Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-07-22


The article Of yesterday already referred
to, claims that the summit on the Chit
tenden route rises more than three hum
dred feet above the summit at Mount
Holly on the Rutland railroad. Tho diff
ference is two hundred and forty one feet,
and no more, notwithstanding the "record
of the survey what survey? and what
route now in the depot at Rutland" to
the contrary.
But / trust that no one who is &C
quainted with the route from Rutland to
Ludlow will fall into the error that the
writer of the article in question has, by
supposing that the heaviest grades on the
Rutland railroad is between Rutland and
the summit at Mount Holly. If it were
there would be some sence in the COM
parison which the writer referred to has
instituted. 1t happens, however, that the
hard grade is on the Ludlow side Of the
summit, and hence the talk about rise OF
three hundred feet more on the Chitten-
den route than on the Rutland route with
| the same distance run amounts to
nothing.
The great rise on the Rutland Railrord
to pass the summit, has to be made in the
short distance from Ludlow to the sum-
nit, while on this side,-the eighteen
mile run-it is comparatively easy, and if
two hundred and forty-one feet were ad.
ded to the present height of the Mount
| Holly summit, the average grade from
| Rutland to the summit would not be 20
great as it is now from Ludlow to the
summit.
And it happens that the proposed
Healdville route passes over the very hard
est portionIof that grade, between Head
vile and the summit,-not very comfort
ing fact to those who claim that the
Healdville route will have no heavy
grades.
think the comparison of grades as
between the two routes, has not m hterially
helped the Healdville cause.
But, in all this, I do not wish to be
understood as saying anything against
the Healdville route, nor the Rutland &
Burlington route, as regard their grades.
They are confessedly heavy on the
latter and they will be on the Chittenden
route, and, in my opinion, the friends OF
the Chittenden route add nothing to their
cause by trying to initiate those of the
Healdyille route and pretending that the
grades are light
The charter Of the Rutland and Bur-
lington route limited the maximum grade
to sixty feet per mile. The engineer
found it impossible to get up from Lud-
low to the summit with such grade,
and he increased it to what it is, and
presume no one will say that in doing so
he made a mistake, or that the railroad
ought to be suspended and stopped be-
cause our Legislators not fully understand
ing the matter, fixed the limits at such a
point that it was necessary to exceed
them
And to me it seems that all this talk
about grades is. the sheerest claptrap
There are grades on some of the great
est railroads in the country as high as
one hundred and seventeen feet to the
mile, and on the Pacific railroad il
reaches for many miles one hundred and
six feet per mile
That is little heavier than any grade
II 4 A.
will need be none on the Chittenden route
heavier than on the Rutland and Burliug-
ton.
| desire no controversy on this su' ject,
especially with my friend Mr.. Dewey, and
T simply wish to give fair and truthful
statement of the facts connected with the
Chittenden route, and correct some of the
errors into which Mr. Dewey, in his arti-
Gle, has, inadvertently, no doubt fallen
iuto an error respecting the routes in ques-
ton.
And / think that the statements in the
article referred to, relative to the grades
and the distances, for the purpose of in
juring the prospects of the Chittenden
route, coupled with the talk about facts"
and especially about assaults" and
''abuse" are wholly uncalled for, and ir-
relevant.
have heard no man say aught against
the Healdville route. | have never heard
a partisan Of that route speak but in i'll
terms of the Chittenden route. Has any
body said the Healdvillc route is impracti-
cable5 Has anybody pretended TO know
its exact length And i may ask, Does
any one knoao is ernct length ?
Has anybody seen u report Of the sur
vey of that route ? In fact, has there
been survey of it made
Who has been the attacking party in
this controversy ? Who has been clamor-
ing for FACTS y Has anybody asked
the friends OF the Headvlle route for any
supposition that they have any
1t is enough for the friends of the Chit
tenden route to take care of their route,
and at present it would seem as if the
champions of the Healdville route have
about as much as they can attend to in
taking care of theirs
For them to talk about assaults"
"abuse," and the like, is about AS impu-
dent as anything l have seen Tor many q
day. Who has assaulted them ? Who
abused them ? Who has spoken to them
about the matter, except to remind them
of their mendacity, or to point out their
silly twaddle about the difficulties of the
Chittenden route, with which they have
no business
They claim that the friends of the Chit
tenden route wish to bond the town of
Rutland That Is so, and they intend to
do it; but what is that to y, man III Ply
mouth or Healdville
And yet he may have something to say