The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-05-24
RAILROAD NOTES.
The Railroad Bridge at st. John.

| The Boston Herald says The necessity fol
bridge over the st. John River at the term
linus of the St. John and Maine-or European
and North American--road will be seen by ex-
amining more closely the situation. In 1851
the all-rail line took from the Intercolonia
Railway, and transported to Boston for distrl-
| button considerable of this freight goes on to
New York; upward of 1000 tons of frozen fresh
smelt. During the summer of the same year
| tho line carried upward of 400 tons OF fresh
| salmon, received in the same way. This fresh
fish business has, indeed become immense be-
| tween the Provinces and the States, viewed
relatively. Now, every barrel of the smelt,
and every individual of the salmon, had to be
removed from the Intercolonial cars at 81.
John, transported across the river to the term
mus of the St. John and Maine road, re-packed
and re-iced and loaded anew upon the cars
of the all-rail line; process which is vexatlous
and delaying enough with any class OF freight,
but especially so with fresh fish, beside being
prejudcial to value and enhancing cost and
final prices With bridge across the river at
this point all this manipula ton would have
been avoided, five minutes would have landed
the cargo on the opposite bank, and it would
have reached Boston or New York many hours
earlier, without having broken bulk or re-
ceived disturbance.
And so hay and potatoes and lumber and
other products of the Provinces, if sent at all,
by rail into New England, have to undergo
these processes of breaking bulk and ferrlage
across the river before they can receive final
shipment But this is not the only important
of G On anc0unt of the DELAY
and expense of this transfer, the water craft,
swarming as has been said in this vicinity, Sc
cure the carriage OF much OF the freight and
manage, slow and uncertain as are their meth
DDS of transportation, to almost monopolize the
traffic which the railroads would surely get.
but for these drawbacks In the fall OF 1881
steamers transported upward OF 10000 barrels
of potatoes from the Provinces; during the
same time the railroads carried about 10000
barrels. Had there been railroad bridge
across the river at St. John the roads would
have carried SO per cent. of all this freight.
Also, vessels freighted more than 800 tons of
grindstones this season from Miramichi. The
railroads would have carried all had there been
bridge. And the same applies to bark, bark
extract hay, etc., great products OF the inter-
nal regions of the Provinces. 1t needs no ar
gument or special presentation to show how
great would be the influence upon production,
or the stimulus to trade, were the al-rail facil-
tiles extended, as they might so easily be, to
The manager of the st. John and Maine has
lust returned from visit to England, where
he has been to confer with the owners Oh the
st. John and Maine, and to arrange, II possi-
ble for the construction of the bridge under
their auspices. While the details and results
of his conference cannot all be given IL is suf-
fcient to say here that he was emlnently sue
cessful in his mission, and it is understood
that as principal result, the building OF the
bridge may soon be looked for.
Minor Notes.
Mr.. Osgvod's place as passenger conductor
on the Ogdensburg will be taken by Mr.. Edwin
Dow, who has been connected with the road
in various capacitieSs for many years, lately
acting las conductor on one OF the freight
trains. Mr.. Dow is well liked along the line
of the road, and its patrons will be glad to
learn of his well-merited promotion.
The Arnoux Electric Light Company is put
ting thirty of its powerful lights in the Maine
Central yard which will be kept burning all
night. This will mako the yard and depots Us
light as day and enable those who work in the
to do it as safely by night as by day. The 9th
er depots are also to be lighted by the lights OF
the Armour Company.
1t is said that negotiations are now in pro-
gress between Mr.. Hendrie, who holds con-
trolling interest in the Toronto, Grey, and
Bruce Railway, and the Grand Trunk for the
transfer of the former road to the latter. There
is difference in figures of 81, 900 betwe cen the
sum offered by the Grand Trunk and the sum
asked by Mr.. Hendrie, but it is as good as set
tied that the road will be sold.
Eight thousand Cinnamon are to be en-
ployed in the construction of the western end
of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Already
have 1900 of them arrived and been put at
work.
The bondholders of the Columbus, Chicago
and Indiana Central Railroad met in New
York yesterday and ratified the agreement
made by the bondholders' committee for the
foreclosure of $11 1853, 900 of the consolidated
mortgage bondsof the road