1854.] 



THE BUFFALO AND BRANTFORD RAILROAD. 



205 



the strongest twisted wire and nine inches in diameter. The present 

 bridge has eight cables, four on each side, each about two inches in 

 diameter. The bridge will be well made, I doubt not, but whether it 

 will be well travelled is another question. Money will suffice for the 

 former, but something more is requisite for the latter, and something 

 which I hardly , think the company will supply. I meant pluck for 

 the passengers ; for however pleasant " riding on a rail " may be on 

 terra firma, this flitting on a stick, whether a broom stick or an iron 

 stick, two hundred feet over an abyss blacker and fiercer than Ach- 

 eron, for a good long furlong or two is a different matter. " — Railway 

 Journal. 



Opening of tlie Buffalo and Brantford Railroad. 



The Buffalo and Brantford Railroad, as originally designed, has at 

 length been completed and cars are now running over it. This road 

 was projected several years since and a reconnoisance made of the 

 route by Mr. Wallace, who found it to be not only an en- 

 tirely practical one, but one highly favorable. — For sometime after 

 this the enterprise slumbered, and no steps were taken to enter upon it in 

 earnest. A little over two years since the project was revived, in the 

 first instance, we believe, by the citizens of Brantford. This action 

 on their part was prompted, in a measure, by that of the Directors of 

 the Great Western road in deciding upon Paris, six miles beyond, as 

 the point through which the road should pass. Men of energy took 

 hold of it, and succeeded in obtaining a considerable amount of sub- 

 scriptions to the stock, principally by the municipalities along the 

 line. They visited Buffalo, and the matter was laid before our citizens, 

 and by them favorably considered. The result was a subscription on 

 the part of the city, of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the 

 capital stock. This secured the completion of the road, and the ser- 

 vices of our then Mayor, James Wadsworth, Esq., in the Directory, 

 and subsequently as President of the Company. 



When the enterprise was first entered upon, it was under a general 

 Plank Road Law — the provisions of which were constructed to au- 

 thorise the construction of a railroad. This, however, was denied, by 

 some, and the road encountered a powerful opposition from Sir Allan 

 McNab, and others in the interest of the Great Western Road. — 

 Eventually, however, the Provincial Parliament confirmed and enlarged 

 the franchises of the Buffalo and Brantford Company by a special 

 charter. Thus fortified, they went forward. A financial measure of 

 much importance, not only to this road but to all others in the 

 Province, w T as about this time adopted — a measure of wisdom in its 

 conception, and of great beneficial results in its operation. The 

 municipalities, town and county, had voted to issue the debentures, 

 for internal improvement purposes, to a large amount. These could 

 not be negoeiated except at a ruinous discount. Parliament passed 

 an act by which these were taken by the government and its deben- 

 tures to the same amount issued. These commanded a premium. 

 The par value of the municipal debentures was paid over, and the 

 premium transferred to a sinking fund for their redemption. They 

 ali bore six per cent, interest ; but the municipal authorities raise 

 eight per cent. — The difference going to the sinking fund. — The 

 Buffalo and Brantford company pay their six per cent on the deben- 

 tures issued for their benefit as they have also done on the bonds 

 issued by the city ; and the dividends will go in the same direction 

 when the road is in full operation. This measure enabled them to 

 raise funds; without which it would have been difficult to realize 

 them. 



The road from the Niagara River to Brantford is not far, from 

 seventy-five miles in length. It is constructed on a guage of five feet 

 six inches — uniform with all the roads in Canada. This is a convenient 

 width — preferable on the whole, to the wider or narrower guage The 

 country through which it passes, is an unusually level one — offering 

 but few engineering obstacles in the whole distance. There are but 

 two considerable gradients in the whole line — one of about forty feet to 

 the mile, west of Dunnville, and another of about thirty feet, between 

 Caledonia and Brantford. Compare this with a single section of the 

 Great Western, as it goes out of Hamilton. For three continuous 

 miles there is a grade of sixty-five feet to the mile, and for the next 

 four miles, of forty-five feet to the mile. It will be seen, therefore, 

 that the grade on the Buffalo and Brantford Road, offers no impedi- 

 ments to high speed or heavy freightage. In addition to this, seventy- 

 one miles of the seventy-five are straight lines, and there is no curve 



with a radius of less than two miles and a half. There are but a few 

 inconsiderable embankments, so that if a train should happen to run 

 off the track, but little damage could result. The cost of the road, 

 absolutely and comparatively, is much in its favor. With a rolling 

 stock consisting of ten first class locomotives — two of which equal 

 the " Racer" and the "Richmond," on the Central — twelve elegant 

 passenger coaches, and baggage cars sufficient to do a large business 

 — the cost has been but $19,000 per mile. This is much cheaper 

 than any other road that has been constructed; — and the Great 

 Western cost $60,000 per mile. This difference is owing to the nature 

 of the surface over which the roads pass. 



That the opening of this road is to be of great benefit to Buffalo, 

 will, we think, soon be shown. The section of Upper Canada which 

 it penetrates and opens to us, is but little known to our citizens. From 

 the difficulty of access, it has hitherto been an almost terra incognita. 

 In point of soil or climate it is equal to auy part of the State of New 

 York. And, as a wheat growing region the Grand River Valley is 

 not surpassed by that of the far famed Genesee. The country im- 

 mediately bordering upon the Road, is not a good representative of 

 the district — as it avoids as far as practicable, the improved lands, in 

 order to secure the right of way on more favorable terms. It passes 

 through three large villages between here and Brantford, and six miles 

 beyond is Paris, with extensive hydraulic power, and a population of 

 between three and four thousand. At this point the Brantford road 

 intersects the Great Western — both running into the same depot — thus 

 being in communication with Detroit, and enabled to land passengers 

 here from the west, two or three hours in advance of the Great 

 Western route. 



It may be as well to mention here, as a part of the history of the 

 road, that the original plan has been enlarged, and that it is to be ex- 

 tended to Goderich, on Lake Huron, eighty-five miles farther, and one 

 hundred and sixty from Buffalo. The contract for the Western Division 

 has been entered upon and much of the grading already done, and it 

 is contemplated to have the " iron horse" put through from one Lake 

 to the other by the first of November 1854. The gradation is already 

 far advanced, and is in the hands of energetic contractors who will 

 push it forward with all possible despatch. When this is completed, 

 a man may start in New York one morning, and wake up in Makinaw 

 the next. The distance from Buffalo to Goderich, being one hundred 

 and sixty miles, can be easily run in five hours. — Buffalo Courier. 



Prize* Awarded at tile New York. Crystal Palace. 



Below we give a list of the prizes awarded to Canadian com- 

 petitors at the New York Crystal Palace. There were in all one 

 hundred and fifteen silver medals granted, of which the greatest 

 number fell to the United States. France received 51 ; Great Britain 

 9 ; Germany 5, and Switzerland, Australia and Italy one each. Of 

 the bronze medals, the United States has 505, Great Britain 143, 

 France 153, Germany 106, Prussia 30, Belgium 10, Switzerland. 29, 

 Holland 12, Austria 18, Italy and Sardinia 44, British America 26, &c. 

 As a contemporary very justly remarks — " Had better arrangements 

 been made, we have no doubt that Canada would have figured much 

 more prominently in the prize list. " And we have no doubt, that 

 had sufficient information been diffused to inspire confidence in the un- 

 dertaking, that Canada would have been very much better represented. 

 The following is the list of the 26 premiums awarded to Canada and 

 the Lower Provinces : — 



Bell, Messrs. Quebec, Canada East, for specimens of Earthenware. 



Peter, C. H. Riviere Ouelle, Canada East, for general excellence of 

 specimens of Leather, from the Ouelle River, from the skin of the 

 porpoise. 



Indians of Loretto, Canada, for general excellence of specimens of 

 dressed and undressed Deer and Moose skins, prepared by them- 

 selves. 



Van Brooklyn, Winter & Co., Canada West, for a Threshing and 

 Separating Machine. 



Globensky, Miss., Lachine, Canada, complete set of Embroidery for 

 Furniture. 



Geddes, Rev. J. F. Hamilton, Canada West, Berlin Wool Carpet. 



Bouchard, J. B. Madame, St. Villiere, Canada, Counterpane and 

 knitted Linen Curtains. 



Knight, Wni. St. John's, Newfoundland, for Model of Seal Fishery. 



Thompson, Miss Kate, Toronto, rose point Lace Collar. 



