REVIEWS. 



1. Report of tko Board of Directors of tlic Ontario, Simcoe, and Huron 



Railroad Union Cumvany — -June 6. 



2. Report of Alfred Brnnncl, Chief Assistant. Engi)ieer, Ontario, Simcoe, 



and Huron Railroad. 



The Report of the Directors of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Rail- 

 road Union Compr.ny read by the Secretary at the annual general 

 meeting of the Shareholders, at the office of the Company on June 

 6, is without doubt, one of the most feeble and melancholy effusions of 

 the l;ind -n-liich it has ever beeu our misfortune to peruse. It com- 

 mences by assigning three singularly unimportant reasons why the 

 Directors "felt" it due to themselves and the shareholders that lliey 

 should report upon the general position of the Company ; and with 

 this "view" they begin, continue and close their report with a doleful 

 relation of disappointments, misunderstandings, defeats, faint hopes, 

 aud indefinite anticipations. 



Iha first important difliculty appears to have originated with the 

 Corporation of Toronto, aud cousideriug the very grave results due to 

 the resolutions of that body (not e.xplained in the Report) such as 

 placing the Company in a false position — delaying the construction of 

 the road— injuring its financial credit — we are bound to say that the 

 report speaks of the Corporation in a very mild and courteous 

 manner. 



" The payments to the contractors have been made from time to time 

 in pursuance with the original and supplemental couti'acts. so far as 

 the Board have been enabled to carry the same into effect ; but they 

 regret that the ditficulties which arose in regard to the resolutions of 

 the Coiporation of Torouto, granting aid to the Company ; and the 

 subsequent requirement for aud a surrender of the loan ; as also of the 

 gratuity of £25,1)00, originally voted by the City Corporation, materi- 

 ally impeded the Directors iu cari-ying out their contract with Messi's. 

 il. C. Story & Co., and placed the Compauy for some time iu a false 

 position, delayed the construction of the road, and injured its financial 

 credit. Subsequently, however, these difficulties were surmounted, 

 and the construction of the road has progressed in accordance with 

 the terms of the contracts." 



The second misunderstanding is also with the Corporation of the City 

 of Torouto, and is thus alluded to in the Report : 



"The Company have been unfortunate in regard to their original un- 

 derstanding with the City of Toronto Corporation to construct a termi- 

 nus on the market block, inasmuch as subsequent experience has shown 

 that the location js not a good one, aud that both the City and the 

 Company would be injured by the construction of a city depot there. 

 Acting upon this conviction, and fortified by the advice of their engi- 

 neers, your Hoard determined on locating the city termmus on the 

 Bay Shore, between Yonge and Hay Streets, and took the requisite 

 steps under their act of incorporation to ensure the getting of the land 

 and water frontage for that purpose." 



The third misunderstanding is of a more important character, and is 

 also laid at the door of the unfeeling Corporation of Toronto. It is re- 

 ferred to with affecting simplicity in the following pathetic paragraphs: 



" The Directors regret to state, that after expending a considerable 

 sum of money upon works at the last mentioned location, the Corpora- 

 tion of Toronto instituted proceedings in Chancery against the Com- 

 pany, and succeeded, — in consequence of the time limited by the 

 charter to acquire lands having expired,— in oiiashiiK/ the orders they 

 had obtained ; ami the C"mi)any arc still under :ui obligation to erect 

 the depot on the objcrtionable site, .-mil llie ruquisite excavations have 

 been commenced lor lliat purpo.se. 'i'our Board have always been 

 willing and offered to make an exchange of this site for other lands of 

 the Corporation suitable for depot purposes ; but as yet that body 

 have not consented to the proposal made to them, the position of 

 the Company with the Corporation remains, consequently, in an un- 

 satisfactory state." 



The style in which (he wicked success of the Corporation is intro- 

 duced deserves a nobler field for the display of its vigour than that 

 offered by a mere railway report. The conclusion arrived at by the 

 very gentle authois of the gem before us we think we may endorse 

 without furtlicr enquiry. " The position, says the Report— the ponition 



[1853 



of the Company with the Corporation remains oouseinently in an un- 

 satisfactory state." 



Tlie selection of a harbour for the JSTortheru Termiaus is next ad- 

 verted to, aud much to our chagrin we find that here as iu the other 

 cases we have noticed a(faii-s remain iu an unsettled aud distracted 

 condition. After aU that has been stated, written, published and simrn 

 in favor of the Heu and Chicken,s, after the positive erideiiee frequently- 

 brought forward of the fitness and adaptation of the Harbour for all 

 the purposes of the Company, the .^ ortheru Terminus of the Railway 

 has beeu virtually " quashed" by the Board of Railway Commissioners 

 just as the Southern Terminus was " gnas/ccd" by the Corporation of 

 Torouto. 



"The selection of a harbour for the Northern Terminus, has been a 

 subject to which your Board have given their particular attention. The 

 Chiet Engineer, iu his last printed report, reviewed the advanta.'es and 

 disadvantages of the various Harbours, aud the line leading to the 

 same, and, keeping iu view the desirability of extending your line to 

 the westward, reported iu favour of ColUugwood. 



" The Directors, after mature and anxious consideration, adopted Col- 

 hngwood Harbour, subject to the approval of the Hoard of Railway 

 Commissioners; and the matter having subsequently been brought 

 under the notice of the Commissiouers, they communicated their opin- 

 ion and views, in a letter addressed by them, on the 27th of April last 

 to the President ot your Board. The following extract from that letter 

 will explain better than auy comment, the result of their consi<ieratioii 

 upon the question referred to. 



" The Board of Railway Commissiouers have given their best atten- 

 tion to the subject of the selection of a Northern Terminus, for tlie line 

 of the Ontario, Simcoe aud Huron Railroad. 



" So far as the Commissiouers have beeu able to ascertain four sites 

 have been up to this time proposed for such Termiuus, all in the 

 Georgian Biy, which seems to have been originally selected by the 

 Compauy as the Northern Water Terminus for their Road. Two of 

 these sites a-e in Gloucester Bay, viz :— reuetauguishene and Victoria 

 Ba3'. The Commissioners entirely concur with the iingiueer iu decid- 

 ing agaiu,st either of those Termini, being fully couviu'ced that the in- 

 terests of the public will be best served by giving the Road a Westerly 

 Direction. The other sites which have been brought under their con- 

 sideration are Nottawasaga aud Culliugwood. both in Nottawasaga 

 Ba3\ The Commissioners are of opiu:ou that the objections to Notta- 

 wasaga River as a Terminus are insurmountable. The only other site 

 treated of by the Engineer is ColUugwood ; and although the Commis- 

 sioners if compelled to decide in favourof some oue ofthe .sites brought 

 under their notice, would have no hesitation in giving the preference 

 to Colhugwood, yet such strong objections have beeu made to that 

 place by persons whose opinions are eutitled to respect, that they have 

 felt It their duty to consider whether some Termiuus less open to ob- 

 jections cannot be found, either within or outside of the Georgiau 



" They are of opinion, that if a good Harbour could be obtained i.ut- 

 side of that Bay, on Lake Huron, it would be a most desirable chaun-e 

 It seems doubtful whether, under their present charter the Company 

 can e.xteud their hue to Lake Huron, if thev t(mch Georgian Bay at 

 Colhugwood. However, their fiuancial arrangements liave been made 

 with a view to au expenditure much more limited than would be re- 

 quired It the road were carried to Owen's Sound, Saugeeu, or Fishing 

 Islands ; and the Commissiouers could not sanction any new proposi- 

 tiou, unless with the distinct under.standiug that the guarantee of the 

 same is uot to be increased. The Conipauv is now eudeavourin"- to 

 obtain permission from the Lc^i-liliii,- i,, 'iMcnd its Line Westward • 

 and the Board trust that they i„.-,y 1 lo surcssful. -Meantime tlie Rail- 

 way Commissiouers, in view of ihu lads that is important to the Com- 

 pany to complete iheir present coulract, and to fix on some terminus 

 on Nottawasaga B.iy which may afterwards be us-d as a way station 

 ai-e of opinion that further exploration of the (Jeorgian BaV west of 

 Colhugwood should be immediately made, with the view of ascertain- 

 lug whether any otlier site more desirable than ColUugwood can be 

 found, and they rec(uuineiid that the Directors obtain the assistance of 

 some pcrsni, ,,f u.iiui,-al experience in the survey. And with a view 

 olot.vialiiig Imiliri' dcl.iy, the Boiud of Commissioners are prepared 

 to give I iiir assciil to the projjosition of the Directors, regarcling Col- 

 imgwood, in ca.se i,o better site can be found after a new exploration 

 111 th;it case however, they recommend that the expenditure at Col- 

 lingvyood should be on a limited scale for the present, as they are not 

 convinced that such a harbour cau be obtained as the public interests 

 require." 



"Tour Board considered that the si'/tneslions of the Raiheat/ Commissioners 



