The Republican journal., 1869-09-23
THE BELFAST AND MOOsEHEAD LAKE
Rail ROAD LIS PRNGRESS

|
In saving we have been over the railroad
we do not wish to be understood as asserting
that the stcam-llorse has dragged us over i
ri the rate CT twenty-five miles an hour, in
Guiding stoppagcs for refreshments. There
were no saloon cars with spring scats,-n(
aflable conductor, no boy with newspapers
and peanuts. The Daily Republican Journa
for the early train is yet in the FUTURE anl
visible only to the eye Of faith. Candor com
pcls us to say that the means Of locomotior
were a horse and buggy where the highway
permitted 4 sight Of the track. and trusty leg
when the roads diverged and made the time
honorcd Shank'S mare the only available
method of getting over the ground. Having
expressed desire to see the progress OF tn,
work. Mr.. Wilson, OF the firm of Wilson
| Tenant & Co., contractors invited lis to ac.
junction ut Bulnham. 50 on Friday morning
we set out.
Starting from the eastern highway bridge
the point to which tl,e @radin" is completed
wv 'ltoh titli INV ''iiiN WI iii' itA'i VIZ tii'
track to the Upper Bridge, finding the road
bed hard, smooth and beautifully true in the
angles of the embellishments and cuts. The
work in getting out of the city is very heavy
and for some miles actually costs the CON
tractors more than they receive for it--a de
licicncy that is more than compensated by tho
easy work nj The other end Of the contract
As an instance, il may be mentioned that il
the heavy cut in crossing the SaIathiel Nick
erson place, the clay was found to be so hard
that it had to be drilled and blasted like rock
Ledge and boultcrS are liable to be met in
unexpected places, and arc Very expensive
to move.
The high cury ed cmbankmcnt beyond the
| Upper Bridge is the handSomcsl piece Of worl
of the kind to be seen in the state. and is no
ticed by all passer9. II stretches away K
where the @lorics of Beavers Tail were, bu
are now no more THAT famous promontory
much trcquentch of summers evenings by
couples in the counting mood, was ruthlcssly
dig@cd down, and incorporated into the
track. Beyond the Tail, that was, the tracl
struck II high ledge that could not be 90
over or thanked, and consequently had to be
gone through. For year and q hall ON
people have heard the distant cannonadine
with which the rock has been ass:iled until {
passage has been made through twenty fee
high of solid rock, at the expense, besides
Of the-alms and eyes of sundry careless labor
ers. One of the blasts let out y spring of wa
ter, where we stopped to drink--and if Moses
got any better fluid out of the rock ut Hebron
he did we'll,
Just beyond this 4 new difficulty prescntce
itself In~lilling across q cove Of the river
it was found that the filing sank in the sof
mud, rs soon rs it was raised to q certain
height. An acre or two of the shore to the deptl
of Il dozen feet have been thrown in, and still
like the hOrSe-lecch's daughter, if cries ss@iyc.
Some eight or ten rods are left in an ,mnish
ed state The contractors are Disguised an(
the engineers annoyed; but some remedy fol
this difficulty will be found, as there has beer
for all others since the road was projected.
The granite abuments for the Point Brdg,
are finished, and certainly handsomer speci
mems of stone-wolk for this purpose were
never seen. They look as though they might
last for all time. The dark, fine grained
stone is very beautiful. The timber for this
bridge is all ready and it will be completed
in few weeks. Indeed every bridge from
Belfast to beyond Brooks will be in place be
fore January. The span Of this one is 10C
| feet with height Of 81. Crossing the river
and taking to the track again. we rode unit
the completed abutments of another bridge
four miles from Belfast, We're reuchell-this
50 feet span and p feet high. Reaching q
point where there were gaps between the
fills, and impractlcable for q carriage, the We
hiclc was sent around by q laborcr to point
near Holmes Mill. We soon encountered
in our way another bridge on which the stone
masons were at work. This stream is live,
customer when it gets its back up with q
spring freshet, and needs substantial work in
bridges-which there certainly is in these
BY putting one foot before the other anC
continuing to repeat the process, We passeC
the Gould place, where the barn was remov.
cd to give room for the track, and the con
tractors are laboring through some pretty
solid rock that proved to be under the barn
The running down the ends of cmbankmcnt:
and climbing the next one, must be excellent
exercise for person suffering from sedentary
habits. 1t equals the doctors prescription tC
patient troubled with slecplcssncss-'Fil
your pillow with fresh sawdust every day
and make the dust yourself" At Holmes Mil
some engineering difficulties have been sur
mounted by turning the course Of the stream
making q new town road, and thus securing
u favorable location for the railroad Driv.
ing in the carriage short distance, we agair
mounted that safe and reliable animal tho
mare Of Shanks, and tool, to the railroad track