The Portland daily press., 1881-02-02
by TELEGRAPH.
RAILROADS OF MAINE.

Annual Report of the Railroad Commis-
sioners.
Special Dispatch to the Press.)
AUGUSTA, Feb. 1.-The twenty-second an
nual report of the Railroad Commissioners of
our state contains many good words for the
various roads. They report all the railroads
not only safe, but most of them greatly inn
proved. On the main lines progress seems to
have been the order of the day. The contin-
ued remarkable exemption from serious cas-
ualty or accident bears unmistakable evidence
of the ability and efficient management of the
officials. One new road (Old Orchard Beach)
has been built during the year from the Old
Orchard Beach depot on the line of the Boston
& Maine road, to the Saco river, a distance of
three miles,
OF the improvements made during the year
by each particular road, we extr act the fol-
lowing comments: The total number of miles
of railroad now operated in Maine is 1,O3O.O8.
The New Brunswick Railway has chauped
ownership during the year and the company
intends to change the gauge from 81 feet to
the standard gauge of feet inches, fully re-
pair the road and extend it to connection
with the Riyiere du Loup Railroad, and thus
open line to Quebec. The Atlantic 81 St.
Lawrence railroad is constantly being improv-
ed, and all the bridges, except the pile bridge
at Portland are of iron. The Bangor s. Pts
cataquis railroad has made small additions to
its rolling stock and proposes to add more the
coming season. As the distance from its pres
ent terminus to Moosehead Lake is only thir-
teen miles, the commissioners hope to see
the road completed to that point at an early
day.
The Boston & Maine has greatly improved
its station in Portland, and propose to continue
the filling OF the pile bridges across the Scar
boro marshes the coming season. The road
bed of the Bucksport & Bangor railroad has
been improved by ballasting and widening,
and the track has been aligned and surfaced.
A project for the extension of this road to
Ellsworth and Bar Harbor is receiving consid-
cradle attention, and would add materially to
the business of the road. The faulty oonstruc-
tion of the European & North American rail-
road has been considerably improved. This
road has the advantage of being the only rail-
road communication between the East and
West, and its usefulness must increase with
the facilities it offers for transportation The
Knox & Lincoln railroad is constantly improv-
ing its bridges and construction.
The Maine Central Railroad Company de-
signs to put their road into the best possible
condition to secure the safe and rapid transit
OF passengers and freight, and to fully provide
for the constantly increasing traffic. The past
season has taxed the resources of the road to
the utmost. The Commissioners pay tribute
to the company's enterprise in fitting up Lake
Maranocook for excursions, and also state that
1000 tons OF steel rails and As 900 ties or Sleep
ers have been laid upon the road, 20 miles of
track have been ballasted and raised and %
miles OF new side track built. The long pile
bridge at Pennington, on the Leeds & Farm
ington branch, has been rebuilt with ash piles
and hard pine stringers, caps and cross ties,
making very strong and durable structure,
The Portland & Ogdensburg railrad has been
well and safely managed and the rolling stock
is in good order. A new pile bridge for an ice
track has been built at Portland and the
freight tracks extended so as to connect with
the Maine Central.
The Portland & Rochester railroad has laid
90 tons of new steel rails besides a large
amount OF iron rails. A new freight shed has
been built in Portland and two-story addi-
ton made to the passenger station at the same
place. The company has made quite extern
sive purchases of the Maine Central at Port
land, ,and thus greatly increased the facilities of
the company for transacting its business. The
Portland, Saco & Portsmouth railroad was the
hrst line built into and the second built in the
state. Quite extensive Improvements have
been made all along this line uring the year.
The Rumford Falls & Buckfeld railroad since
passing into the hands of the present company
has steadily gained the influence of the people
and increased its business.
OF the Sandy River railroad the Commits
sioners say sit is to be regretted that in the
nrst introduction of the narrow gauge railroad
in this state, it could not have been done un-
der more favorable circumstances than those
that have controlled the location and con-
structon of this road. 1t was an experiment
to be tried and should have had all the advan-
tages of a proper location and construction,
but in this respect it is an entire failure The
road seems to have been built without regard
to alignment or grade, and the structures
bridges, &C., were thrown together for tenn
porary purpose, without regard to adaptationior
safety. Such a location as that upon which
the road is built would not be approved by
the commissioners. as it is altogether faulty
and without precedent. The Commissioners
remark further and quite as severely upon the
way the work was carried ON, but acknowledge
that the road rides smoothly and has been
worked, and doubtless will prove
a great convenience to the people along the
line" They do not want to be understood as
the road unsafe, "as it is not, for
the company have made marked improve
ments since they received it from the contrac-
tors"