The Portland daily press., 1869-01-25
Monday Morning, January 2 1869.


MOuQay luO1A1Aot Z 4OVOI
Report Of the Raiiroad Commissioners.
The report of the Railroad Commissioners to
the Governor states that the Androscoggin
Bangor, Oldtowh and Milford, Portland, Saco
& Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway (three
miles in Maine) Boston & Maine Portland &
Rochester, Maine Central and Portland &
kennebec roads are In good condition. OF the
Portland & Oxford Central (Buckfeld branch)
road the Commissioners say: "The history Of
this road suggests the inquiry whether rail-
road chartered by the Legislature, and built in
part by the aid of the communities through
which it passes, should be liable to be sudden
ly stopped at the pleasure of the stockholders,
without notice of liability"
The rate of progress and the prospects OF tine
roads now in process of construction have oeeh
sufficiently indicated in previous articles III 'ne
Press, and we pass over the commissioners
remarks concerning them. OF the Newport
s. Dexter road, Just completed, they say:
This road connects with the Maine Central at
Newnort and is fourteen miles in length
Passenger trains commenced running over il
on the 26th of November last. The road is
leased to the Maine Central for thirty years
the lessees to keep it in repair, to furnish the
rolling rs stock, and pay $4,000 per, year for its
use. The town OF Dexter lent its bonds to aid
in the constipation for $125,O00; the town of
Cornna for $4,000; and there has been issued
$4,000 OF stock, making $4,000 on the cost
OF the road in bonds and stock, upon which
sum the Maine Central pay interest.
The chief point OF interest in the report is
the presentation of the case of the Grand
Trunk, or the portion of it in this State which
is known as the Atlantic & st. Lawrence road.
We do not get from it clear idea of the pres
ent status of the legal proceedings which were
instituted last fall, but we learn what the con-
dition OF the road is from as accurate state
ment as the Commissioners are able TO make
after careful, conscientious and oft-repeated
examinations. We quote:
Eighty-two miles OF this road is in Maine.
August 5, 1855, it was leased to the Grand
Trunk road of Canada for 99e years. The Com
mssioners say: "The Grand Trunk has grown
to be one of the great arteries of the State,
through which volume of travel and traffic
flows every day of the year, that in amount
quite fulfils the prophecies of its enthusiastic
projectors, and makes it of public concern
ment that it be kept always in healthy con-
dition. The magnitude OF its business may be
somewhat inferred from the fact that twenty
trains day pass over it from Danvile juno
ton to Portland, and that from Nov I, 1867, to
Nov. 1, rs, 83,162 cars passed over the same
portion of il, aud 6404 engines. But this great
amount of business has worn out the road. 1t
now requires ballastlng all the way from Dan
vile Junction to Portland, and in other places
and TO be relaid largely with new and better,
rails. The severity of the winter of 1878,
and the heavy traffic over it, severely affected !
the road The iron that has been laid down
Tor few years has proved to be of an inferior
quality, SO that when we went over the road in
early spring we found it much out of repair.
After reciting the results of their various ex-
SuhSnOupDt tn he first nd tba
order given in August to the company as to
repairs and the rate of speed, the Commission
state that after hearing upon petition
for an injunction, before Judge Tapley, on the
23d Of October, the court issued an order re-
qdiring certain repairs to be made on or before
January 1st, 1869, to the satisfaction of the
COMMISSIONS. and the speed of passenger
trains to be reduced to not exceeding Is miles
per hour. The Court also ordered that the
case stand continued for further hearing until
the January term unless complaint was sooner
made that there was unreasonable neglect or |
refusal to comply with the requirements of the |
order. ~ 1i-''
Of further proceedings the Commissioner.
say:
= We at once proceeded TO designate the places
where the speed OF passenger trains shall not
exceed ID miles per hour, and certain other
places where it should be reduced to six miles
an hour, and gave notice accordingly to the |
managing director of the Grand Trunk. On
the 18th and 10Th Of Noyem Der we again went
over the road. Mr. Corser had been over it
alone some ten days before. We found that
900 tons Of new rails had been laid in the
Maine portion of the road, many new sleepers
had been put down, the force of men under the
Road Master increased and the road improved
We have again been over the road. About
40 tons OF new rails have been laid since our
last examination, and some other repairs made. |
But the rails have become in other places bad
ly worn, and the road is not in the condition !
the great amount of business upon it requires,
nor such as in some portions of it as the safety
OF travellers demands except at tire reduced
rate of speed ordered by us in pursuance of
the decree of court. The management of the
road has issued instructions not to exceed the
speed stated, in designated places, aud engine
drivers are required to conform to such orders,
and never to make up time by increasing speed
These instructions imply good faith on the
part of the directors Of the road, and if always
observed may insure safety. And it may be
further said that the bridges are all fine ,struc-
lures, with stone abutments, and spans of
sound and l,rge timbers or iron Orders
bridges strong as wood and iron, and the best
masonry can make them. There can be none
better. But the road requires, as we have said
before, to be largely relaid and blllasted for its
own interest aid preservation, as We think, as
we'll as for the pull lie safety and convenience.
And the trains upon it are SO many and so
heavy that new rails will be necessary in many
places, aud from time to time during the win
ter, besides all the repairs that can be made to
the old iron, in order to enable it to continue
its business .....!
The Commissioners close by referring to the
situation of Maine as requiring an extensive
railroad system. though it is a border State
Lying between the Canadas and the maritime
provinces and on the natural route of the great
commercial thoroughfare around the world
Maine must have railroads adequate to the re-
quirements of her situation. Wequote:
Oar British neighbors propose to build for
government purposes an inter-colonial railway
through the SHOWS to the north of us, and for
ike reasons we may construct railway to
some point on our northern frontier near Fort
Kent. Ours will open good country to set
tlement; theirs will pass through the inhospit-
able wilds of the Northumberland coast. If
the British road is used for hostile military
purposes, the American road will approach |
within easv reach to cut it at the mouth of the
Riuiere du Loasp.
Another more Immediately to be built, it
may be OF greater commercial advantage is
the projected road that crosses our western
boundary, and mindless of mountain ranges,
pushes itself westward $40 miles on to the
shores of the lakes at Ogdensburg-an enter
prise that would open to Maine another avenue
to the West, and that the public spirited men
VA nh'S suoscilueu u Win IL Iluulu-
cent liberality. Maine has come late, to be
sure, into the avenue of railroad DEVELOPMENT
but the locomotive is threatening its way up
across her valleys like thing of life. 1t is
taking breath to bound along her seacoast from
Bath to Rockland. 1t viii another wear or so
leap her eastern frontiers, bring back European
freight and travel across her domain; 1t will |
ere long break again by rail our western boun- |
Diary and find the shortest and cheapest route
from the sea to the lakes. Maine waits only |
her time to achieve triumph and growth upon |
these highways of modern commerce.
"BoTH OF YoU."-A man who had quarrel |
with eighteen tailors defied them saying, "Come |
on, both of your And so we say to the |