Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-01-15
NUMBER "a.

having salary of 50 800 annually, and his travel
ling expenses paid by the corporation, is alone
qured 90 upon the line ofthe road, and he alone
is, from personal examination and inspection, ac-
quainted with the routes. The Board, as such,
have never seen one foot of any portion Of he route
and one member, that am aware Of has ever
seen the whole of the disputed section The conse-
quence Is that the Board have never acted from
their own personal knowledge but have taken their
views from the representations Of the President and
his engineers Nor was any member ofthe Board,
with the exception Of myself, present through the
protracted hearing before the commissioners. And
although some thirty miles Of the road have been
put under contract, and some twenty miles are in
the course Of construction, the Board have never
adopted by any vote, one foot Of the location,
much seen a plan and profile Of the
route, adopted by the President. | do not
mention this by way Of complaint, though perhaps
would regard different organization Of the
company more safe and wise. | have stated
these facts to show the means Of information which
the Board, such. have enjoyed confess that
most Of the information which have upon the
subject, has been obtained, from any thing that
has been laid before the Board but by personal ex.
animation OF plans and profes, observations taken
upon the ground and from the hearing before the
commissioners, where all parties were present. and
witnesses face to face. III had no other iniorma-
ton than what has been laid before the Board, |
should probably have come 10 the same conclusion
that majority Of my colleagues have As Board,
they are high-minded, intelligent and honorable
men, capable Of Judging correctly upon the facts
before them and i'll have had the misfortune TO
differ from the majority, have the consolation Of
believing that it is mainly from the fact that we
have drawn our conclusions from different premises
having had different sources Of information. / say
this in justice to my colleagues les, they should in
fer that doubted the soundness OF their Judgment
The advocates Of the Winchendon route allege
that all the Engineers who have been upon the lines
prefer that route. This position will be duly ap-
preciated when the facts fully stated. The first
survey Of the BaIdwnville route, made by Mr. Will
Jams, under the direction Of Mr. Whitwell, was a
hasy one, made for the purpose of testing the prac
ticabil,y Of the route in order to obtain the char
teri and was in fact nothing more than trial sur
vey,-as those gentlemen will themselves admit
That it no, perfect one, appears from the
fact that it was greatly improved by the line subse-
quenty run by Mr. Hayward. After the charter
was obtained and the question Of the Winchendon
route was agtated, an engineer was pot upon the
Winchendon route, for the express purpose Of find
ing better line than the one the Baldwinville
route. 1t is obvious that no fair comparison could
be instituted between routes surveyed under such
different circumstances, and for such different OBJ
jecs.
This was substantially the state Of the case, when
Mr. Hayward was put 0ponithe disputed territory;
and his survey may, in fact, be considered the
FIRST and the only one, which has presented any
thing like Just comparison Of the two routes Mr.
Hayward is gentleman Of great skill and expert
ence, but the time allotted him was insufficient to
make thorough exploration of the country, and
to select the best possible line, either through
Winchendon or Baldwinville- But there is one
striking difference in the natural features of the
two routes. The Winchendon route passes through
country so distinctly marked in many places that
an engineer could hardly deyiate from the best line
lie must keep IN the valley and encounter ledge aud
swamPs whenever and wherever they present them
selves. single line on such route would APP
proxlmate very near to definite location. But
the Badwinvllle route presents topography. Nea
the summit the route passes over an open country,
having no very marked features, and where the best
line can be selected only alter repeated trials Every
Engineer, and IN TACT every man OF common obser-
'ation' knows that some routes require much more
engineering ihan DINERS; and all who are acquaint-
ed with the routes IN question, viii readily admit
'ha' one line run upon the MInchendon route
would approach much nearer the best possible loca-
uon, than one upon the Bald~insille route
Mr. hayward. as before SAID, was put upon
these routes. lie passed over Them both, IN CON-
! pany with a young man IN his employ. and after
viewing the routes sent this young gentleman with
party TO run the lines and the result Of these sur
veys was presented TO the Board by Mr. Hayward,
IN his Report BY this report, it appeared that the
Baldwlnville line was one and quarter miles
shortet than the Winchendon, but that il would
cost S22 900 more. 1t also appeared from the
report that the maximum grade, from Fitchburg
to the point, where the two routes would diyerge
near Fairbanks, iniAshb urnham, sixty feet
10 the mile. This would be common to both