The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-07-23
THIRD ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE DIRECTORS
OF THE
RUTLAND AND BURLINGTON RAIL
ROAD COMPANY,

!
To the Stockholders ofhe Rutland and Bur
lington Railroad Co.
GENTLEMEN,
At your annual meeting in 1si9, you
we're pleased to order your Board of Direc-
tors to open your Road for travel and freight,
through its entire line, by the first day Of
January, 1850. You were at the time in
formed Of the estimated amount of work re-
naming 10 be Gone, and its magnitude must
have satisfied you, that the execution Of this
order, within the time limited, would call for
an effort, seldom if ever exceeded in Rail
road constr uction in New England. The
Board regarded this order as Imperative. No
obstacle which could be overcome, must be
permitted to prevent its literal execution.
And now. gentlemen, your Board have
the high qualification of being able to an
nouncc TO you in this formal manner, what
you already know and understand, that your
direction in this matter has been obcyed. A
train of cars from the ocean and another
from the lake, each full freighted with stock
holders and friends Of this great enterprise
met and exchanged congratulations in the
rock excavation upon the summit at Mount
Holly, on the 18th December, 1s49; being
thirteen days in advance of the period when
this whole work, by your order, was directed
to be finished. From that day to the pres
cnt, regular daily trains for freight and pas
sengcrs have passed each way over the en-
tire line.
1t would be burdensome, if not uhproia-
bic and painful, to recapitulatc, on an occa-
sion like this, the peculiar difficulties and
ombarrassments which have clustered around
and bcset this enterprise, from the earliest
period Of its existence. Some of the most
prominent have been seen and publicly
known, but the memory of others, moro con-
cealod and therefore more to be dreaded,
must be reserved to those who have been
obliged from their position, to grapplc with
and overcome them. 1t is sufficient to say,
that these difficulties and embarrassments of
whatever aspect or character they may have
been, have so far yielded to the efforts you
have made, as 10 place the Rutland and Bur-
lington Railroad, prominently before the
country. as a work now practically complet-
ed, and forming an important and necessary
link in the great chain of internal improve
ments For all this success we may be per-
mitted to congratulate ourselves and each
other.
But, gentlemen, this is not the purpose for
which, under our charter, we have assem-
bled. The day has arrived. when duty de-
mands of us, your agents, to lay before YOU
faithfully and trulhfully, and in sufficient
detail to be correctly understood by all, the
manner in which we have discharged the
great trust you have confdingly rcposed in
us, and to present for your consideration, our
views Of the future, so far as our own great
interests are involved, the protection of
which you will not fail to cherish and secure
The Rutland and Burlington Railroad.
emitting fraction, is 20 miles in length.
forming the Northern and Western portion
of the great trunk line from Boston to Lake
Champlain, and there connecting with the
various avenues leading TO Canada, and the
Western Lakes The cost of this Road
was estimated, in its preliminary survey, at
100000. 1t was to cross the Green Noun
tains in Vermont, at an elevation of some
! 400 feet above tide, and was to encounter,
at that point especially, an obstacle in rock
cutting Of most formidable and expensive
charac.er-too much SO, in the opinion of
many, to justify the necessary outlay. The
contractors commenced the work of grading
in tho spring of lsi7 since which, up to the
day of its completion in December, 1919,
the work progressed regularly and steadily,
and with but occasional and partial Interrupt
tons. During this short period there have
been removed 5,645,194 cubic yards Of earth,
more than 5000 yards of which is te-
nacious clay, hard-pan and quicksand; and
323 ,4sO yards of solid and 2l,999 yards of
loose rock. There lave been constructed
21,9ll Ii yards of culvert masonry, 3s-
1926 1-2 yards of bridge masonry, 1927
yards of arch and pier masonry, 16, 1886 yards
of bank Or supporting wall, and 5000 81
linea feet oil bridging. The mechanical
character of this work, for durability ard
strength, and for architectural symmetry and
beauty, will bear comparison, we think, with
similar work wherever fonnd in this country.
The entire line of track, which, with neces-
sary turn-outs, does not fall short of % miles
in length, was laid in six and half months
by one party of contractors. The sum Of
S24,O00 has been paid for fencing, embra-
cling a large portion of the line which passes
through the cultivated parts of the country,
where fencing was Immediately necessary
and sl7,O23,i7 for dopot-buildings, piinci-
pally at way-stations.
1t is known to you, gentlemen. that large
portion of that part of the line between Bur
lington and Brandon, passes over a country
where either clay or alluvial soil predomi-
mates. These materials, unsuitable for a
perfect road-bed, have required, during the
fall, winter and spring months, to be covered
with gravel, for which a heavy expenditure
has been incurred. The natural material
between Brandon and Bellows Falls, is gen.
orally of much more favorable character
but, nevertheless, has required considerable
expense. Gravel has now been placed on
nearly the whole length of the line, not moro