The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-29
The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad.
INSPECTION OF THE LINE BY THE BOARD OF
MAYOR AND ALDERMEN.


past five, Mayor Wescott and all of the Board
of Aldermen except Messrs. Clark and Davies,
(the latter being out of town. Civil Engineer
Goodwin, on the Part of the City Government
and President Anderson, Directors Jose and
Milliken, Chief Engineer Anderson and Super
intendent Hamilton on the part of the road,
left the Eastern station for the inspection of
the line and progress of the work from this
city 10 the Crowford House beyond the Notch
of the White Mountains. For the convenience
of the party, Mr.. Hamilton had the new and
model smokidg car Just added 10 Inc rolling
stock of the road, and made by the Pattens OF
Bath, attached to good engine, in waiting for
the party A substantial breakfast suited to
the vigorous requirements of the day was
served by Mr.. George A. Cole, one of Chisholm
Bros. corps of caterers. A two and half
hours ride brought us to Upper Bartlett, bet
ter known as Georges At this point con-
siderable improvement is being made in the
way of buildings. While the team was being
'hitched up for the travelling over the Notch
section, the most of the party visited the model
mill of the Bartlett Land & Lumber Co.." a
Portland enterprise under the direction of FL.
N Jose, Esq. We said ''mode milP' and SO
it is, for il contains all the modern improve
ments and inventions for making logs into all
kinds of lumber with despatch and without
waste. The capacity of one gang of saws is
$4,000 feet day of long timber. Besides there
is single saw. clapboard saw, lath aud
pickets saw-iu brief, logs which get into that
mill are forced to yield some kind of lumber,
and what there is left of them, goes for fuel
for the four huge boilers which furnish the mo-
tive power.
Above Georges" the car was run to the end
OF the new track at the SacO, where the solid
masonry awaits the superstructure of the
bridge, which is at hand. Beyond that point
for about three miles the ties and iron are at
hand, but the Saco requires another bridge, the
masonry for which is completed. Up to DR.
Bemis' place. or what is known as the Old
Crawford House, the grading is all done ex-
cept here and there short piece that could be
done in a few days with fair crew, except at
Nancy stream. Here is quite bluff of solid
rock to work through. That point is very near
the Bemis place, and has full crew at work
on it. To this point the managers expect to get
their road opened in time for August and
September excursions. They hoped that the
contractor would be enabled to complete it by
July 4th, but railroad building is slow work
and this is no exception. re E,isfa3pl ai 81
At DR.. Bemis', which is six miles beyond
Mr.. Georges place, and from which it is nine
miles to the Crawford House beyond the Notch,
the proposed railroad line crossed the Notch
road at grade, and from that poiut up through
the Notch, keeps along the side of the noun
tains southwest of the road and, after little
distance, from two to three hundred feet above
it.
The timber has been cleared from the whole
line so that one can see where the iron horse
will, we all hope ere long be seen to skirt
along the EXTENDED sides of the mountains
from two to three hundred feet from their
base in many places as many thousand below
their submits. To the Wiley House or to
Cow Brook, short distance this side of that
point, considerable Of the heaviest grading has
been done. There are some extensive side cuts
and fills, and these are being done as well as
the masonry at several points, For the most
part the material to be moved along the sides
of the mountains does not appear to be so hard
as in most of the cuts between Upper Bartlett
drift, composed Principally of bolders of all
sizes and almost as compact as solid stone
The slopes of the mountains are largely covered
with disintegrated granite, and the fact that
they are all covered with thick small growth
of trees, indicates that there is no danger to
be apprehended from extensive slides Of
course there are hard places along these noun
tain sides to grade, but now that the survey
has been made and the line cleared, the ord
nary observer will be surprised to see how
comparatively easy to build and straight the
line of the road will be. So much for the
science of engineering. At one point near Cow
Brook the line Of the road as cut tn rough the
small growth can be distinctly seen for more
than four miles, there being but one curve in
that distance.
The key to the whole work is the Notch
where cut of 800 feet from 80 to IS feet deep.
is to be made through the rock This rock is
full of seams, but it requires powder to break
it. All of the rest of the line can be completed
before the ordinary number of men that can be
employed at this point can open the d
pass through the mountains. Mr.. Mckinney
Gf this isn't his .name, we have forgotten it)
the foreman of the work at this point, had an
extensive ''blast" prepared which was fired in
the presence of the party. AT the point where
the blast was made, cut nearly wide enough
and fifty feet deep had been worked into the
mountain and this charge was for the purpose
of 81 lifting down the upper SIDE The party
stood on liable Rock on the wagon road or
north eastern side of the deep gulch 500
yards distant BE- while the two and
half kegs of powder were put in the deep
drilled cylinders At length the fuse was
placed and the train fred. For nearly five
minutes the party watched the spot ntently,
when, a billow of flame, as from the bowels of
the mountain, shot up through the seams and
enveloped the whole mass, then followed
duh heavy report and cloud of white smoke
hid the place from view $50 cubic feet of solid
rock, weighing over $50 tons fell over into the
cut sixty or seventy feet below. An ordinary
country would have been shaken by such an
occurrence, but nature about the Notch is not
made up of the sentimented stuff that becomes
agitated at trifles s @f '.ia 81
The party dined at the Crawford House. 1t
has not yet been formally opened for business
this season, but the proprietors are there put
ting their house in order and receiving what
ever company comes to it. An addition has
been made to the house since the last season,
An elegant dinner was served, and everything
about the house, including the courtesy IF the
gentlemen in charge, lead one to desire to 90
there again -f
The work on the line beyond the Crawford
House is goint forward slowly. The sarvey'
has been completed, the line cleared and the
masonry work begun.
Returning, the party left the Notch at 81
o'clock and arrived in the Portland station a
little before 1oa, probably making the quickest
trip from the Crawford House on reeord-a
distance of SS miles, 16 by stage and y by
rail. The run from Upper Bartlett to this city
was make IN two hours. The track of the p.
q o. K. r., is in excellent condition its entire
length, so that the passenger as he looks out
upon the enchanting scenery, only notes the
speed of the train by the swiftness with which
he flies past objects by the wayside