Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-03-12
To The Directors Of the Vermont and Mass
achusetts Railroad Company.

view Of the affairs of the Company, allow me to sub.
nit for your consideration the following suggestions
But before proceeding in this duty, it may be well to
consider for moment the nature Of the trust have
assumed and how the can be honestly and faith.
fully discharged. We placed here as the guardians
Of an entre enterprise We are not expected geo.
graphically, 10 parcel out responsibilities, and deal
out to each member at table some six eight miles
OF line. Separate Vcefoys, each his distinct region
would not constitute proper board Of directors. A
road thus built would not be one railroad Each niece
might be perfect yet tie whole might be valuc,ss
We have had an Illustration of this in a sceut ex-
parte attempt to Improve" line which your epgi.
neers had seected whereby a perpendicular leap of
about fifteen feet would be required OF the engine TO
avail itself of the improved secuon.s
| unity OF purpose is reqired and am happy to
add, exists in this board, each member of which re.
CARDS himself trustee, not Of separate section but
OF each and every mile OF the line. This same neces.
sy also requires that engineers should act in con-
cert with reference to one uniform plan and mode of
operation, and such unity exists with them
No other road boast of better services in This
department than you have secured for the past year.
But the merit your engineers, great as it u.s. would
DE useless To you, II each one acted plan ol his
own, or under the influence OF 4 separate interest
You are doubtless aware, that attempts have been
made TO substitute quite opposite principle Of ac-
ton. Il appears TO have been expected OF you, BY
some, that particular section Of your line should be
entrusted to the exclusive supervision Of person iv-
ing near it, and that the surveys Tor that district
should be made, not by engineers employed by and
responsible to the Company, but, By the voluntary
contribution OF interested parties Information thus
offered, is, indeed be received rcspecfuv. and L
candidy weighed, and is to guide our conduct when.
ever II is found worthy to be followed The revela-
alioRs however which reach YOU and the public from
these sideway sources, must be admitted occa
sionaly OF somewhat startling character and If the
very nature OF duties had not previously prepateJ
us for surprises, might disturb our eqnanmity We
are told Tor example, that 1.-THE Board, as such has
never seen one foot Of any portion Of The route ~
Now while it is true, that almost every indipidual
member has Travelled along many miles Of the route
and while il is equally true that some among you have
viewed almost the entire sxty.sx miles together with
It's optional routes embracing in all examinations about
one hundred and fifty miles Of line il is doubtless also
true that the Board, sueh has never seen one foot
OF any portion Of the route" or in other words YOU
have not moved in mass, appointed and org anized
your meetings in the open air You have held no
sessions OF perambulatory kind, with travelling Sec
rotary; walked while sitting nor sat while walk
ing. In this sense, the assertion has TRUTH but wheh-
er i has candor, is quite another question.
Again you hsve been told that "the means of inlor-
nation which the board has possessed" have been in.
sufficient; and this remark proceeds from one whose
former position in the Bonrd afforded him full means
o! imparting TO you his own knowledge and informa-
ton; but, who did not find il convenient TO attend more
than one in three Of your meetings, while the seats of
those upon whom he is charging Indifference or neg
lect, have been seldom empty Some of your Board
having abored months in the service of this Company,
where he has abored days, and some having gfa,ui.
tousy Travelled the past year. for the purpose several
thousands Of miles. And again, il has been declared
that Though some thirty miles have been put under
contract, and twenty are in Of construction the
Board has never adopted by any vote one foot of the
location, or even much seen n pn and profile of
the route as adopted by the President" II BY this
The exact and final, and technical oculon" under the
statute IS meant II has, neither been made voted nor
hed and may vary more or less daily as the work
progresses. To adopt and Gle final and fixed oca-
ton prematurely, would deprive the company OF the
Deneht 81 all Improvements during the progress Of the
work, and might, il anything unforeseen should arise
embatTass them in avoiding il. II il means that the
board have not adopted any general route or either of
the disputed routes or signhed the President by
vote, on which Of them to commence operations, he
probably lorgets that the Goth Of June he debated
lhis question with Mr. Hayward's plan and profile be-
lore NM and that Notwithstanding his own earnest
speech oil an hour IN length, and after weighing his
ingenious objections to the course the Board "adop-
ted" the route which not his lavoritc If he in
tends TO say that the thus generally adopted has
received and is receiving improvements minute in geo
graphical distance but important in effect we cheer
luly ADMIT The lact, and trust that successors in
office whoever they may be, will not depart from this
policy so long valuable improvements can be made
The Company would make slow prog css, il every mi.
mute modification of the line was the subject of n sena.
rate vote. An undiscovered rock could on such snn.
position be honestly avoided, only, by stopping the
contractor, dsmlssng the aborers during the six DAYS
required for giving notice. and debating the subject in
a meeting OF the Board.
The gueSses OF directors are not more valuable than
the measurements OF engineers and the scientific esti-
mates OF the latter are quite valuable the mere
eighteen
miles from the home Of our associate arose the uues-
ton OF the Warwick route, involving interests impor-
tant TO the Company, and TO the people near it, Il
Is true the residents OF that point not his neigh
oors and were no otherwise his constituents than as
they were our Stockholders Their fate was decided
without his official examinations, and his jealousy of
engineers appears 10 have subsidized there, into some
thing like confidence and respect In Short if we are
10 Judge by his practice, The value OF directors gueg-
SEES IS about nversey the square Of the distance from
ms nome But let us attend to the business in hand
When we commenced the construction of this Rail-
road, lis situation was somewhat peculiar The first
twelve miles out of Fitchburg, presented the worst
grades the whole line; yet here the Stockholders
expected US TO commence Immediately. lis continuity
with the Ftchburg road and the saving Of interest on
capital by Getting this portion into early use certainly
required thai unreasonable delay should occur in lis
constructions; yet this very portion Of all others, re-
qulred most unweaTed care and study. The maxi
mum grades OF ascent westward must occur on this
portion, and the character Of this work must decide
the capacity OF engines the entire road. In other
WORDS every ton Of rail, every cubic yard of embank-
ment every perch of masonry every sleeper and every
bridge between FitchbuTg and Vermont were 10 have
their value affected by the curves and grades on this
twelve miles Errors committed here, would be mon.
umental errors for they would affect forever the value
oil the company property, and the convenience Of the
public Important treatment of this sec lion had
thus become, there still another circumstance
which increased that importance, and heightened our
responsibility Somewhere above this hpelpe mites of
ascent tributary road tUas TO enter upon ours Ii
we should occupy by our road the best possible ground
over this twelve miles, this conner must forever
remain tributary and friend: but, should we adopt
any other than that best ground il required no great
gilt OF prophecy TO predict that the other enterprise
would sooner or later avail itself OF our eTrors and at
tempt to become your rival and your enemy. Future
Legislatures, when The value of grades and curves be-
comes better understood may be reluctant to shut of
the public from the better, to drive them over the
worst Two inesi he they ever so near together II is