The Portland daily press., 1878-03-28


ton, and our main line will compare favor
ably with any roads in New England.
The branches have received due attention,
the iron upon all of them has been i'm
proved, large number of new sleepers
nave been laid, and considerable amount
of ballast has been put under the tracks.
Considerable attention has been given to
repairs of culverts, many of them have
been rebuilt in a substantial manner, and
this work will be continued during the
coming season.
Fences have received general repairs and
20 miles of new fence was built.
Signal lights have been placed upon all
the switches on the main line. and at the
more important points on the branches.
Bridge guards have been erected at over
head bridges as required by the laws of the
State of Maine.
NEW BRIDGES
Built during the gear 1877.
Presumpscot, riveted lattice, iron, 1856 feet
Two Mile Brook, Howe truss and pilmg,
hard pine. 115
Crowiey yi trestle, hard pine, Is
Crowley's, Queen truss, hard pine, 81
Yarmouth road, Queen truss, hard pine, SO
Turner street. Auburn, Howe truss, hard
Rice Stream, riveted lattice, iron, al
Libby's MILL Howe truss, hard pine, A.
Corinna, Howe truss, hard pine, ~
SowadabscO0k, Howe truss, hard pine,
Johnston's Brook, under truss, hard pine, 26
sabattisville, trestle, white pine, 16l
Total number of feet in length, 500
The Iron Riveted Lattice Bridges at Pre-
sumpscot River, Falmouth, and at Rice
Stream, West Waterville. were built by the
Niagara Bridge Works, Buffalo, New York,
and are first-class structures in every
respect.
The wooden bridges mentioned in the
above list were built by this company I'M
der the supervision of the Bridge Inspec-
tors of the several divisions of the road,
and are substantial and safe structures.
The bridge over the Kennebec river at
Augusta has received during the past year
new hard pine floor over the entire
length, which adds greatly to it's strength.
ports at the east end have been removed,
and the bridge now rests upon solid
granite abutment which has been built
during the past year. Wrought iron
brackets have been placed under the floor
beams as an additional security, and the
approach at the east end has been filled
with earth and the embankment made
solid. These alterations, though costing a
considerable sum of money, have greatly
improved the bridge, and it may now be
regarded as one of the best structures in
the State.
Among the more important bridges that
have received repairs are'the long bridge
at Pennington, that across the Andro-
scoggin river at Brunswick, the Winthrop
Pond and Clinton bridges, that over the
Kennebec river at Skowhegan, and over
the Androscoggin at Lewiston. The gen.
eral repairs to bridges have been extensive
and thorough, and the utmost care has
been taken to make all of them secure and
safe beyond the possibility Of doubt.
Six hundred and fifty feet of trestling
has been filled with earth, and solid en-
bankment made, and it is designed to do
more of this work during the coming
season. 81. s.ss.-s- e's5lz- Isl IL.
New granite abutments were built at the
Damascus and Corinna bridges, and neces-
sary repairs made to bridge masonry at
other places on the road. ....
Overhead bridges were built at Freeport
and Hallowell.
NEW BUILDINGS. t.
At North Jay new freight house was
built, % by 70 feet.
Water station and pump houses were
built at Crowley's, Augusta, North Bel
grade, Winthrop Pond Bridge, North
Leeds, and Newport.
1t was found necessary to increase the
number of sheds for the storage of coal for
locomotives, in order to keep a supply on
hand sufficient to last through the winter
months, and accordingly sheds were built
at Bath, Portland, Waterville and Bangor.
A new building for agents office, &C.,
at Skowhegan, was built.
Four of the passenger depots on the
Pennington branch have been partially re-
built, and passenger and freight depots at
other points on the road have been re-
paired.
ROLLING STOCK.
The repairs in this department have
been well kept up, and the rolling stock of
the road was never in better condition
than at the present time. During the past
year there has been added to the equip
ment, two conductors saloon cars for
freight trains; two baggage and mail
cars; thirty-two freight (box) cars, all of
which were built at the shops Of this COM
pany. Also, one snow pillow, built by Pat
ten Brothers, Bath, and two first-class To-
comotives from the Portland Company's
works. s-A
The equipment of the road consists of
90 locomotives, 16 snow plows, BE- pas
senger cars, 26 mail and baggage cars, FOL
freight cars, including box, hay and cat
tie cars, 500 platform cars, % conductors
saloon, workmen and wrecking cars.
Twenty-Five locomotives are equipped
with train brakes, and nearly all the pas
senger, mail and baggage cars are equip
ped with air brakes and the Miller plat
form and buffer.
January 21st, an employee named Her
bert FL. Young, yardman at Bangor, fell
under shifting engine and was killed.
May 23d, Walter VIM, brakeman on
freight train, was struck by an overhead
bridge, near Gray station, and instantly
killed.
In both cases cor0ner's jury reported
that no blame was attributable to the
company.
The trains have been run with regulari-
ty and punctuality, and no accident has
occurred to passenger during the year.
Respectfully,
F. PAYsoN TUCKER, Superintendent.
The following directors were elected by
unanimous vote:
Abner Coburn, Skowhegap.
Darius Alden, Augusta.
John B. Brown, Portland.
- arthur Sewall. Bath.
William G. Davis, Portland.
Alfred 2. Rockwell, Boston.
George s. Morrison, New York.
George p. King, Boston.
George E. B. Jackson, Portland.
William B. Bacon, Boston.
Willard P. Phillips. Salem.
Messrs Morrison, Bacon and Phillips are new
members, elected in place of Messrs. Noah
Tow G