The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-08-28

@ and difficulties that he was then inform
l. ed by Mr. Tracy, who had just been owe
e the route, that long and continuous Iln
e 10 or IL miles at least) OF grade not les
81 than 60 feet per mile, would be required
d TO cross the mountain; that it was ther
d conceded by Gen. Brown, that the advan
a tage in grade was with the Central route
while at the same time he, Gen. Brown
: contended, las the facts are) that as re-
O specls curvalures and distance, the Rutanc
!, route was greatly superior. On receiving
;, the report of Mr. Chase, in November OF
e December last, giving an abstract of the
, grades on the eastern slope of The noun
r tain; Mr. FELTON, declared the route 10 be
r every favorabe;" and so inconsiderabt
1 was then his horror of 60 feet grade, he
, subsequently recommended the adoption
, of grade of 70 feet, saying, as Mr. Chase
, writes in letter TO Mr. Tracy, SIT would
make but little difference in the working
OF the road.'
When it is remembered. that at this pc
riod, the route Of the Central Road had
been surveyed for long time, and its
maximum grade ascerlained, it is impos-
slb'e to repress our establishment, that an
engineer of Mr. Felton's acuteness, and ex-
ceedIng sensiiveness on the subject of
grades, should have hesrated so long, be.
fore announcing his decided preference
Tor that route. "THE COMPARISONS OF
THE GRADES and the profies,' says Mr.
FELTON,, 10 his report to the Filchburg
Board, in June last. &" regard as CON
cLUsIvELY SETTLING THE QUESTION be-
tween the two routes" But why wait
from November till June before pronounce
| ing this decisive condemnation OF the Rut>
land route? 10 the very late communica.
ton of Mr. FELTON,, of the 18th instant, he
says, I" 1 did not suppose the public acere
prepared TO buitd TWO roads TO Burling-
ton" Then why, it is most respectfully
inquired, when 1.-TWO roads" were sur.
veyed to Burlington, and were both APP
pllcants for the favor of "the public" did
not Mr. FELTON,, at a much earlier period,
disclose to "he public" the facts which
conclusiveIy settle the question between
the two routes," instead of inhaming The
hopes, and inspiring the confidence of the
friends of the Rutland route, by language
like the following-language which he OF
course kaew { "the public were prepar-
ed to bulId' but one road, J to be ptive
and untrue. We quote from his letter TO
Gen. Brown, under date of April ii,
l845:-" Your route is gaining every
day an the estimation of ecery one here,
and regard IL as ABSOLUTELY certain that
yo~r road DiU be built, and that Boston
people a0lU render yOu all the help yOu ask
Mem." 1t is but short time since these
anlmating strains fell from the pen of Nj
FELTON,, and now the public are goomiy
advised from the same pen, that the Gen.
tral route is distinctly marked out by he
hand of nature along the valleys ofstreams
for the entire distance" lover Barnard
Hills, as well as elsewhere, doubtless,
"with no mountain ridge to surmouni
and the other" Che repudialed Rutand)
is seen for some 80 miles, climbing up
and descending, by its devious winnings,
the rocky ramparrs of mountain that can
neither be tunneled nor rent asunder ~
Before we conclude this communication,
it is possible that facts may appear, which
will explain to 1.-THE public the reasons for
this extraordinary, and most comple,e rev.
olulion of opinion and feeling.
1t is to be observed that, at the date of |
the letter from Mr. FELTON, to Gen Brown,
april II, l845) from which an extract is
given above, Mr. F. had had in his possess
sion for several ,ceeks, the profIes, plans &
estimates of Messrs Chase and Tracy, of
the entire line of the Rutland road. His
confident opinion, so strongly expressed,
was, therefore, based on his scientific
knowledge, it is to be presumed, of the
feasibility of the route. He had, ofcourse
examined and digeSted the labors Of his
subordinates. He had looked calmly aud
intelligently at the "45 miles of 60 feet
grades" and saw nothing in them of for
midable character. The "rocky ram
parts" of Mount Holly did not tAen seem
TO require to be "tunneed or rent asunder"
- 70 feet grade would easily surmount
them. "A million Of cubic CARDS. of en-
bankmenl at "Jewels Brook" exerted no
disturbing Influence on the serenity OF his
judgement. IL regard it as absolutely
certain" he says, "lhat your road will be
built |"
Up 10 this date, ,hen-the lth of April
lasl-we may, without presumption, mum.
Der Nj FELTON, among the warm and cons
ident friends of the Rutland route. He
had formed his opinion of its eminent
praclicability on scientific data, and he
cannot have been ignorant of the very
great business resources of It's line. He /;
was fully apprised, by actual survey, of I
its difficulties He knew their character I
and extent. tle knew there were "two I
roads to Burlington" which were aiming {
to secure aid in Boston; and yet, in the
face of his opinion that the public Were
10 build bot one, he assures US
tina, he regards the building of The Rut- t
and road as "absouteIy certain" {