Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-09-28
tFrom our Dummerston Correspondent
The DiIIerica 4 Bedford (Nass.) Mar
rOw-dsauge Railroad.

lerca and Bedford railroad company, for the
purpose Of making arrangements TO obtain
funds for the building of the narrow-gauge
road, Mr.. f. L. Manley, George T.. Mans
field and w. II. Hayden, NJ. D., were ap-
pointed as n committee TO solicit subscriptions
to the capital slock of the road. 1t was no
easy task that this committee and the friends
of the new enterprise had to perform. Owing
to the want of correct information on the
subject and the novelty of the gauge, GA
inches) many persons were fearful that so mar
row a gauge might not be feasible and work
successfully. For this reason they were slow
to give il their support and TO subscribe TO the
stock, As winter was fast approaching and
the season passing when portion Of the line
could be constructed without considerable in
creased cost Capt G. A. Ranlett and Mr..
Chalres II. Hill of South Billerca. in order
TO secure the favorable advantages of the sea-
son, assumed the responsibility, furnished the
means and constructed threc-quarters of
mile Of the most difficult and costly part of
the road which work was done by the day
and considerably under the engineers esti-
mates. In October 1876, a mass meet
the town hall and many ladies were pres
ent Governor Talbot addressed the meeting
and urged the people not to LET the present
favorable moment pass for aiding and build
ing the road. He stated that he had consult
ed the Hon. Onslow Stearns, president of the
Old Colony railroad, in regard to the feasibil-
ty Of two-foot narrow gauge railroad and
that gentleman had fully endorsed the pro-
posed two-foot narrow gauge railroad. saying
that it was perfectly feasible and competent to
do all the business Of the line, and that it
was more desirable than any other gauge as a
feeder to the standard gauge. At this time
about twenty thousand dollars had been sub
scribed by parties in Billerica and Bedford,
leaving balance to raise Of thirty thousand
dollars For better information some facts
were given in regard to the little Festiniog
narrow gauge railroad (23! inches) of North
Wales in the British Isles. 1t is the most
successful railroad, financially, in the world,
having transported over its fourteen miles of
road, in 1870, one hundred and forty thousand
passengers and five hundred thousand tons of
heavy freight without accident. 4 speed of
forty-two miles an hour has been attained on
the road. The late superintendent of the
Boston Il Albany railroad, A. A. Firth. stated
that he rode at the rate of thirty-fve miles an
hour on the Festiniog railroad, and that the
oscillation of the train was less than on the
standard gauge. Trains on such a road can
be started and stopped much quicker than on
the broad gauge the weight being less These
facts, and many others not stated here. to-
gether with the earnest efforts and labors Of
the friends of the new road and the commit
tee to solicit subscriptions, were effcctual. At
the commencement of the building of the
road last spring, its capital stock of fifty
thousand dollars was subscribed for. the town
of Bedford voting to subscribe for twelve
thousand dollars of the stock. Most of the
landowners donated the right of way. The
capital'stock was estimated to cover the whole
expense Of building the road. the Necessary
buildings, bridges culyerts and the equip
ment. Mr.. Thomas F. Nancy was the con-
tractor and employed $50 men in the work of
building the road until August when the force
was increased TO l7j men. The road is eight
and a half miles long. Besides three or four
bridges from eight to fifteen feet long. and
several open, box and pipe culverts. there is
one bridge eighty feet in length. The iron
rails for the road weighed 3j2 tons. The ties
1900 pieces are sawn hemlock and lamar
ack, mostly the latter. which wood. it is said
viii last a long time. The building of the
road began about the first of May and the
first rails were laid about the 10th of August
The agreement with landowners to run trains
over the road for passengers and freight by
the first Of September. was fulfilled by the
officers of the road on that day. Three trains
were run. The first passenger train took
party of nearly one hundred persons over the
road. The equipment of the road consists of
two locomotives which weigh eleven tons each
and cost $500 apiece; two passenger cars,
weighing from four to four and one-half tons
each; two open excursion cars, 300 lbs. each:
one box freight car 5000 lbs six fiat cars,
1900 lbs. two hand and two push cars The
engines were made at the Huxley Locomo-
tive Works of Boston, and guaranteed to have
II draft capacity of 300 tons on the level. The
driving wheels are 80 inches in diameter.
They are unique in some respects. The ten
der and engine are one. the tender forming
the forward part of the locomotive and the
engine the after part For this method sew
eral advantages are claimed better draft in
the fire-box, better traction, n better oppor-
tunity for the engineer to keep a lookout, and
an exemption of cinders and smoke in the
cars. The passenger cars We're made by the
Rawlet Manufacturing Co. of Laconia, n. H.,
and are splendid specimens of car construc-
ton. One cost $500, the other $1,000. They
are hung low, the floor of each (as of all the
other cars) being less than two feet above the
top of the rails, so that with single step
passenger can easily mount from the road bed
into the car. This feature will, in some de-
gree, prevent accidents by falling under the
cars. The work of attending to all the de-
tails of construction has fallen upon Mr..
Mansfield who furnished plans, speciica-
TONS &c, for all that was done. Such a rad
ical change in styles of cars engines rolling
stock, etc, necessitated new patterns and new
proportions for all that was made. In this
work he has been ably assisted by the skilled
mechanics of Boston and Laconia. and il is
safe TO say that the result of their skill and
cooperation will be one of the most novel,
unique and withGl handsomely equipped and
efficient little roads to be found in the world,
giving to our industry at once cheap and
successful system of feeders to main trunk
lines, and capable of carrying the vital ener-
gy of our great railway system into every vii
lage and hamlet in the land. d. L. NJ.
THE HARVEST MooN.-To-day the sun en-
tiers the constellation Libra and summer ends
and autumn begins. This is the season when
the moon is in her greatest glory, and instead
of rising as it usually does later on one day
....a.aliLaLr ri..n. iLraa