Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-21
ENEWS OF THE RAILROADS.


Acs'scii.
pers of butter, eggs and poultry.
The Grand Trunk Railway employees
patriotic fund for the aid of the Cana
dian contingent of the British army in
South Africa, has resulted in a total
sum of $6,061 63 from the different divi-
sions of the road The amount con-
tributed by Gorham employees was $33
The installment of costly storage
battery in the York Beach car barn of
the Portsmouth, Kittery and York
Street Railway has augmented the
power to a most noticeable extent.
The heavy ears now run smoothly and
swiftly on this end of the line and rem
ders the running time much more
easily accomplished
Charles II. Barnes of Bangor, who
has been chief clerk and stenographer
in the office of General Passenger
Agent George NJ Houghton of the Ban
gor & Aroostook Railroad for the past
four years. has accepted a lucrative
position with the Baltimore < Ohio
Railroad in Boston, and will finish his
duties in Bangor this month. He will
be succeeded by Robert II. Nickerson.
The telegraph operators and the gate
tenders on the Boston & Maine are
equipping themselves with seventeen
jeweled watches in compliance with
the order issued last January requiring
them to wear such a watch after July
u as the officials of the road should
specify. This order is only supple
mentary to one issued over a year ago
when nearly all the employees except
the operators and gate men We're in
cluded.
The crew Of the construction train
and the steam shovel that has been al
work for the Somerset Railway at
Madison for some time past has moved
to North Arson, where it is making a
large fill at the place where the new
freight and passenger stations are be
ing built. The dirt for the fill is being
taken from just west of the present
station and is being hauled over the
river to where the new station will
stand. A large fill has already been
| made and many more carloads Will be
hauled there to do the work that is laid
out for the filling for the station. The
stone masonS are now at work on the
foundation for the new station and in
a short time this will be in place and
ready for the superStructure. The new
| station will be on the north side of the
river and will be much nearer town
than the old one, as we'll as being in
| a place which will be more convenient
| for the company, as well as for the
travelling public. The new station will
be fitted in first-class shape and viii
be beauty as well. The new station
will be cnplnlprpG and ready for in
the early fall.
The Rockland, Thomaston and Cam
den Street Railway Co. has six regular
cars in operation at the present time.
| not including of course. the freight
and mail cars. Four new trucks with
| the necessary equipment have been
| ordered so that in summer closed cars
| may be put on if sudden cold comes
on. and in spring open cars may be
| put on if a sudden warm spell comes.
| The company has also expended a sum
of money on its road-bed since April l.
| which would greatly astonish the pub
| lie if il knew the exact figures The
| road has % regular men on its payroll
and employs 81 traCkmcn. The COM
pany is having built at its GlcnCOVe
station a pier 1920 feet in length at the
end of which will be constructed a
| wharf for landing coal. This pier
starts from the shore near the upper
! barn and will be wide enough for a
| track. At the extreme end 1t will have
| a depth Of IA feet of water at high tide.
| The structure Will consist of oak piling
! and white pine top. There will also
be 2i0 feet of treStle work % feet high
running in near the power house where
| the coal is to be deposited. This pier
| and wharf Will do away with the dis
| charging of coal at Rockland and the
re-shippng of it by team tn Glencove.
As the street railway company uses
about 2500 tons a year it will be seen
that it Will not take long for the new
structure to pay for itself The work
of construction will occupy about five
weeks and is already well underway.
The Maine Central work crew en-
gagged in ballasting the track below
Dexter. has nearly completed its work
| south of the station. The track is
| being raised from six inches to two
| feet. and the difference in the amount
of sand used depends upon the height
to which the engineer having charge of
| the matter has made his figures The
| object in view is not only to lessen the
! danger of frost but to get the rails al
such height as will make the grades
| the easiest for trains. A big difference
| can be made and the work as now per
| formed is in striking contrast to that
| done years ago when much of the bal
| lasting was done by guess. according
| to a well-known railroad official. The
| hauling of heavy trains over the DeX-
| ter branch has become so common and
| so general as regards the freight
| traffic. that any change for the better.
| considering the heavy grades in some
| places. is one of most acceptable
character in every respect. Being asked
I he length of time that the sand ballast
| would serve to good purpose. the
same railroad official stated that in Is
| years there was usually necessity to
go over the road again with nearly the
same amount as in the first place. The
dirt that would in that time get mixed
with the sand was of such a character
| that the water did not readily perco-
late through that left. and the section
men at work each season killing the
weeds and the wash of the rains
! carried away good deal of it,
| The Supreme Court of Illinois. has