wages of men, salaries and other expenses, 27,849 92 $53,176 17 From the income of the road there has been paid, $17,416 65 60,772 00 All which is respecfully submitted Geo. Peabody, Pres't., Robt. G. Shaw, Sam'l. S. Lewis, B. T. Reed, Pyam Lovett, Isaiah Breed, Stephen A. Chase, Jno. Hooper, Francis J. Oliver, Amos Binney, Directors. FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NASHUA AND LOWELL RAILROAD CORPORATION. To the Honorable the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: The Directors of the Nashua and Lowell railroad corporation, hereby submit their fourth annual report of their acts and doings, receipts and expenditures, under their act of incorporation. The total amount of capital stock paid in, is Besides 500 shares, (or $50,000,) pledged to the Common wealth. $299,000 00 The receipts from the opening of the road, to November 20, 1839, (a part of which is included in our last report,) have been as follows: From passengers, freight, 64 rents, The expenses paid during the same period, exclusive of the $36,646 92 18,198 74 207 92 $55,053 58 amount charged to cost of road, is $3,948 94 2,273 64 22,435 85 $28,658 43 $26,395 15 Add balance of interest account, &c., from commencement, Out of which the following dividends have been declared: 1,227 58 $27,622 73 11,960 00 $19,475 00 $8,147 73 Leaving a balance to be carried to the general depreciation and contingency account, of Since the last annual report, in which an account was rendered in detail of the cost of the road up to that time, there has been paid towards the completion of it as follows: Amount expended on cost of road, at the time of the last an nual report, Making total cost of road to Nov. 20, 1839, $279,939 44 $353,662 14 The amount due from the corporation, Nov. 20th, on loan account, was as follows: For money borrowed on pledge of State scrip, $49,000 00 2,931 74 $51,931 74 It will appear by our last annual report, that we commenced carrying passengers October 8, 1838, and freight on the 23d of November of the same year. At the last session of your honorable body, application was made by our corporation, to fix the rate of toll to be paid by us, for the transportation of our freight over the Boston and Lowell railroad. By an agreement of parties, however, the subject was referred to three gentlemen to fix the rate until altered by the parties, or the Legislature. They awarded, that the Boston and Lowell railroad corporation, should furnish moving power, and taansport our freight cars, in connexion with their own, over their road to and from the junction of the Charlestown branch railroad, and that we should pay them therefore, the sun of ninety-six cents per ton, or four cents per mile. This agreement took effect June 1, 1839, and under it, we have pail to the Boston and Lowell railroad corporation, up to November 20, 1839, the sum of $5,073 27. By agreement of parties, this award was to operate back to March 1, 1839 and the Boston and Lowell railroad corporation were to repay to us a part of the excess over the rate awarded which had been paid by us to them for freighting; and under this agreement, we received the sum of $1,745 98. A contract was made by us, March 20, 1839 with the Charlestown branch railroad corporation, by which they were to furnish moving power for the transportation of our freight cars to and from the depot at Charlestown, over their road. A contract of the same date, was also made with the Charlestown wharf company, by which said company were to erect for our accommodation, a freight depot in Charlestown, near the head of Warren bridge, furnish us with the use of certain wharves and lands, upon which rail tracks are laid so that freight can be easily taken directly from the vessel into the cars, thus effecting a great saving of expense. A copy of the contract with the said Charlestown branch railroad corporation is to be appended to this report. There was due under said contract, up to Jan. 1, 1840, the sum of $277 41. To the Charlestown wharf company. $613 03. The whole length of the road, is 14 miles, 109, feet, of which 8 miles, 5036 feet lies in Massachusetts, and 5 miles 1673 feet in New Hamp shire. The number of planes in Massachusetts is 20, of which 7 are level.The inclination of the others in feet per mile, is as follows; 1 of 43 ft.: ; 1 of 5 ft.; 1 of 9-12 ft.; 1 of 75 ft.; 1 of 6,48 ft.; 1 of 9,78 ft.; 1 of 5,33 ft.; 1 of 8,44 ft.; 1 of 750 st.; 1 of 6,53 ft.; 1 of 9 ft.; 1 of 11 ft.; 1 of 13,7% ft. 0 100 100 100 100 10 The number of planes in New Hampshire is 9, of which 4 are level.The inclination of the other 5, in feet per mile, is as follows; 1 of 11,7% ft.; 1 of 7ft.; 1 of 5,28 ft.; 1 of 3,40 ft.; and 1 of 4,29 ft. 100 100 100 The changes from plane to plane, are made gradual by means of vertical curves. The extent of inclined planes ascending from Lowell, is The extent of descending planes from do, is 14.283,0 The track at the depot at Nashua, is 34 34 feet higher than the track at the junction with the Boston and Lowell hailroad. Curvature. The radii of the curves in Massachusetts, vary in length from 1,050 to 10,000 feet. The greatest curve is at Lowell. The radii of the curves in New Hampshire vary from 900 to 6,000 feet; the greatest curve being near the depot at Nashua. Rails-Edge rails of the T pattern are used, weighing about 57 lbs. per yaru, supported by chestnut sleepers 7 feet long, and about 7 inches in diameter, at the mean distance of 3 feet apart from centre to centre. The sleepers rest on longitudinal sills of chestnut plank, about 3 inches by 8, with a short piece under the junction of these planks, and an additional one under the sleepers, which support the ends of the rails. Grade. The width of the embankments at top, is 15 feet; the width of the excavations at bottom, from 21 to 30 feet. And the bridge foundations, which are of stone, are generally of sufficient width for 2 tracks. NASHUA, November 20, 1839-eing the time to which the accounts were inade up. Signed, January, 1840 Dan'l. Abbot, C. H. Atherton, Jesse Bowers, Joseph Greely, Directors. FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NFW BEDFORD AND TAUNTON RAILROAD CORPORATION. To the Honorable Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: The directors of the New Bedford and Taunton railroad corporation do hereby make their first report of their acts and doings, receipts and expenditures, under their act of incorporation, to the 7th of January, 1840 inclusive. The first meeting of the stockholders was held on the 6th day of Feb. Jast, when the corporation was organized by the election of seven directors the act of incorporation was accepted, and by laws adopted. At a meeting of the stockholders held on the 26th day of Oct. last, the act amending the charter, approved March 26th, 1839, was accepted. The amount received for assesments on 2991 The work on the road commenced in May last, and we expect to get it completed so as to open it for use in the course of next summer. All which is respectfully submitted. P. G. Seabury, Joseph Grinnell, Thos. Mandell, Wm. W. Swain, Alfred Gibbs, David R. Greene. FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NORWICH AND WORCESTER RAILROAD COMPANY. To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, now in session: The directors of the Norwich and Worcester railroad conipany, in presenting, in obedience to the laws of the State, their fourth annual report, deem it proper, in the present state of the road, and in view of the relations of the company to the State, to present somewhat at length a statement of facts in relation to the road. The masonry, grading and bridges, of the entire railroad, from the freight depot at Norwich to the depot at Worcester are finished, and the superstructure is laid throughout the entire distance, with the exception of one mile on which the iron rails have not been laid, owing to the severe and repeated storms of snow which have prevailed during the winter. The length of the railroad is 58 9-10 miles. The greatest inclination per mile is 20 feet, and for fifty two continuous miles, descending toward Norwich, the road is either level or descending the whole distance, there being no ascending grade. The materials of the road bed are principally gravel. The masonry is throughout of the best materials and exceedingly durable and highly finished. Although the company have encountered considerable expenses in order to avoid any grades exceeding 20 feet to the mile, and to obviate objectionable curves, the entire expense for masonry, grading and bridges including a tunnel through a solid rock has been but $9000 per mile. In the superstructure, the company have sought to avail themselves of the experience of other railroads, and to render it in every respect permanent-the rail selected is of the heaviest kind, being 56 lbs. to the yard, and having also the unusual advantage of being in bars of 18 feet in lengthalthough the adoption of so heavy a rail involved a very greatly increased expense-yet the advantages of superior safety, diminished annual repairs, and permanent economy, induced the company to encounter that expense, even in a time of very great pecuniary pressure. There are eleven depots besides those at Norwich and Worcester, and the depot buildings, at most of these, are either built or in the course of construction. Although this is a large number, the accommodation of the manufacturing and other villages on the route would not allow the omis sion of any, and there are still other villages desirous of a similar accommodation, which the company are under the necessity of declining. The depots of Norwich and Worcester are very advantageously situated, and the directors have deemed it important at both places to secure, although at considerable expense, a sufficient quantity of land to transact the extensive business which they anticipate. The connexion with the Boston and Worcester railroad at Worcester is complete, and advantageous to both railroads -and it has been deemed expedient to erect the passenger house and engine house, for both railroads, at Worcester, to be used and occupied in common, by both railroads; and the arrangement is such, that the same cars for freight, and as far as is desirable, for passengers, pass without change or transhipment for the whole distance between Norwich and Bos ton. At Norwich, the arrangements are in progress, and will be completed early in the spring, by which passengers will be enabled to take the railroad cars at the steamboat wharf, and the baggage car will be transported from Boston to New York unopened, except at the two cities. The only power used is by locomotive steam engines-the great expense of horse power being entirely avoided. The board have directed contracts to be made for furnishing nineteen eight-wheeled passenger cars, to be constructed by experienced builders, at Cambridge Port and Worcester, designed to accommodate very conveniently, forty-eight persons each, in addition to cars for second class passengers. They have also contracted with the same builders for a large number of freight cars. The company have purchased four locomotive steam engines, and made contracts for four more, to be delivered on or before the middle of March next. Arrangements have been entered into for the formation of a steamboat line, between New York and Norwich, in connection with the railroad, which will insure the placing on the line, suitable and convenient steamboats. It is the design of the company, in connection with the Boston and Worcester railroad, to run a line of cars to and from the steamboat, stopping on either railroad only sufficiently often to supply the engines with wood and water, and to leave Norwich immediately on the arrival of the steamboat. In order to accommodate passengers desirous to stop at intermediate points, an accommo lation train of cars will leave Norwich every morning at a fixed hour, and another train will leave Worcester in the afternoon, in advance of the steamboat train, which will receive passengers at all the depots. In addition to the steamboat train and the accommodation train, both from Norwich and Worcester every morning and evening, it is the design of the company, provided a steamboat shall be placed on the route between Norwich and New Haven, as is now proposed by some individuals, to run an additional train of cars to and from Worcester, in such a manner as to form a daily line each way, by daylight, between Boston and New Haven. If this arrangement should be perfected, there will be four passenger trains and one merchandise train, each way, over the road every day, except Sundays, on which day it is not expected that any train shall pass over the railroad. By the steamboat train, the travel between Boston and New York, also to and from Worcester, and the country north, will be specially accommodated. As to the amount of this business it is of course a matter of estimate; but as the route is exceedingly pleasant, expeditious, and every way desira ble, and the charge for passengers will be moderate, there seems to be no reason why this route should not receive at least an equal share of the Boston and New York travel with any other route between these two cities. The distance over both railroads, from Boston via Worcester to Norwich, is 103 miles, and thence by steamboat to New York, 130 miles; and the time required for the entire distance will not exceed, in favorable circumstances, fifteen hours. In order to justify themselves to the stockholders of the company, and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to whom the company are so much in lebted for so extensive arrangements for business, the directors would present a few facts showing the extent of the business which will be accommodated by this railroad. |