The Portland daily press., 1871-08-09
EXCURSION TO CONWAY CENTRE,
Testing Of the New Iron Bridge ever Oh.
SacO River. -s

yesterday morning the directors OF the Port
| land and Ogdensburg Railroad Compasy, with
| the members Of the CITY Government and IN
| vited guests. made an excursion to Conway
Centre for the purpose Of testing the new lron
| BRIDGE which has inst been completed over the
Saco river al that point The train lett the r.
| & X. depot il this city, at preciseiy na'i p"''
| saven o'clock. and after pleasant and agree
able rids arrived at Conway Centre at ABOUT
| half past ten o'clock. During the first portion
of the trip the rain fell briskly and threatened
| to interfere somewhat with the pleasure Of the
occasion. But at shOlt distance beyond Lake
| Sebagv the Storm clouds vanished and the sun
shone forth in uncloaded sp:eLdor, revealing
more fully the beautiful scenery that lay along
the route. We have on former occasion CIV
en- a description of the route as far As Frye
burg, and shall not therefore reiterate what We
then said; but merely refer in general way
to some features beyond that village; only re-
minding eur readers who have never been be-
yond Lake Sebago that they have yet to wit
ness the most attractive and diversified scene-
~ which the route can boast. After leaving
Fryeburg some half mile behind, the road
strikes the beautiful intervales of the valley of
the Saco river, while in the, background rises
cont nnous chain of mountains, darkly out
lined against the eastern horizon, which ex-
tend along the entire route from Fryeburg to
Conway, thus presenting to the eye Of the
traveller singularly picturesque and romantic
region Of country. Perhaps the most promi-
nent of these mountains is Mount Rattlesnake,
which towers far above its surrounding COM
p.nions and seems to stand gigantic sentinel,
to watch over and protect the valley below.
After arriving at the new bridge, the party left
the cars and posted themselves in various posi-
tions where they could best witness the test
which it was proposed to make. The entire train
consisted of the locomotive aud five passenger
cars first passed safely over the bridge, after
which it was fully tested by three locomotives
which passed over, first at a slow rate of speed,
and then at the usual rate at which the trains
to all concerned. and showed that the bridge
had been firmly and substantially constructed,
and like the rest of the road, was in the best
condition. The DETECTION caused by the pas.
sage of the locomotives was scarcely percepti-
BILE, it being only fifteen-sixteenths of an inch.
The bridge is similar in general design to the
one at Hiram, being 3OS feet 10 length. resting
upon piers of granite with iron trestle and
stringers. 10 was bailt at the Ph9nixville
Works of Messrs. Clarke, Reeves & Co., of
Philadelphia, who built the Hiram bridge on
the Portland and Ogdensburg road this sum-
mer, and the iron bridge over the KenDebec at
Augusta last year. Mr.. Clarke was the chief
engineer of the iron bridge built across the |
Mississippi at Quincy, five or six years ago,
and is now finishing the work for the heaviest
iron bridge in the country for the Hudson Riv-
or railroad company at Albany, and under con-
tract to build sixteen 200 feet spans for bridge
across the Ottawa river at Ottawa, in Canada. |
He is also in negotiation with the directors OF
the Vermont division of the Portland and Og- |
densburg railroad for the construction of an |
iron bridge across the Connecticut at st. Johns
bury. The bridge was put in place by Mr.. d. |
r. Blackwell, one of the firm, assisted by Mr.. |
Daniel R. Kelley.
After the test had been accomplished, the
entire company re entered the cars and pro-
,eeded to the depot, where the directors had
provided substantial and excellent collation.,
erved up by Mr.. George Webster, the we'll
Known caterer under Fluent Hail. which wos
uficient guarantee of its excellence. 1t in
luded all the delcacies as we'll as the substan-
ials OF the season, and was partaken of with 4
'vident relish. The party then embarked, and
liter pleasant ride of some three hours, reach
ID the city at about half past two O'Clock in
he afternoon, feeling that they had enjoyed
IN excursion over q line of railroad which,
opening up as 1t does such a picturesque re-
ZION of country, and offering such important
ABILITIES for trade and transportation with the
Vest, is destined in the not far distant future
0 become one of the most popular and pros
erous railroads in the country. Mr.. M. F.
ling, the well known photographer, succeeded
, obtaining an admirable picture of the bridge
lille the locomotives were upon it, copies of
hich, we presume, will shortly be offered to
ur citizens. s I-i-rqassali az a141 81