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This line will be recognized by the Board, as the route proposed for their consideration by Henry Sterns, Esq., and by them ordered to be examined.

The following summary will exhibit a comparative view of these several routes, embracing the length, curvature, grading, bridging, land damages, cost, &c. of each. The land damages, including ground for a depot, have been furnished by the Agent of the Corporation; and his report upon that subject, now in possession of the Board, will have presented a full statement of the propositions of the different land owners through whose grounds the lines pass.

Summary of Routes from station 665, (a point below the head of Garden Brook,) to a point on West Springfield plain, one mile west

Statements.

of the bridge.

No. 1. No, 2.

Length of line (feet).

Grade (Maximum).

Aggregate length of curves (feet).

Total deflection in degrees.
Width of Con. River (feet).

Greatest depth (feet).

Mean depth (feet).

No. 3.. | No. 4.

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Angle of axis of bridge with that of river.

Grading.

Land damages, including ground
for depot.

Connecticut River Bridge.
Total cost.

830 30 82° 43' 8° 52' 72° 45′ 19472.34 20662.00 21981.84 22499.4C

10570,00 14072,00 6245,00 7592,00 60984,00 62743,00 62484,00 62477,00| 90826,30 97477,00 90710,00 92568,00

So far as we may be called upon to express an opinion in reference to a position for the depot, which shall best subserve the interests of the Corporation, we think we shall have performed our duty in that respect, when we say that a piece of ground of about 3 acres in extent, will be required, as nearly upon a level as may be; or where the grade of the road shall be sufficiently light to prevent the spontaneous descent of the trains-that it be established upon a portion of the track which shall be free from abrupt curvature, and that the lot of ground shall be about twice the length in the direction of the road, that it may be

transversely to the same. This being necessary to facilitate the entrance to such branches and sidelings, as may be required through the depot yard.

By the farther order of the Board, of the 22d of March, as indicated in the letter of instructions of the President, of the 25th of March, the road from East Brookfield to the Connecticut River was directed to be prepared and offered for contract, with the condition that the line should follow, either the north, or the south side of Garden Brook, as the Board might deem it expedient, to select the one or the other, for the route. In conformity thereto, this portion of it was advertised on the 1st of April, and the period specified for receiving proposals was limited to the 10th May; but it having been considered advisable to extend that limit, the contractors were notified that the allotment of the work would be postponed until the 1st June. Upwards of 500 propositions have been received from between 60 and 70 contractors; and those proposals which accorded best with the interests of the Corporation, have been accepted. Upon the two largest sections, where there was doubt as to the character of the excavation, the ground has been bored to a point below the grade of the road. These two sections are not yet allotted, being still under consideration.

We now proceed to the description of the operations on the west side of Connecticut river, and between it and the New York line. At the date of the last Report, the northern route, only, as was then stated, had been approximately located; and although numerous experimental lines had been surveyed upon the south route, no one line had been more critically examined, for location, than another. There was so much more space to be traversed by the preliminary surveys, than upon the north route, that the time consumed did not admit of locating. Since that period, this object has been attained, and thereby we have the means of making a full comparison of these two routes. In order to do this, it will be necessary to assume some point near the Connecticut river, which shall be common to both lines, and refer all the comparisons to it. For this purpose we shall take the east bank of the river, and compute the distance from it. The heights are all referred to the Bench Mark, at the eastern abutment of the bridge, being about 20 feet above the ordinary low water in the river.

It is well known that the Connecticut river is separated from the Hudson by an elevated range of mountains, which traverse the intermediate country from north to south; and further, that the waters of the Housatonic are divided from those of the Connecticut, by a lofty spur of the same range. This spur deflects from the parent chain, north of the source of the Housatonic river. Its course is east of south, or transverse to the route of the Rail Road.

This range has been examined from Washington on the north, through Becket and Otis, to Tolland on the south, embracing an extent of 22 miles from S. S. E. to N. N. W. By this examination we find the following to be the most favorable depressions for passing the main dividing ridge.

The Washington summit, elevated 1419 feet above the Bench Mark at Connecticut river, (20 feet above ordinary low water.)

The Spruce swamp summit, near the line between Otis and Blandford, is 1470 feet do.

Lyon's summit, in Otis, at the head of the north branch of Westfield Little river, 1484 feet do.

The Tolland summit, near Noyes's pond, 1392 feet do. Having thus ascertained the heights of these several summits, the next question which presents itself for determination, is the route by which this elevation is to be overcome to the best advantage. We might premise, that by introducing a system of inclined planes, much distance would be saved; but knowing the strong objections which prevail in the community against their use, we have conceived it expedient to direct our attention to such other routes only, as would admit of the application of locomotive power.

The

Referring to a map of the State, it will be seen that the Westfield river, the Farmington river, and the Housatonic, mutually interlock their branches with each other. western termination of the Western Rail Road being upon a tributary of the last-mentioned stream, and the intermediate summits being determined, it becomes the question then simply to select the most feasible route from one valley to the other. The Westfield, or Agawam river, is composed of two principal branches, called the Great and Little Westfield. The source of that branch of the former, which rises farthest west, is in Washington, while the Little West

field has two branches, which rise at about the same distance west, viz. the northern near Lyon's, in Otis, and the southern at the Spruce swamp, near the Otis and Blandford line. The routes which have been surveyed, and approximately located for the north line are by Westfield Great river, and those for the south line, are by the valleys of both branches of the Little Westfield, and by routes entirely south of the same. To this general description, we may add the following statement: a straight line from Springfield to the western termination of the Rail Road, at the N. W. corner of West Stockbridge, passes through West Springfield, Westfield, southern part of Montgomery, northern part of Blandford, near the middle of Becket, middle of Lee, north part of Stockbridge, and of West Stockbridge. The distance is about 47 miles; the distance by the shortest travelled road, is about 50 miles. The greatest northing which the north route makes, is in Dalton, 9 miles from the straight line; the greatest southing which the south route makes, is in Southwick; but its greatest distance from the direct line is at Tolland, being at that point 8 miles from it. The lines, (north and south,) are farthest apart near the middle of the route, say at S. E. corner of Chester and N. W. corner of Tolland, 12 miles. We now proceed to the description of the lines which have been approximately located, both upon the north and south

routes.

It has been stated in another part of this Report, that the four lines through the valley of Garden Brook, in their prolongation to the west, unite at a point about one mile from the river, on the West Springfield plain. From this point to Morley's bridge, across the Agawam river, a distance of 5 miles, the north and south routes are common to each other. Falling upon the Westfield river, at Ashley's mill, they continue at the margin of the stream two miles, and in a direction nearly west, to Tatham hill; thence curving to N. W. and again to west, they reach Morley's bridge. Throughout this distance, with the exception of some side cutting in red sand stone, at the Midneag falls, the ground is favorable, and not such as would be called difficult, even, at the falls. From this bridge, two lines were surveyed for the north route-one passing entirely north of the Westfield river, and crossing the Hampshire and Hampden canal at

Sackett's, and from thence to a point one mile above Tekoa mountain, and 8 miles west of Morley's bridge-the other crosses the Great and Little Westfield river, passes through the village of Westfield, a little south of the common or public square; thence by the south side of the low grounds of the Westfield river by Phelps's and by Clark's tavern, and crossing the river near widow Palmer's; it unites with the line by the north side of the river, near S. Bronson's, one mile above Tekoa mountain, as was stated in the Report of 15th January last.

Referring to that Report for a description of the several experimental lines which were surveyed for the south route, and numbered from 1 to 13, inclusively, we pass on to detail the route selected from among them for approximate location, with the introduction of such amendments of different portions of the same, as suggested themselves in the course of the re-examination.

From the village of Westfield, the south route passes over the plain to the Little Westfield, at the Powder mill, two miles distant, and crosses the river at that point; thence it curves gradually to the south, towards the valley of Munn's brook, (a branch of the Little Westfield) and crosses it below I. Shepard's; from thence, it turns farther south, and ascending the eastern slope of Sodom mountain, at a grade of 56 feet per mile, it enters the N. W. corner of Southwick; thence increasing the grade to 79.6 feet it pursues a course nearly south, to Loomis' gap (a depression in Sodom mountain formed by a branch of Munn's brook) 4 miles from the Powder mill; thence winding into this gap upon a curve of 1000 feet radius, it turns to N. W. and follows the direction of the valley of this branch to Farnsworth's; turning still farther to the north, it enters the S. W. corner of Westfield at Mount Pisgah, 3 miles from Loomis' gap, from Mount Pisgah it turns to the west, and again south, and enters the town of Granville; here it falls into the southern part of the valley of the Little Westfield, and continues parallel to it, near the Russell line, as far as Cobble mountain, on the east side of Stowe's brook, and 3 miles west of Mount Pisgah. At this point, the grade is 85 feet below the surface, and the excavation being in rock, a tunnel of about 600 feet would probably be preferable to a thorough cut. Crossing the deep ravine made by Stowe's brook, at an elevation above the

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