Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1845-09-11

GRADES dHu inc pTnHleS, Bays MT cWOU
in his report to the Fuchburgh Board i,
June last, i regard as coNCLusIvELY SET
THING THE QUESTION between The two
routes. But why wait from November
I'LL June before pronouncng this decisive
condemnation Of the Rutland route? III
the very la,e communication Of Mr. FELTON,
Of the ~ instant, he says, Il did MT sup,
pose Mcpublic ,ccre prepared to duiid TWO
roads TO Burhngion.' Then why, it is
rlost respectfully asked, when two roads
were surveyed to Burlington, aud were
both applicants for the favor Of the public
did not Mr. FELTON,, at a much earlier pc
riod, disclose to the public the facts which
concluslvcly settle the question between
the Two routes, instead of Iuhamng the
hopes, and inspiring the confidence Of the
friends of the Rutland route, by language
like the lollowlng-language which he
Of course knee (Irlhe public were pre-.
pared to build but one road, J TO be de-
ceptive and untrue We quote from his
letter to Gen Brown, undcr date Of apri,
II, l845:-' Your route is gaining cvery
day in the est'mation Of erery one here, and
Ircgam 1t as 0bSotately cntajn that
your road wiNJe Jmh, and that Boston
people wiH render yOu all tie hcLp you
ask Mcm,' 1t is but short time since
these animaling strains fell from the pen
Of Mr. FELTON,, and nor the public are
gloomily advised from the same pen, that
the Central route is distinctly marked
out by the hand ofnalure along the valleys
Of the streams for the entire distance, over
Barnard Hills, as well as elsewhere,
doubtless, with no mountain ridge to
snrmounl; and the other (tho repudlated
RurIand) is seen for some 30 miles,
climbing up and descending, by its deyi-
Gus windings, the rocky rampars OF Il
mountain that can neither be tunneed nor
rent aSunder! Before We conclude this
communication, it is possible that facts
may appear which will explain to
The public the reasons for this eXlraordi-
nary, and most complete revolution Of o.
pinion and feeling.
1t is to be obsercd that, at the date Of
the letter from Mr. FELTON, to Gen. Brown,
(Apirl II. 19S45) from which an extract
is given above, Mr. FELTON, had in his pos
session, for Scrcral wccks, the prohes,
plans and estimates of Nlessrs. Chase and
Tracy, Of the entire line ot the Rutland
road. His confident opinion, 50 strongly
expressed, was, Therefore, based on his
scientific knowledge, it is to be presumed,
Of the feasibility Of the route. lie had
looked calmly and n,eligentIy at the '45
miles Of of 60 feet grades, and saw moth
ing in them Of a formidable character
The rocky ramparls' of Mount Holly did
no, then seem to require to be ';nnneIed
or rent asunder'--a 10 feet grade would
easily surmount them. A miLii0n ofcuJic
yards of embankmenl at Jewels Brook
cxcrtcd no disturbing influence on the
serenity Of his judgment. i regard it as
absolutely certain he says, that your
road will be LulIl'
Up to this date, then, the 18th Of Apr
last-wc may, without presumption, num-
Der Mr. FELTON, among the warm and conf
dent friends Of the Rutland route. He
had io.med his opinion Gifts eminent prac-
lcabiily on scientific data, and he can
not have been ignorant of the very great
business resources of its line. lie was
fully apprIsed, by actual survey, Of It's DIFF
ticuItes. lie knew their character and
extent. He knew there were two roads
TO Burlington which were aiming 10 Sc
cure aid in Boston; and yet, IN the face Of
his opinion that the public were prepared
to build but one, lie assures us that he re-
CARDS the building Of the Rutland road as
absolutely certain
But the occasion, if not the mOiire, for
a changa Of tone, was about to be turn-
ished. NJ FELTON, is the Engineer aud
Superintendent, ofthe FItchburg road, aud
thus far, we may suppose, he VAS but the
echo of their wishes and views, Soon at
ter the lth Of April, however, the friends
Of the Central road, whose natural and ap-
propriale route to Boston is by the way of
Concord, N II. u, sudden transferred their
negotiations from tina, interest TO the
'Fnchbnrg Board, and by cogHt jnduce-
mats, doubtless, led the latter to entertain
the proposition TO abandon their (ayoritc
and Iong-chcrished design Of connecting
with the Rutland route, and unite with
them for the purpose Of building a road to
Burlington, by the way of Montpelier,
twenty six miles longer, from Bellows
Falls the point of departure for both roads,
We !ee ourselves at liberty confidently TO
state that these inducements we're, that
the construction of sucn a road would
cut Off the Concord road, and thus (the
construction Of the Rutland road being
understood to be pOStpoRcd merely ena'
bic the Ftchburg to secure to itself a
monopoly Of the great northern and west
crn transportation. These negotiations
we're brought To rapid conclusion, and
the union was effected.
In the mean time, the friends Of the
Rutland road were waiting, with most cX-
emplary patience, for tbs report of their
engineer. The delay il its publication
was topic of lnvidIous remark from the
advocates of the Central route, in many
quarters; and though Mr. FELTON, writes,
on the 18th of April, III | cannot get a.
way in the course of fortnight to 60