Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-07-22
.ERALD
,JLY 10, 1869.
Railroad Question.

the Rutland ana w oouototh iaiiioau 10 W
be settled, for tho present at least, the
citizens seem to grow more and more
interested in the question, and as some Of
them have seen fit to express their
views in the public prints I sec no reason
why may not offor word through the
same medium.
The relation in which l have stood to
this subject, having made the survey Of
the Chittenden route, has seemed to ma to
render it eninently proper that should
say but little respecting this route or the
competing route via ealdville-certain-
ly, nothing in disparagement of the latter,
and have consequently abstained from
taking any active part in the controver-
sizes about them, thinking that Whatever
might say in favor of the Chittenden
route would be attributed to an improper
motive, and certainly have had no de-
sire or reason to say aught, against the
Healdville route.
On the contrary, / am decidedly in
favor of railroad by the Healdville
route, and hope it may be built know
nothing respecting that route that is IN
favorable to it, or that need deter gentle
men from enlisting in the enterprise of
building railroad over it. And if the
half be true of that route that | have
heard its friends say respecting it, it must
be indeed very feasible one to construct,
and have sometimes wondered that so
large an area of dead leUel as the country
through which it is proposed to build
that railroad is described as being, has
never been laid down on our maps or
mentioned by travellers.
But making all due allowance for enthu-
siasm on the part of the friends of the
Healdville route, and believing, as | do,
that there is the usual number of obstacles
to be overcome on that route, | still
incline to the belief that, that route is a
feasible one, and have thought that by
instituting unfavorable and unfriendly
comparisons between it and the Chittenden
route, would not help the latter; nor do /
believe that such course on the part of
the friends of the Healdville route has
helped them in their enterprise.
The statements III relation to the com
parative height of SUBMITS on the two
routes, claiming that the summit on the
Chittenden route, is from three hundred
to four hendred feet higher than the sum
nit at Mount Holly, may amaze and
perhaps comfort people along the Head
vile route, who know of,their own knowl-
edge that it is untrue, and mislead some
innocent people in Rutland, into ludicrou.
attitudes respecting the matter but they
will have but little weight with impartial
men who are acquainted with the routes
Also, the statement that the distance
from Rutland to Woodstock, by the
Healdville route, is only about two miles
greater than by the,Chittenden route will
do" for some people; but it is not true, nor,
is it believed by.tle parties who furnish
the facts for others to manipulate into
newspaper articles, and for myself,
hardly know which of the parties makes
the prettiest picture,-those who furnish
the raw materials or those who work
them up. There is a curious circumstance
connected with this matter of distances.
AT the outset, the whole distance from
Rutland, via Healdville, to Woodstock,
was claimed, by the friends Of the Heald-
vile route, to be seven miles, to within
fraction, greater than by the Chittenden
route. This distance left the distance
from West Bridgewater to Healdville
substantially AZ regarded and stated by
the people living in the vicinity.
The next statement by The friends OF
the Healdville route made the distance
five miles and fraction. Subsequently
it was stated AT exactly four miles, and
finally, the article in yesterdays HERALD
makes it only 1.-TWO or three miles"
There is something curious about this
shrinking Of distance on that route,
which do not quite understand, and |
presume that the next statement which
may appear will make the Healdville
route the shorter one of the two.
Whether that route is growing daily
shorter as it's prospects Of success grow
beautifully less, am unable to say, but
there is every reason to believe that its
termini will soon come together, at the
the present rate. | do not pretend to know
the exact difference in the length of the
two routes, and regard it a. wholly i'm
material. | only wish the Chittenden
route were longer,
And here | wish to say word to the
friends of the Chittenden route in rela-
ton to the distance.
have heard several gentlemen express
wish that the distance were less, and
that they thought a shorter route than the
one adopted might have been found.
This is very natural, and / find no
fault with any one for his criticisms, for
Of course, short route with the same
grades is preferable but let us excmine
the subject a moment.
The distance to the summit is, in round
eleven hundred and sixty-eight feet. A
uniform grade the whole distance would
be sixty-four and eight-ninths feet per
mile.
Suppose the distance to be twenty -four
miles. The average grade would then be
forty-eight and two thirds feet per mile.
Now the saving of the difference in grade
would compensate, four-fold, for the in-
4 ~
know.
have heard it suggested to carry the
line up through Mendon City, and along
in the vicinity of the turnpike. The dis
lance to the summit, allowing for curves,
would be about ten miles, which would