18S3J 



REVIEWS. 



^57 



dcmamhd attention, aad have accordingly taken the necessary action to 

 carry tlieir recoinineudatious into Bisect. 



As doubts existed as to tlie power of the Company to toucli at more 

 than one point on Lake Huron, or to extend the Line further Westward 

 tliau Colliugwood ; and, as the litigation with tlie Corporation of To- 

 ronto above referred to, lesnlted in a judgment of the Com't of Chad- 

 eery, materially impairing, and, in some cases, destroying, the powers 

 wliich liad previously been exercised by the Company, it became ne- 

 cessary to apply without delay to Parliament, for the revival of those 

 powers ; and to obtain a Legislative authority to touch at more than 

 one point on Lake Huron, and to extend the Railroad to the Eastern 

 Shore of that Lake. A Bill has passed both Houses of the Legislature 

 and now awaits the Royal as.seut, giving the Company the necessary 

 powers, with the right to iucrease their capital to carry out the exten- 

 •sion of your Line. With the view to such an extension, an exploration 

 is now proceeding under the order of your Board. 



The report tapers off with an allusion to the financial condition of 

 the Company, and ' hopes,' ' anticipates,' that as the accounts of the 

 Company have hitherto presented a statement of " continuous out- 

 goings," they will next year present a " fair amount of incomings." 

 During the penning of the last half dozen lines, the framers of the re- 

 port evidently revived a little and found strength and courage to 

 ' hope' and ' anticipate' that the " Proprietors, Directors, Government, 

 and Contractor.s, may each discover that the spirit which initiated, and 

 the perseverance and energy which is carrying to completion this link 

 of communication and connexion with the Northern Lakes, have not 

 been without beneficial results to the public, the Company, and the 

 advancement and progress of Upper Canada." 



It occurs to us that if " Proprietors, Directors, Government and 

 Cmitradors .'.'.' " have yet to "discover" the beneficial results of the 

 Northern Railroad they must seek for better guides than lamenting 

 and languid reports, whose feeble repinings will do more to weaken a 

 great and noble work, than all the hard fighting, legal, battle fields 

 through which it has been successfully carried to completion for one 

 half of its length, and in spite of which, it will shortly arrive at the 

 fullness of the measure of its growth. 



2. Report of Alfred Brunei, Chief Assistant Engineer, Ordario, Simcoe 

 and Huron Railroad. 



This is a sensible document, and contrasts strikingly with the wishy- 

 washy ' report' we have just noticed. We give the most interesting 

 portions of Mr. Bnmel's communication below. The portions omitted 

 refer to topics already discussed. 



To the President and Directors of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Mail- 

 road Union Company. 



Owing to the continued illness and consequent absence of the Chief 

 Engineer, I have the honor to submit the following Report of the pro- 

 gress of the work on your Road, as called for by resolution of the 

 Board, under date 20th ultimo : — 



Since the Report made by the Chief Engineer in February last, the 

 ■works generally h.-ive progressed in a ^tisfactory manner. The first 

 section of the Road to the Township of Whitchurch, a distance of thirty 

 miles, was opened on the 16th of jVIay last, and the amount of busin'ss 

 done, during the short period which has intervened, indicates the 

 most satisfactory results. 



The second section, from Whitchurch to Bradford, should, by the 

 terras of the original contract, have been ready for opening on the 15th 

 of May, 1853 , but in consequence of the changes made in the location 

 to improve the ahgnnieut of the Road, requiring the formation of heavy 

 embankments, it was agreed in a supplementary contract, that the 

 time for completing (his d-vision should be extended so much as the 

 Chief Engineer might decide to be reasonable. Such an extension of 

 time would not have been necessary, but for the very unfavorable 

 -weather during the spring, and the unusually heavy fall of rain, which 

 has caused a greater amount of subsidence in these new embankments 

 than WIS anticipated. The iron is now laid on this division of the Road 

 to within about two miles of the Holland River, and will, without 

 doubt, be laid to that point, and be put in order for running over, on 

 or before the fifteenth day of June, instant. 



From Holland River to Barrie, with the excejition of those sections 

 ■where changes in the original location were made, the bridging and 

 grading is Very nearly completed, and the whole of this diVisiou, 



which, by the terms of the original contract, should be completed by 

 the first of December next, will, I have every reason to believe, be 

 ready for opening at least two months previous to that time. 



In order to facilitate and to avoid interruption to the regular busi- 

 ness of the Road, the arrangement ordered by the Board, has been 

 made with the contractors for taking the Roads off their hands as far 

 as Barrie, without ballastmg, for the consideration agreed upon. The 

 ballasting will now be done by the Company at such times as the 

 business of th?, Koad may best admit or require. With a similar pur- 

 pose, two of the minor changes, in the original location, required by 

 the supplementary contract, have been postponed, and the contractors 

 having 2:>laced their estimated cost at the credit of the Company, the 

 track has been laid on the original location, which was graded, and 

 the improvements will be made at a more convenient season. 



From Barrie to Collingwood Harbour, on the Georgian Baj', a dis- 

 tance of thirty-one miles, the location has been completed, and the 

 works are in satisfactory progress on this division, with a fair prospect 

 of being completed by the time stipulated in the contract, viz., the 1st 

 day of June, 1854. On this portion of the Road, the alignment add 

 grades have been greatly improved over those indicated by the pre- 

 liminary survey, and the country through which it passes, is generally 

 favorableto the construction of such a permanent way. as will be econ- 

 omically maintained, and requiring the construction of but 452 feet of 

 bridging on the entire division. 



It is not contemplated to proceed at present with the constimction 

 of any very extensive work at Collingwood Harbour. No greater out- 

 lay this year will be incurred at that terminus than v,-ill be necessary 

 to afford a good steamboat landing, and sufficient storage for goods, 

 This course has been deemed advisable, inasmuch as the bill recently 

 passed through both branches of the Legislature, authorizes the exten- 

 sion of your Road to the eastern shores of Lake Huron ; and the ad- 

 vantages offered by such an extension may at an early date be a suffi- 

 cient inducement to extend your Road to some point near the " Sau- 

 gcen" or " J^ishing Islands." 



The rolling stock at present on the Road consists of four engines and 

 fifty nine cars of the several classes; besides which, tlii"ty-six other 

 cars are in a forward state in the contractor's shops, and will be on the 

 Road within the present month. Contracts have been )nade with 

 Messrs. McLean, Wright <fe Co. for two hundred and eighteen cars ; and 

 as they have their shop and machinery in full operation, no difficulty 

 is likely to occur in fully equipping the Road. Four other locomotives 

 have also been ordered, three of which v,-ill be in service before the 

 expiration of this month, and the fourth early in July. 



The recent report of the Chief Engineer fuUy detailed the expendi- 

 ture required for completing the road to Collingwood, nothing has 

 since occurred calculated to disturb that estimate. The expenditure 

 as exhibited by the books of this oiflce to the present time, is as 

 under : 



For Grading, Bridging, and permanent way, including Engi- 

 neering expenses, and Rolling Stock under original con- 

 tract, and iron for eighty-two miles of road, with sidings, 417,542 



For Rolling Stock under supplementary contract, 4,070 



For Harbour and Depot service, under supplementary con- 

 tract, being for permanent and temporary work in Toronto, 

 and for Way Stations, 2,254 



AH which is respectfully submited. 



Engineer's Office, i 

 Toronto, June 4th, 1853. J 



£423,866 



ALFRED BRUNEL, 

 Chief Assistant Engineer. 



Gieat Western Railway. 



At the annual general meeting of the Stockholders of the Great 

 Western Raihoad, held in Hamilton, a few days ago, reports were 

 adopted, of which we present the following extracts : 



The Directors, in submitting the usual financial statement, made up 

 to the SOtli April last, will, in explaining their proceedings during the 

 past year, endeavor to place before the Stockholders the exact and real 

 position of every matter connected with the Road. 

 The amount expended up to the tate of the last Re- 

 port, in June, 1852, was £ 383,039 8 5 



From the accounts this day submitted, it will be seen 



