of said location which, by said petition, proposed
the location and construction Of the said Vermont and Mas
achusets Railroad within the limits Of the said towns Of
Gardner, Templeton, Winchendon and Ashburnham,
above described TO hear all and corporations inter
ested therein might desire To be heard thereon And
then y ogSoss . Ro.s aS
alter the location Of their said Railroad within the said
towns, and in manner is mentioned and prayed for
said petition.
The County Commissioner having met at the time and
place, and for the purposes before having
the routes set forth in said petition ali
persons and corporations interested therein who expressed
desire to be heard thereon adjudged that the prayer
Massachusetts Railroad Company be moi author
zed TO alter their said Railroad manner therein des
erbed, WILLIAM CRAWFORD, Chairman
In declaring this decision upon question of considerable
public interest and Importance and affecting to greater
less extent the interest Of numerous parties who an
peaed before the hearing upon petition we have
deemed II proper 10 state briefly, writing the grounds of
our opinion and decision
Having been occupied period Of thirteen days in exam
ming the routes and in hearing the evidence and areu-
mens Of the parties for and against the proposed
we shall not attempt to give in detail the great amount
evidence which introduced, but conne ourselves to
those parts of the testimony which are deemed essential TO
a correct decision Of the question before us
The petitioners ask authority to alter portion of the
chartered line of their road between proposed station
Ashburnhan, near Fairbanks Mill Pond, and point near
the westerly line of the of WincheEdon-6ut in the
hearing, evidence introduced relating to the whole line
OF the road from Ftchburg to South Roy alston village
and we think tina; the final location Of the whole of this
line, with the exception perhaps OF the first five or sx
miles from Etchburg must, extent be Affected by
the determination upon the question the alteration pto
posed 10 the petition and have therefore deemed the
whole OF this portion Of the line of road as proDer for
our consideration in forming our opinions upon he ones
uon submitted 10 our determination.
Evidence was introduced the lines SURVEYED BY or
under the direction Of James Hayward, ESQ., char
new route through Winchendon village.
by this survey these two lines dveTge from each other
near the road at Fairbanks Mill in Ashburnham and were
made TO unite again the Of John Gibson in the
westerly part Of Wnchendon.
The Report Of Hayward to the Directors which was 10
evidence stated that of these two lines the Baldwnsve
route was mile and quarter shorter than the winchen
don route.
II appeared also from the same repoft that the summit
on the Winchendon route thirteen feet lower the
grades and curves little favorable than on The Bald
Mnsyiile route; and that upon MIR Haywards lines the
"nehendon route could be constructed for about @ 900
less than the Budwinsve Evidence was also pro-
dneed OF surveys made subsequent those of Mr. Hay
ward by MIR Edwards the Engineer the Corporation
the Winchendon Tonle and the line run by MIR Edwards
though Il was shown by the evidence that the cost Of
srueung ihe road upon would be considerably than