The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-31
i the depot II North Adams

ibc section Of road bu FROM The depot Al North Adams
10 the STATE Inc az vermopd.
Thee foun4 road completed and IN running order 10
the State Ge being 53l feet less than miles. The
rs i . superior quality weighing nfy eight pounds to
The 'ard made of American IRON at The Rensselaer, Works
~ To, New York, and Is heavier than the contractors
Hsfc furnish trails of forty five pounds the yard
shc building Of the line Troy through che southern part
II Vermont and i IS expected that the connection wit
Troy viii he completed in tour or FIVE months.
The length Of tunnel both sides the mountain is OBS
feet and tie headings 263 feet in addition which gives
the required excavation of feet and of % feet
full required, and 1858 feet more Of the work fully
one half completed.
The unnel the eastern side of the mountain is worked
in solid rock foim ming arch enduring the noun
tain ITSELF and its height Is fully sixteen feet The whole
height Of tunnel on tie eastern side 976 feet OF which
1Ss is cut fun size The entire depth OF tunnel on western
soc ao feet full size win an az or @ o 10
not firm the eastern, and II Is found necessary TO
support the roof of the tunnel by tmbers From test
shafts already sunk beyond the present heading, the con-
tractors satisfied that different formation will very
soon be reached in which artificial supports Will be
required but which WILL like the mica slate OF the east
end, be sefsupportng
mortgage Of the entire railroad of the corporation,
with its income aud all the franchise and property to
them belonging executed in 1855 and is now held
by the State the ulfment of the conditions
upon which the loan of credit has been made and the
company has assigned TO the State all interest had
that hereafter obtain, in the Southern Vermont
Railroad Company.
The company has obtained subscription Of its capital
stock Of 5000 (sx hundred thousand dolars) upon
which 20 per cent has been paid In cash.
These are regarded full compliance with the
dons Of the loan the bonds have been signed
the Governor and delivered to the treasurer Of the Troy
and Greenfield Railroad Company. The bonds are e.
pressed English currency and are for the sums OF $500
and ESQ sterling each There two attachments
upon the property OF the road for small sums levied pre-
vous to the mortgage to the State which will probably
be removed before the issue Of the bonds.
Tie work is progressing WELL but from the cir
eumssnces above stated it not feasible to name an a
proximate period when it will be completed The nd.
vantages to be gained by the work have been summed
up follows
II will reduce the summit level of the Troy and Green
field line 10 point hundred and twenty two feet be-
low the summit level of the Western Railroad, will re-
gradients from seventy eight feet per mile on the
Western Railroad TO thirty.nne feet the Troy and
Greenfield will extingush 400 degrees curvature
mand bridge in place of ferry across the Hudson, re
duce the Of fuel from twenty to forty per cent by
opening and extensive forests in the Deerfeld val
ley abrdge the distance from the scapois OF Mssachu
sets Bay frcm twenty three 10 thirty three miles while
IL dminshes the length Of line from lowell Lawrence
Fitchburg ana Grecnhed-a important centres of distr
button to Troyfrom twenty TO forty per cent and pre-
serves the elevation attais by crossing the Connecticut
hundred and thirty five feet above the level or
the Western Railroad bridge at Springfield.
The engineer examined by your committee testified that
these advantages would effect saving in running and
maintaining the railroad in cost Of fuel and
equra2e interest investments ~ locomotives and cost
of motive power in conductors salaries and in cost Of
trausshpment and erraee, and would consequently re-
duee the OF transportation between the coast and
Troy than 50 cent and the cost of taDsorta
ton between Greenfield and Troy than IS cent
below the present cost reported by the late president
and engineer Of the Western Railroad.
The Will reduce the average cost
Of transportation betwe the coast Of Massachu
sets and the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson rivers
more than fifty per cent.
In the transportation Of freight for long distances by
railroads, the item of fuel forms nearly one-fourth
part of expense. Upon the Western aud Boston and
Worcester Railroads. the forests after sixteen twenty
years use becoming exhausted, and wood has
ragged for the year from IS To So cord On the
line vast forests with less occasion for their use
from the superiority OF the grades Wood ranges from
81 50 per cord the Troy and Greenfield line To So SO
cord the Vermont and and So so on the
Fchburg line; and in moving trains the cost of fuel per
mile on the several lines may be stated follows, viz
20 50 100 cents me on the Boston and Worcester
Railroad.
q s5-1Go cents per mile, on the Western Railroad.
is s. 100 cents per mile the Ftchburg Railroad.
Ia 1900 cents per mile, the Vermont and Massa-
chusctis Railroad.
10 cents per mile the Troy Greenfield Railroad
While the average the three last lines less by
hall. than the average on the two former
Upon applying these facts to the transportation OF
freight upon the iwo lines we find
First That the route is shorter than the Western
and Worcester by twenty three miles, which equivalent
TO cutting of the whole distance from Boston to Framing
ham.
Second That such IL the superiority Of grade, that
while the trains the Western Railroad but So
tons TO o train the trains the line competent
200 in the direction OF the trade, and may be
safely assumed TO average more than 125 tons with the
same fuel which moves IS on the Western Railroad.
The advocates the enterprise believe that when the
na between the mouth OF the MOHAWK and
coast OF Massachusetts, at Boston Salem aud Newbury
port with cost Of 81 so 10 81 rs per ton such will
be the saving OF distance insurance and interest
shipment thence 10 Europe and the Provinces that can
be carried 10 either from the shores OF Massachusetts,
Bay dollar per less than the average cost from
the port Of New York
proper say here that there minority report
against the project The opponents OF the grant say that
as the distance from Troy New York is 1853 miles
fifty three miles less than from Troy 10 Boston
over the new road-and New York has the
ter facilities Of the Hudson, II follows that the
Western trade 20 New York in any event. The
thirty nine miles Of road and four Of tunnel will cost
S4,3f2520.
The new railway will run nearly parallel with the West,
ern II will connect casfcrly with the Fitchburg and
lowell which have connections with all the main lines In
New England-north, south, east and west AT Troy u
will with the Northern railways TO Canada and
Vermont, and with the New York Central TO the West
also with the Hudson River TO New York city.
BERGEN TUNNEL.
The Erie Railroad Company commenced the digging n