St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-03-19
From the Portland Press.
Three Days Among the White Noun
tainS
THE MOUNTAIN RAILwAY-THE WINTER
CAMPAIGN \ SUCCESS THE OUTLOOK
INCIDENTS ETC.

following Il winter which, has no paral
lei in the record of severity save i'll thu
memory of the very oldest inhabltant
but at so remote Il period that he vii
not tritie with his conscience to such III
extent as to name that other dreadful
winter as cold as 1875. There hav,
been so many dreadful stories told o
the wintrN storms of that famous region
so many Shuddering tales of hapleS'
travellers who. blinded with sheets %
snow and benumbed with piercing
winds, have sunk down to death, thai
the ordinary person who has nothing
of the Alpine youth with the banner
with the Excelsior device in his max,
up, would naturally hesitate about en-
countcring its perils. But having eX-
pressed Il wish to make an early IiI
over the work on Notch division Ol
the Portland X Ogdensburg in the pres
tnce of John r. Anderson EST, Chief
Engineer. he kindly invited IL Pres,
representative to 90 over the line with
him the present week, which he had
set apart for his regular inspection OF
the work-an invitation which we most
eagerly accepted. From Hiram. Mr.
Anderson was accompanied 10y II we'll
known New England engineer. MI
Wad>worth. Il native of that town bul
NOW residing i'll Everett, MASS.
TIE COMPLETED LINE.
A. is well known the track is laid Il
Frankcm>tcin Clitf. the first bold noun
tain into whose side the road runs. and
which rises almost perpendicular AT the
very roadside. Il distance of 100 feet
Trains have run this winter To Brmi>'>
station, better known ;i> the Old Craw-
fond House. Frankrm>tcIn i nearly
three miles nearer the Notch and about
~ miles from Portland. The track H.
far as the trains run i uuticcably
smooth. and l. said to bc kept in excel
lent condition. \ construction train Is
at work during the winter strengthen
ing that portion of the line between
Moth Conway and BcmI>. From Be
mis- to Frdukcn>tcin. the line reaches Il
grade of Ii feet To the mile. la Il
distance of eight miles there are seven
having this grade. This may br con
SidcIrd ii Little steep. hut the ni>crv-
81 standing AT amy point and looking
up this grade can hardly hc made To
bclicNc that the line j. creeping NJ the
mountain side, at that late. The Balti-
more y Ohio. one ot the most famous
freight roads of the country. has |
miles in one stretch. with Il grade rang
ing from IL feet To 10 feet per mile
and aNcrayim. IL feet ion the whole
distance. udcr very unf;INolahlr con
ditiou~, the Company : Locomotive Gan
r%an hauled POO tons up the part OF
this grade over which the track i Laid.
Vith"rt difficulty. The SCENERY. H. one.
rides up the line from North Conway .
with the scui-circlc of mountains ia
the distance. l. on - grand Il scale rs
to absorb the attention ot the most
mattcI-uI-Itct individual. A.. how -
ever. the train ncar> the "cNeIll>tinu
hills above Upper Bartlett, and the
observer has an opportunity To stand
upon Il platform ear as il was our priv
llcgc. The scene approaches the limit ui
the sublime and awful in nature. In
stage coach days. when 1T Il Snail'>
pace. the traveller wound round the
the effect was simply grand
i'll TcpOSc but To Ice WhiIlcd along hN
the non horse To all appearance
about To dash into the foot of Wonder
cliff. now whirling about its base al
most 81 near I> to touch it. now he sees
the rlitf' behind him apparently closing
up the path while the circle of noun
tain> seem To hem III the train the
whole becomes a rapidly moving pano-
rama of the holdrST scenery in New
England. 50 varied and 81 majestic a>
1" battle description 10y the mattcI-ot
fact journalist. Indeed. it i very
doubtful if the imagination of the poet
would he equal to the task.
THE CONNECTING LINK
F"r the purpose of description. we
will consider that portion of the whole
line of the road now under construction
lS the connecting link. not because il
the Portland and Vermont
divisions. but because. ~ hen completed.
il will connect the Portland Division
with the White Mountain branch of the
Boston, Concord \ Montreal Railroad
which has it, terminus az the FahNan
House. This link extends from Frank
,nSteim Cliff to the FahNan House and
: ten miles III length. The sin miles
rom FrInkcnstcm to the Crawford
House just beyond the Notch" is the
hardest of the work on the linr-tht
portion Il great many good men Hiavc
declared to be impossible. NcNerthr-
cSS, Nh. Anderson and his able assist
ant. Thomas L. Poverty Esq. have sur
,eNcd IL line along the mountain sides
md since August from three to five
hundred have been hrwing road way
Trough the hills and filling up and
the deep gulcheS, until now.
It date, the fact of IL feasible line is 50
yearly demonstrated by its very ex-
Stencc, that to deny that ii is entirely
Practical, would he to pronounce ones
elf fool OF. well, an ass. Indeed, 81
,asy will this line appear when com
,leted and the trains are sweeping
bout the mountain TANKS, that the
anne men who wouldn't give il mo-
nent's credence to the opinion of the ,
.minent engineer, Mr.. Latrobc, It's to
he entire feasibility of the route. will
hen he SAYING that any fellow could |
lave located the line. So men change.
The completed road ends abruptly at f.
he wide, deep chaSm at FrankenStein
lift. Here Il 800 feet trestle bridge is
equired. the top of which when COM
,leted, will be about 80 feet above the /
tream which pourS itself down the
Hillside i'll the rainy seasons. This .
bridge will he of iron. The masonry
5 completed, the bridge contracted for
nd built and awaits spring and the (
completion of the cut at the further
Idle. 1t WAS first intended to build the
fridge of wood but Chief Engineer
Anderson found that an iron structure
ould he obtained for that place nearly
Thousand dollars less than wood, of Il
Buffalo company The point of the
inc under construction winch is the
ev of the situation so far lis the early
ompletion of the work is concerned, is
hat Immediately following this bridge.
t is the base of Frankenstcin and was