Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1845-09-11
II Ill H A C. Il
TO THE PUBLIC.
From the Boston Courier.

TO THE PUBLIC.
MIR. S. NJ FELTON, AND THE RUTLAND ROAD
1t is well known to those who take al
interest in the Railroad enterprises tina
are now before the public that a re-snrvey
Of the Champlan and Connecticut Rive
Railroad Route from Burlington 10 Bel
lows Falls, by the way Of Rutland, ha'
been made by Mr. W. B. Gilbert, whose
report on the feasibility and general char
acter of the route, with approximate est
mates Of the expense of constructing the
road, has been published. 1t is also wei
known that official communications from
MIR Gilbert, detailing the results Of his sur
yey as it progressed have BEEN from time
to time, printed in the newspapers of the
city, accompanied (by necessity, in ordot
to exhibit the Improvements made) by
statements Of the results Of the survey OF
the same portions Of the line, as made un-
der the direction Of Mr. FELTON,. Mr. Eel
ton, in repeated instances, has felt called
on to "rcply" to these communi-
cations of MIR Gilbert, combining himself,
how ever, in his "repIies," principally to
general and indefinite denunciations OF the
Rutland Route" and general and indel-
int appreciation of the Central Route
The latest, and most offensive ebuli,on
ofths temper appears in the Courier Of
the 18th instant, aud is of such charact-
er as to demand from the undersigned the
notice which they propose, in this commu-
cation, to bestow upon it.
The undersigned are we'll aware how
little interesting or instructive are the
pcrSOnalatercalions Of parties who are en-
deavoring TO enlist public favor in behalf
Of projects which are supposed to be con-
Acling; and how little likely such allcrca-
tions are to benefit either party IN con-
troversy. 1t HIS been, Therefore, their de-
| sire, and their intention, in managing their
side olthe public discussions which the
proposed Vermont Railroads have elected,
to avoid as far as possible any statements
or comparisons which were not directly
calculated to eIucidae the merits Of their
great enterprise With Mr. FELTON,, cspe-
cIaIIy, they have invited no CONTROVERSY
They knew that lie made no survey OF the
Rutland route. They have uniformly
spoken ofthe previous survey Of that route
as having been made 'under his direction
merely. They knew that his report, esli-
mates, &c. were made before he had ev-
cr set his foot upon the line of the pro-
posed road, aud exclusively on the repors
Of rtl,
that The only time that he ever personally
trayersed the route, he tra,ersed ii
with almost railroad speed, (and partly
in the night) and could not have been a.
bic to speak of its general character with
any rational approximation to ceriainty.-
Under these circumstances, the friends OF
the Rutland route, anticipating no acrlmo-
nous opposition to their enterprise from
Mr. FELTON,, have supposed that they should
be permitted to prosecute their re.survey,
and to present the merits Of their claim
upon the citizens Of Boston, without the
apprehension Of especial hostility from
him. But they have been mistaken.
The worst enemy to the Rutland route has
been Mr. Samuel III Ftit0n. 1t is he, in
the garb OF Engineer of that road, who has
from the outset of the present controversy,
magnlied aud multiplied the difficulties of
the route, exaggerated its grades over
estimated its eXpensivenrss both as respects
its construction and furniture, uniformly
under-stated its superiority oaer his favor
lie central route in shortneSs of line, as
sailed III the grossest manner the survey
and estimates Of Mr. Gilbert, and in every
way attempted to embaiass and thwari the
efforts OF its friends to commend it TO
public favor. The undersigned therefore,
entrusted with the duty Of advocating and
defnding great project, which intimately
concerns aud interests large portion Of
the people Of Vermont, on whose behalf
they are now in Boston, are obliged TO
ask public attention 10 the following stale
meEls:-
Before the survey of the Eutand routc
was commenced under the direction of Mr.
FELTON,, he was fully apprised of the gen
eral nature of the difficulties to be en-
counlered in crossing the mountain at the
Mount Holly Gap, and also Of the adyan-
tages Of the Central route, that the re-.
spectve merits and difficulties of the two
routes were Frequently and freely cam
pared and discussed, in conversation held
by him, in the autumn of lS.lA, with Gen.
| Brown of Rutland, one of the commission
ers, aud Mr. Tracy, one Of his assistant
engineers; that he accepted ;he Office OF
engineer of the Rutland route with Il
knorlcdgc of these comparative merits ard
difficulties; thar he was then informed by
! MIR Tracy, who had Just been over the
route, that long and continuous line (l0
or IL miles at leas,,) of a grade not less
than 60 feet per mile, would De required
to cross the mountain; tina, II was then
conceded by Gen. Brown, that the advau,
tage in grade was with the Central route,
while at the same time he, Gen. Brown,
commended, (as the facts are) that as re-
specls curva,ures and distance, the Ru;-
land route was greatly superior. On re-
ceiving the report of Mr. Chase, in Nov,
or Dec last, giving an abstract Of the
grades on the eastern slope of the noun
tam, Mr. FELTON, declared the route to be