The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-20
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM IN ADVANCE.

I
| within less than six miles of the notch sum-
| init. The road has been ballasted, quite full
for about one and one half miles, to the first
| Saco river crossing above Bartlett and par
TALLY to Bemis' station, six miles from Bart.
| lett
| Between Bemis' station and Frankenstein
| are two small bridges, one over Davis brook
of forty eight feet in length, which is in place
erected; the other to be erected over Bemis'
brook, fifty eight feet long, is in process of
being framed and nearly ready to be put in
place-the track across this brook is now
resting upon trestles. At the end of the
| track and superstructure laid, just south of
| Frankenstein, the foundations for the trestles
| of viaduct about five hundred feet long,
over gorge seventy-fye feet in depth
below the grade of the railroad,
are well and solidly constructed. The rock
| excavation of Frankenstein Cliff is being vig-
| orously worked and is all out but about four
| thousand cubic yards. North of this point
| along the face of the mountain, there is a
| considerable extent of slope wall to hold the
| embankment upon the steep incline which is
| well advanced towards full completion, and
| the grading is following it as fast as the wall
| is completed. There is but very little mason-
| ry along this part of the line now to be built.
| The abutments at Cow brook are finished and
| for about mile north of this last point both
the grading and the masonry are nearly COM
| pleted At the brook Kidron, at Moore's,
and at Wiley brooks the masonry is yet to
| be built; that of the last cannot be done un-
| til the spring season arrives, on account of
| the precipitious character of the lodges
| through which this mountain torrent rushes,
| some eighty-fye feet below the grade of the
| railroad and the masses of ice that cover the
| shelving rocks there. But from the brook
| Kidron, for the mile and a half to the Wiley
brook, very large part of the grading and
| masonry is done; while of the rock cutting
just at Wiley brook there is but about one
thousand cubic yards to be taken out. From
this point along the southerly face of Mt.
Willard most of the slope wall, there indis-
pensably necessary to hold the banks, is built
| and the grading well advanced to completion.
| On the easterly side of Mt. Willard, from the
| turn towards the north for half a mile, the
| grading is about half done and being pushed
| forward by a suitable force to secure its COM
| pletion in time with the work at either end of
| it. The heavy slope wall upon the brow of
the shelf just back of the Dismal Pool, to
| hold the high embankment of rocks from
| slipping out and falling over one hundred
feet into that abyss, is fast approaching COM
pletion. The deep cutting of rock at the
southern end of the gate of the Notch is now
being pushed forward most vigorously. This
has always been deemed by your Engineer the
master key of the work and, but for a differ
ent belief on the part of the contractor,
might have been farther advanced, still there
is contract time enough to get 1t through
and the excavation of the last month is an
earnest of the contractors intention to do
this Of about ten thousand cubic yards
remaining to be done on the first of Decem-
Der, during that month there was excavated
two thousand three hundred yards. Of the
| ledge at the north end of the Notch gate there
are but three thousand yards yet remaining
| to be taken out. Of the long earth cutting at
the summit off against the Crawford House,
| there remains to be exeavated less than
| dozen rods in length.
| Between the Crawford House and the
Fabyan House, four miles, all the light work,
| where frost might cause trouble in its excava-
| ton, and all the masonry are completed. A
| large force is at work in each of the deep cut
| tings, which in most instances, upon the Am
monoosuc or north slope of the mountains,
prove to be sand with very little loose and
scarcely any solid rock.
| The grading and masonry throughout the
| thirteen miles from the Bemis Station to the
| Fabyan House and connection if desired
| with the Boston, Concord and Montreal Rail-
road, have now advanced so far as to give as
surance of their entire completion within the
| time specified in the contract, namely, June
/
with much less amount of loose and solid
rock than was apprehended even after the
| work was opened. And-equally beyond ex-
| pectatien-it is found that there will be an
| abundance of the very best quality Of gravel
| for ballast throughout the entire mountain
| pass.
Your railroad will be not only safe, sub
stantial and secure in its position upon the
mountain side. whit is believed-ample
water ways, as a rulei (these points have in
! each and every case received the especial
| personal attention of your Engineer as well
| as that of his assistants), but, from these
ample deposits and the exceptionally good
| quality of the gravel, will certainly obtain as
| good surface the portion already under
| operation, which is acknowledged by all TO be
| of the best in this respect.
/ Nearly three miles of the track are now
laid continuously upon the maximum grade
| required for the passage OF your road through
| this White Mountain Notch, namely, 2-lO
to 10O-or about 116 #. per mile, upon which
| an interesting experiment was tired IN
| November last with the locomotive Carrigain,
built by the Portland Company for service
| between Portland and the Lawrence Place,
| near Sawyer's river, where the maximum
/ grade is one third lower.
The Carrigan is a locomotive of the mogul
pattern, weighing $1,000 lbs. (of which 55.-
| 500 lbs. bear upon three pairs of driving
! wheels four and half feet in diameter, and
| IL, 800 lbs. on the leading trucks, and with
| cylinder, IL in. "a in. The load taken on
| this occasion was the pushing ahead two
| fifty six seat passenger cars filled with
/ large party of ladies and gentlemen
and drawing nine platform cars load
/ ed-six with iron rails, two with gravel,
| and one with cross ties-aggregating a gross
| load, besides the tender, Of something more
| than two hundred tons. The Carrigain
| worked this train over the grade OF ll6 It.
/ per mile for about three miles, or nearly to
| Frankenstein Cliff, in perfectly satisfactory
manner. Neither the track nor the engine
| were in the best condition, the latter having
been taken from its regular freight or mixed
| train as it had been running through the
| summer, having come out of the shop about
| the first of May and the former had not only
not been surfaced up but the ties were just
| loosely laid upon the sub-grade and the rails
in places covered with snow. ,r
| While so surprisingly gratifying in the
| special object of investigation this trip gave
| the guests of the road an opportunity to OBJ
| serve the facility with which this mountain
| divide is being surmounted and overcome by
| railroad, and foretaste of the sublime
| beauty of an outlook from its cars in the pas
sage, the wonderful interest of which will
| surely increase at an even pace with every
| ones onward progress until it eliminates in
| the grandeur of the immediate approach to
| the gate of the Notch, where the line passes
along the face of Mt. Willard upon shelf
| cut into the solid cliff of so sheer a precipiee
and at such an elevation above the Saco that
the only practicable mode of opening the
work was by suspending staging of plank
against it from above for the ledge-men in
using their drills, powder and dualin.
Mr. Latrobe again made short visit to the
| Notch the past season, going upon the line at
several points. His expressions were so
warmly appreciative and positive respecting
the exceeding impressiveness of the constant
succession of striking views and mountain
scenery along the line that ventured to urge
him to repeat them over his signature, that
might make them part of this annual re-
| port to you, and it is with extreme satisfac-
ton and pleasure am able to submit with
this a letter from one so well qualified in all
respects to institute a comparison between
the surprising attractions of your road and
those of the many others over which he has
travelled both before and after their construc-
ton. Respectfully submitted.
| JoI4S + ANDFRSON