The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-12-17
Opening OF the Portland snd Rschester

ladies and the representatives of the press of
this city, made an excursion over the road to
Alfred yesterday morning, thus opening the |
road to public travel between the latter place |
and Portland.
The snow storm, which has been threatening |
for the past few days. failed to fulfil its prom |
Use, and about o'clock the sun broke through |
the clouds and ilumined the country with his |
genial rays, giving q cheerful aspect to the
wintry landscape. The cars started from the |
depot at the foot of Myrtle street precisely at
IA A. NJ. As we passed through Cumber-
land Mills, (the scene of the recent land slide)
we were told that the water had worked
channel through the slide, on Tuesday moru-
ing some six f ct in depth, ard consequently
the water had fallen that amount. At Sacca-
Kappa, where there are number of mills, it is
intended to run a switeh-track up to the mills
so t6at they may load and unload directly
from the cars. When we reached Gerham
the gentlemen all alighted from the train to
view another landslide. which had taken
place upon the property of farmer, contigu-
GUS to the track, and for which he thought he
ought to receive damages from the company
AS this freak OF nature was not of snch char
acter as will probably engross the attention of
the majority of scientific men in this hemis-
phere, and as the temperature of Gorham at
that hour was not very tropical, we were par
ticrarly pleased at the quickness with which
the Directors settled the business. At Water
borough we a'ighted to examine the new de-
pot which is very neat and convenient and,
not least, well warmed.
FROM Marlborough to Alfred the track is
very smooth, and you escape the constant
click, click, so common on railroads, The
road is well ballasted and bedded down in
gravel to avoid the springing of rails out of
position, very frequent in the spring of the
year, when the frost is coming out of the
ground. just before reaching the Alfred de-
| pot, it was decided to make short visit to the
| Shaker settlement which lies about two miles
this side. Descending fom the train we
| crossed into field and then proceeded to as
| cend Shaker hill, which is quite mound
Then came the Alpine ascent. Little patches
of ice and snow covered the brown heather
here and there, so as to make the footing inse-
cure, and no little joking was INDUCED in ut
| the expense of all the members of the party,
but when the summit was reached most
beautiful view lay spread out before us. We
should like to expatiate little upon that glo-
rious prospect, but space will not permit, and
we accordingly push on to the residence of
Mr.. Otis Sawyer, the head of the Shaker fra
ternity, both at Alfred and New Gloucester.
Here we were most Hospitality entertained by
Mr.. Sawyer and Mr.. Vance, and by Mr.. Saw.
yer's sister, Mrs. Wentworth. Many of the
party invested in the basket and feather work
for which the Shakers are so celebrated; and
while they were making their purchases, we
had short conversation with Mr.. Sawyer, in
the course of which he remarked that they
raised about eight acres OF corn the past year,
making some three hundred and twenty BUSH
els; that their potatoes got the rot and did not
turn out very well; and that they were going
to build another saw mill below where the
present one now stands. ID EftN.
Having retaken the train. we rode into the
depot at Alfred without further interruption
This depot is built of wood, in the form of q
cross, and the roof is rather of the Gothic or.
der OF architecture. On the right of the de.
pot is the ground, already prepared for the
turn table and engine house. The engine
house is supplied with an abundance of clear
sweet, spring water, brought from the hill neal
at hand, having head of thirty feet, and cost
ing to bring it to the engine house, with the
piping, only $780, 1t was quite curious to no.
tlce the work of excavation for the buildings
connected with the depot. The pick would be
employed to quite depth, making sort Of
channel wide enough to use the spade, and
then the men would dig under the frozen crust
causing it to fall by Its own weight.
From the depot to the main street of the
town Mr.. Allen has given the land for pub
lie road. We passed through this proposed
street and were first taken to the store Oh
Messrs. Littlefield & Leavitt These gentle.
men have one of the finest country stores IN
the State. 1t is two stories high with French
roof; the cellar is laid in stone and brick with
cemented floor; the first story is devoted to all
KINDS OF country goods, such as boots, hats
dry goods, groceries, etc On the second story
is stored barrels of -four and different kinds Of
country produce, and there is a large room de-
voted 10 the custom and wholesale tailoring
busitess. In the upper story is The Masonic
Hall, which will be very fine afflir, and is
including ante-rooms, the full size of the whole
building in length and depth, viz: seventy.
five by thirty feet.
Alfred is very pretty town, and the shire
town of York County. Contains about 1000
inhabitants, three churches, two taverns, coul
house and Jail. In the Clerk of the Courts
| Office will be found the most complete set OF
records. with one exception, that of Plymouth
Massachusetts,) to be found in New England
dating back to 1852. By the kindness OF Mr.
| ~ H. r.
rious old writings, together with the court
room and other offices.
About o'clock We all sat down to a smok.
ing-hot dinner, provided by Mr.. r. P Berry
the landlord of the Central House, and a first
rate diuner it was. The guests appeiites were
well sharpened by the exercise they had taker
during the m'trning, and they did full Justice
to the well-cooked viands. After the dinner
the Directors attended the funeral of Mrs
Emerson, whose husband, Capt. Emerson. has
always been deeply interested in railways.
At IL O'Clock precisely we left the depot OF
our return, arriving in Portland a little before
B. Our thanks are due to the President and
Directors for most pleasant trip; to Messrs
Stinson and Drew of Alfred Tor attentions, and
to Conductors O'Brlen and Littlefield for oul
safe conduct over the road.
| The town of Alfred will now hand over ten
thousand dollarS, amount of stock subscribed
and to be paid upon the company's fulfilling
their contract before January LIST, 1869. The
train this morning was the fest passenger train
| drawn by locomotive that has gone from
Portland to Alfred, although freight trains and
the dummy have been running since Monday
the 18th inst. Tuesday afternoon the dummy
when about one-eighth of mile from Water.
borough had the misfortune to smash the large
Wheel and it is very curious, as the car was go
ing at a moderate speed and the track was per.
tectly smooth.
| As many of our citizens may not have an
adequate idea of the Importance OF this road
| we will inform them that only eighteen miles
| remain to be built from Alfred to Rochester,
At Rochester a road from Nashua is projected
which will connect with this one, and thus the
line may be carried forward t, New York, 70
that goods may be shipped at o'clock in the
afternoon in New York and be LANDED in Port
land the next afternoon. A road is also p, o.
jected from Rochester to Manchester, N. H.
Another from Rochester to Alton Bay on
Lake Winnepiseogee.
This road will bring a great deal of trade
from towns in New Hampshire and Vermont
that now go to Boston, and whereas they now
have to connect with those roads by stages and
teams the railroad will supply their wants at