The Portland daily press., 1869-05-29
Portland and ogden.bnrsh Railrond.

fROGhESS OF TILE SURVEYS.
Yesterday morning we visited the offices of
the Company in the International Bank build
ing, where we were ST own the maps of the
surveys of the several routes which are in
progress of completion. The two large rooms
IN the third story are occupied by the several
engineers OF the company with their assistants
under the general superintendence of Mr.;
John +. Anderson, the Chief Engineer. All
are hard at work and present busy scene.
These surveys represent, in all, 445 miles of
survey of country.
The Western Route, OF which Mr. A. @.
Mitchell is the engineer, embraces 140 miles
of survey, and was the first map examined by
us. All the surveys on this route are mapped
out in dotted lines, aud from these surveys
the projected line most attainable upon this
route is denoted by red line These surveys
do not all denote the direct line to Portland,
as in some cases it is not decided wheth-
er or not it is advisable to join other lines.
AS, for instance, upon reaching Hiram Bridge,
it is undecided whether to join the middle
route, SUI veysd by Mr.. Noyes' party, or con-
tinue along the course of the Saco 1t is also
undecided whether they shall join the other
route at Steep Falls, and also which line win
be pursued from Humphreys Lodge in Bart
lett to Steep Falls. We observed number of
cross lines on the map indicating where lines
of survey may be joined, if desired, so that ad-
vantage may be taken of every inch of survey
which is feasible, and thus enable the Direc-
tors to make such combinations of the different
routes as shall seem proper to them and for
the best interests of the company.
The maps of the middle route, surveyed by
Mr.. Noyes and party, and those of the Bridg-
ton route, surveyed by Mr. Stevenson and
party, all present the same system Of dotted
and cross lines for surveys, and red lines for
the most attainable projected line. Mr.. Noyess
party have embraced 100 miles of survey. We
noticed that that part of their line of survey
between Starks Hill, in Fryeburg, and Port
land plays about" an air line. The difficult
spot in Mr.. Noyes route is Bear Ridge in
Denmark. The difficulties of this spot can be
surmounted by elongating the line of survey
a mile and half and passing round ON either
side OF the Ridge, on the side by Denmark
Corner, or on the other 81 e by Hatch's Cor
nsr in Hiram, near Hiram Bridge, and even
with this expense the cost of constructing the
1870
England roads on account of the few obstacles
encountered The same may be said of all
three Of the routes. The engineers state that
they fiud it easier to locate road among
mountains than along seaboard, strange as it
may seem. The scenery along Sebago Lake,
and, in fact, all along this route, is superb and
would be great attraction in summer travel
The Bridgton route, which Mr.. Stevenson
has in charge, embraces 125 miles of survey
1t is the longest of the three proposed routes
by some few miles, but is a perfectly feasible
one, and calls for careful attention on account
of the great amount of business that passes to
and from the large town of Bridgton and the
number of manufacturing towns on this route,
In addition to the above, Mr.. Bonnell has
surveyed sixty miles in three lines, connecting
with the several rontes from Portland But it
must be borne in mind that no route has net
been decided atp0n.
After this mapping is finished, quantities of
excavation and embankment have to be taken
oat upon elevations taken at every hundred
feet, besides culvert and bridge masonry, to-
gether with the superstructure of the bridges
and of the roads, and prices applied, so that
the several routesl may each, as an entirety,
be made numerators of common denomnat-
or, SO that they can be compared.
Our people can rest assured that everything
is being done with the greatest possible speed
consistent with accuracy by the engineers, to
enable the directors to decide upon the location
of the road at the earliest possible day. And
when we think of what has already been ac-
complished by the surveying parties during the
most inclement season of the year, and during
one of the most severe winters, as far as re-
CARDS the blocking of the different roads with
immense masses. of snow, ever known in this
latitude, we think they are deserving of great
credit.