The Portland daily press., 1868-08-11
A Marginal Street and Railway.

porf and import centers of the country First,
msrts of Europe than is Boston or New York,
| and nearer the outlet OF the great lakes
makes 1t the natural port OF entry and dis
| Charge to 100000 square miles of highly pro-
dctive territory situated upon the Lakes.
Secondly, Portland can compete successful
| " for the carrying trade of this vast area, in
virtue OF its remarkably favorable local copdi-
ions. The city is well nigh surrounded by
water. For very important part of it's en-
tire circuit, the depth of water is sufficient at
Ill stages of the tide for ships of the largest
draft The several bays constituting its great
natural wet docks are of ample size for an in
definite number of craft. They are readily ac-
cessible one from another and from the open
main. AS respects anchorage ground, expos
IRE to ocean SWELL and other conditions, these
great roadsteads compare on favorable terms
| With the very best.
AS our position will inevitably bring freight
here, SO our local conditions will enable US to
hundle that freight with economy. This great
advantage we are already experiencing Com
mercial street with its double railway tracks,
embranching upon our wharves and piers, and
facilitating the transfer of goods direct from
ear platforms to ships decks, is the prime ele
nent of our strength in this department of in
1ustry.
A prudent forecast demands, accordingly,
| hat, with view to the accommodation OF the
| freight that must find its exit from this port,
| na1rgindt thOroughtdre, continuous with Com
| mercial, East Commercial and West CONNER
cia streets, be laid out entirely around the
city Let us look into the details little.
Commercial and West Commercial streets
| from Vaughan's bridge to India street have a
Length of COOS rods, all laid out and all con-
struced, and all AUDITING upon water front.
| So much, then, of the marginal street is al
| ready done.
/ From Commercial street at the foot of India
street to the foot of d street at Fish Point
| is distance of 225.6 rods. For part of this
| distance the line of the marginal street could
probably be made to coincide with the line OF
! Pore street. From the foot of Mumford street
to the Victoria wharves, the city has already
paid for the construction of a street, the road
!: bed now being occupied by the tracks of the
Grand Trunk Railroad. The whole distance
| of 2256 rods is bounded by water 'front.'
| East Commercial street from the foot o
Danforth street around Munjoy to Washing
ton street is 312 rods long. This has
water front in its whole extent, also the deep
est water and the most extensive accommoda
tions for wharves and docks to be found OIL
our whole shore line. The larger proportion
OF the East CONNER cal harborage lies below
bridges, is comparatively unebstructed will
ice, and is by far the best lying ground 70
large shipping in all our surrounding waters
there being next to no swell from the ocean
The city now owns the right of way over tn
whole distance, having come into possession O
it by gift of the proprietors, and has laid on
the street.
From Washington street at Back Gov
bridge along the channel of Back Cove t.
behring's bridge is distance of 1882 rods, AM
this upon the filing of the flats will be tn
length of water front, and of roadway as pro
posed. The right of way for this distance vii
not cost the city dollar, provided the layin
out be done at once, before improvements hav
been made. The proprietors will give out
right hundred feet in width to the city TO
the purpose of the marginal street. This wa
ter front can all be made of value for CONNER
cial purposes. Indeed 600 feet above BAG
Cove bridge there is at dead low water chan
mel depth of twenty feet, and the channel a
the bridge is 600 feet wide. The bottom of tn
cove,is of dredgible material, " hich can be az
piled to filling the flats out to the harbor CON
missioner's line, and many acres of land mad
at an expense not materially greater than ha
been incurred heretofore for making tn
"Dump" lands, namely seven cents per super
fetal foot. Draws of modern construction uI
ON the bridges below will enable sailing era
and steamers to pass through at full speed,
signal of two or three minutes only being nee
essary The harborage thus secured will b
for ten months of the year equal to that upo
Commercial street, for certain uses, and will
valuable addition to our commercial facil
ties. The work of dock and land constructio
above referred to, will of course be done by tn
proprietors. 80
From Deeringyss5r through the mi
pond to the city farm around the west end c
the city, part of the way on the abandone
track of the X. & P. r. R., to a point nea
Fore river, is a distance of 1862 rods, with wa
ter front. A portion Of the track referred t,
however, being contiguous to the fresh waite
Basin, would form most admirable sites for va
rious factories, those especially usin
considerable quantities of water.
From the aforesaid point near Fore river, t.
Vaughan's bridge at the west end of Yves
Commercial street, is distance of 100 rod
all oft bounded by water front susceptible c
improvement.
We have the following summary: