The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-03-31
MR.. MELLEN'S ORDERS
HAVE BEEN OBEYED
Plans for New Hampshire Link
Ready for Contractors.
NEED COMMISSIONS APPROVAL
Before Contracts Can Be Given Out
Hearing on Proposed Location TO
Take Place in Concord Tuesday-Cost
Estimated at About $l,700,000.

The orders Of President Charles ;. Melien
OF the New Haven System to his engineer
George NJ Tompson, to have the plans ior
the Hinsdale Brattleboro link OF railroad
ready for the contractors 70 bud upon
April have been obeyed. This week has
seen the completion OF the figuring Tor the
grading material. and the work OF cross
sectioning the entire right of way Is done,
The plans will call for about 1,oOO,oW
cubic wards OF grading material
Ii is expected by the engineers that word
will be received from the railroad coinmls'
sion OF New Hampshire announcing the
anproyal OF the location OF the proposed
road not later than April - and possibly
three or four days earlier. With the legal
right to build the road secured the con
tracts will be awarded immediatel, as II Is
expected that the bids will be filed by the
contractors before the location Is approved
in order that no time may be lost, nc
cost of the 10 miles of double-track road
Including the bridge at Bratteboro over
the Connecticut river and the one across
the Ashuelot river will be approximately
81, 100000 These are the figures made
by Engineer Tompson and filed with the
railroad commission OF New Hampshire.
Right of Way Agent James II Nillough-
by has obtained options IRON all but TWO
of the property owners over whose land
-tbe proposed road will run. The matter
of passenger and freight stations has not
been decided upon except that they VIII
be on what is known as the SchorhDg nat
The plans for the ODoioot doubie-track
steel bridge which is TO cross the Connect
cut river have been completed and VIII be
furnished to the principal bridge building
concerns OF the country within few days
To enable bids to be tiled in season TO be
accented when the location Is approved.
There are number OF miles oi the pro
posed road where practically no digging
viii have to be done and on the other hand
large amount of ledge will have to be re
moved at several points along the survey:
The plans for the masonry are ready and
every culyert and brook bridge is included
in this work Engineer Iompson expects
that the contractors will be actually dlg
cing by the end of April unless something
develops to change the entire plan. lie
said YESTERDAY that Mr.. Mellen's orders
arc ia have the road finished by January
/. 1912. and that these orders would be
carried out il it was a physical possibility
to do so.
Preliminary work will start at both ends
of the line but the laying of the rails will
start at one end only. The railroad com,
many will Law the rails when the roadbed
( Is ready for the ballast. A gang OF men
such as is generally used in laying rails can
.put down about three.quarters OF mile
of single track daily. The cost of the rails:
cross-ties, and expense of laying a mule OF
double track is approximately S2oooo lhe
matter of ballasting the road has not been
decided upon. Whether gravel or crushed
stone will be used is to be determined after
a further examination is made OF the quail
ity and supply of gravel to be found at sew
eral points along the line Of the survey,
The Central Vermont's construction
gang has been busy all of the week and the
foremen in charge of the job say that the
remainder of the ledge nearest to the rail-
road crossing will be removed by the md
die of April. Whether work will begin
upon the construction OF the overpass de
pends upon the result OF the hearing be-
| fore the public service commission Tues
/ day. The commission will meet IN the
Brooks House parlors at Q o'clock a. m.'
and the hearing will be public. While there
have been many delays and contlnuances
! for different reasons II is probable that
the coming hearing will result in an order
being made by the commission relative TO
the suspension or vacating OF the order
| for the abolishment of the Bridge street
grade crossing and construction OF an over
pass.