The Portland daily press., 1868-03-23
Portland and Rutland Railroad.

In noticing my communication on the
Portland and Rutland Railroad in your
Anursdsy's issue, you speak of an "appar-
ieh' lhaccuracy" in claiming that "the most
drect practicable line from Chicago to the
sea Is Oy way of Rutland, &C. The statement
tnat ot@ hutland is the most direct practical
line from Chicago to the sea- should have
read, Europe, in place of 'the sea- So that
It should read from Chicago to Portland. r;a
Woodstock, Centre Harbor and Cornish, she
most practical line of transit from Chicago tn
Europe can be obtained This error was
made in transcribing by the hand of another
AS between Boston and Portland, the ad-
vantage in distance will be by the way of
Whitehall and the grades still more in favor
OF this route if the links in the chain are
complete. Taking Rome on the line of the
New York Central, the most northern point
on its line, as a common point for the diyerg-
ence of traffic, a line from Rome to Whitehall
of 100 or 110 miles in length, will make the
distance 293 miles only to Portland from
New York. But it is not New York, but
Liverpool, that Chicago seeks to reach, by
the shortest practicable line; that line is by
the route proposed, uia Whitehall and Rut-
land to Portland.
If this line is carried out, 1t will also be-
come the most important link In the great
continental chain, the Pacific Railway, or
more properly speaking the Atlantic and Pa
cfc Railloay. The continent of North
America at its widest part, nearly on the
45th parallel of latitude,-from Cape Canso
Nova Scotia in latitude As deg. II m. and in
longitude 81 deg. 0 m. 10 Cape Lookout in
Oregon, in lat. 45 deg 30 m. and In longitude
124 deg-extends distance of 63 deg, 2773
geographical miles, equal to 3191 statute
miles. During the year 1870 or soon after
that, this distance will ali be spanned by a
line, or series of connected lines of railway,
from Halifax Nova Scotia in lat. A deg. 81 IN.
long. 63 deg. 20 M. to San Francisco, situated
in lat. 81 deg. As m. and In long 122 deg.
26 m.-Portland Maine in lat. 43 deg. 80 m.
and in long. 10 deg. Is m. on the most direct |
route is the Atlantic port first and most |
easily reached by the through trains from the |
Pacific. The directness of the line from Hal |
ifax to San Francisco is most remarkable.
Passing round the head of tho Bay of Funday
the line runs only degree and one halfnorth
or as high as 46 deg. m, when it turns
southwest to s.. Johns in lat. as deg. IS m.
which is reached in distance of 262 miles
from Halifax. From st John to Bangor in
lat. "A deg. 45 m. and in long. 68 deg. DC m. it
runs nearly west distance of 1876 miles;
thence to Portland In lat. 43 deg. 80 m. and
in long. 10 deg. 10 m. distance OF 1873 miles,
a total of 500 miles from Halifax to Portland,
all of which is now built, or in progress.
From Portland line running .due west,
striking Center Harbor, White River juno
ton, Woodstock, Rutland and Whitehall at
the head of Lake Champlain will enable the
traveller by the way of Schenectady, the Sus-
pension Bridge and Detroit, to reach Chica-
go in distance OF 1045 miles from Portland
or S3 miles shorter than by any other route
from Europe. n-
From Portland to Chicago by way of Bos-
ton and Albany is 1928 miles, and by way of
Montreal and the Grand Trunk Railway
1141 miles. Portland is destined therefore to
become the shipping port for Chicago in the
winter months, and the most important one |
to her of all the Atlantic ports, throughout |
the year The completion of this shortest
ine. From Chicago to Halifax via Portland
8 164l miles, from Chicago to Halifax ria /
Boston 1924 miles, and uia New York 1sO6
miles.
The cutting off Of the angle between
and Rome already proposed, will
----- - tz-S isS.4u nuJ-
and line, but give no advantage to the lines
10 Boston and New York. If so miles dis
ance is saved between Whitehall and Rome
he distance from Portland to Chicago will
,e as before stated reduced to below 1000
niles. No line from Chicago to Boston can
De less than 1921 miles, or less than e65 miles
10 New York.
From Chicago the distance to San Fran
cisco by the Pacific Railway is 1888 miles,
which makes. the line across the Continent
from Halifax to San Francisco 1919 miles,
as follows: