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the road to Burlington was so limited that it could not have all been graded up, had the weather permitted.

All the track might have been raised and surfaced off at final grade previous to this time, had the company have had a sufficient number of engines and gravel cars for that purpose. It has frequently occurred during the past year, that not more than one gravel train could be used at a time for want of motive power, when it required at least four constantly in use to have finished the grading as it might and should have been done. The embankments generally, where they are or may hereafter be exposed to the action of the water in the rivers during high freshets, have been protected with riprapping of stone taken from the rock excavations on the line.

All the river turnings have stood the test of the spring and summer freshets remarkably well, except the one in Middlesex, and the one in Waterbury, neither of which were finished at the time of the great freshet on the 19th of July last, which caused such great destruction of property throughout the country.

The damage sustained on these two points was not so great as at first anticipated. Including these, the damage done to the whole road, by the three high freshets which have occurred since the middle of July last, will not exceed $35,000.

A thorough examination of all the points affected by the freshet of July 19th, and an estimate of the probable cost of repairing the same, was made immediately after the freshet, which amounted to a fraction less than $30,000.

The repairs of damages have since progressed with as great rapidity as the means within the possession of the Company would allow. Most of them have already been completed, and the remainder will be finished in all the next month.

No doubt is entertained of the future stability of the road, when the repairs are completed, and the new channel, cut for turning Winooski river in Middlesex, is made of a sufficient width, and the embankments and masonry, at that and other exposed points, properly secured by riprapping.

The wooden superstructure of the bridges, built under the contract with S. F. Belknap, deceased, (which did not include covering,) are being covered by the Company, to protect them from the weather. Most of them are now finished, and the remainder of them will be done during the pre

sent season.

A number of the excavations on the Burlington end of the road require sloping and ditching, especially the deep cut in the town of Burlington, which was left by the contractors as soon as a space of sufficient width to lay the track was made. The earth to be taken from these excavations is required upon the embankments to bring them to their proper width and height.

At six different points the track was temporarily laid around and over rock excavations, to facilitate the early opening of the road to Burlington. The passenger and freight trains passed regularly over these points from the opening of the road until August last, when the whole were completed, and the track permanently laid. By this means the road was opened to

Burlington from four to six months earlier than it otherwise could have been.

Two regular passenger trains, and one freight, have been running most of the time during the year ending June 30th; also from one to three gravel trains, and an occasional train for hauling and distributing materials for the construction of the road, and for wood.

Depot Buildings of a uniform size and finish have been erected at most of the stations on the road; also water houses, wood sheds, &c.

On the 30th of June last the Company had upon the road twelve locomotive steam engines of the first class, and three of a small size, second hand;* ten eight-wheel passenger cars, two eight-wheel postoffice, express, and baggage cars, one eight-wheel baggage car, (since altered to postoffice and express,) ninety-three eight-wheel merchandize box cars, twenty-nine eight-wheel platform stake cars, eighty-eight four-wheel gravel cars, fourteen second hand gravel cars, four four-wheel iron cars, fifteen hand cars, one large snow plough, six small snow ploughs, and twelve cow catchers.f In my last annual report I stated that, "It has been thought to be economical and advisable to undertake the building of a limited number of baggage and freight cars at the repair shops in Northfield."

Materials were partially purchased for the construction of two postoffice, express, and baggage cars, and for twenty-five eight-wheel merchandize box cars. One of the postoffice, express, and baggage cars, and three of the merchandize cars, were completed and put upon the road previous to the 30th of June last, at a cost less than the price paid by the Company to other car builders for cars of like description. Since that time seven merchandize box cars, and one postoffice, express, and baggage car, have been built and placed upon the road, and ten more will soon be completed. Six hand cars were also built by the Company and used upon the road prior to June 30th.

A greater number of merchandize cars would have been constructed during the past year, but for the large and increasing amount of work necessary to be done at the repair shops for finishing the construction of the road to Burlington, and for the Vermont and Canada Road.

No doubt is entertained but that the Company can build their own merchandize cars better, and for a less cost, than they can be purchased of other car builders. It not unfrequently occurs, when repairs are light, that the repair hands are profitably employed in the construction of new cars, by thus keeping them constantly in work, which could not otherwise be done.

No additional number of hands has been employed expressly for constructing new cars. Those that have been built, have been done by the surplus labor of the regular repair hands.

cars.

Four first class locomotive engines have been purchased and placed upon the road within the present month, and twenty eight-wheel merchandize Four additional engines will be required the coming spring. Contracts have been made on favorable terms for the Company for one hundred and sixty eight-wheel merchandize cars, to be delivered at the rate of six per week, twenty of which have already been delivered. This number, together with those being built at the repair shops of the * Cost from schedule, $102,811·14, † Cost from schedule, $129,795.

Company, in addition to the present stock, will probably be sufficient for the ordinary business of the road the coming season, provided the Ogdensburg company furnish cars for all through business from their road.

BUSINESS OF THE ROAD.

From June 26, 1848, (when the Road was first opened from W. R. Junction to Bethel,)

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There has been charged to repairs of road in the above amount, during the year ending June 30 (previous to which time nothing has been charged to that account,) one section hand and two helpers for each seven miles of track, as fast as the same was laid, and the road opened for business. This number is required to keep the track in proper running order when it is finished, and has therefore been charged accordingly since the road was opened, although in an unfinished state. This, however, is not the usual practice on other roads, as all repairs of track are charged to construction account until the whole is finally finished off at grade. The road being new, no iron or ties were required for repairs, and no repairs on bridges, station houses, fences &c.

All work done upon the road, other than the above, where the track was laid, was for sloping and finishing the sides of the excavations, digging ditches, hauling gravel, raising and surfacing track to final grade, widening the embankments, covering bridges, building fences, &c. &c, the cost of all which has properly been charged to construction account.

The business of the road has been steadily on the increase. The nett receipts, after paying the proportions of the roads below, were for the month of June over $21,000, July over 12,000, (business interrupted by freshet half the month,) August over $25,000, and September over $30,000.

It is confidently believed, that upon the final completion of the Vermont and Canada Road to a connexion with the Ogdensburgh Road by a bridge at Rouse's Point, the nett receipts of the road will at once be swelled far beyond the present amount.

The Company have not had motive power and cars sufficient to do the

business offered during the past month. Notwithstanding a considerable number of cars were borrowed of the lower roads, the depôts on the line are mostly filled to their utmost capacity with goods waiting for shipment.

June 30, 1850.

Stock on hand at the Repair Shops in Northfield, and Fuel, Oil, and Waste, $30,793.22 ·

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The above includes the number of passengers and tons of merchandize carried one mile on the Central Road only, and not the number carried to and from the roads below in Central cars.

Number of Miles run by Engines and Trains during the year ending June 30, 1850.

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Cost of work done and materials delivered and not paid for, and estimated cost of materials and work unfinished and necessary to be done (including land damages and fencing) to complete the whole road from Windsor to Burlington, October 31, 1850.

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Estimated cost of new road furniture required to accommodate the ordinary business of the road, exclusive of business from the Ogdensburgh road.

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The number of passengers on the railways last year (says a corresponent of the Morning Herald) exceeded double the population of the United Kingdom, those traveling by third classes alone exceeding the whole of the population-young, old, rich, and poor. As, however, it can scarcely be supposed that more than one quarter of the people have availed themselves of the advantages of railway transit, it will follow that each passenger, on the average, has gone eight trips in the year-a journey to

From the London Builder, October 26, 1850.

any place and back with return tickets being considered generally as only one journey. The capital already raised by railway companies (says the same writer) exceeds one quarter of the national debt of Great Britain. and Ireland, and would be sufficient to purchase the whole of the property in Ireland rated to the poor at twenty years' purchase on the poorlaw valuation.The aggregate amount of traffic on railways in the United Kingdom during the current year shows a very considerable increase over the corresponding period of 1849. The published total receipts from 1st January to 29th September, 1850, amounted to 9,525,7071.; corresponding period of 1849 to 8,275,679.; showing an increase of 1,250,0281. for that period. The receipts during the first quarter of 1850 amounted to 2,613,237; second quarter to 3,214,9031.; and third quarter to 3,697,5677.; being an increase over the corresponding periods in 1849 of 283,0017. in the first quarter; 422,3017. in the second; and 544,7267. in the third quarter.

Statistics of Railways in Austria.*

According to a Vienna paper, the Austria, the railroads of the Austrian empire now embraces an extent of 290 Austrian miles (about 1400 English miles.) The traffic of these lines in 1849 was 1,236,361 passengers, and 17,880,800 quintals of merchandise. Other lines are in course of construction.

On an Improved Locomotive Boiler. By Mr. RAMSBOTTOM, of Manchester.†

(Paper read at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Birmingham, July 25th, 1849.) Without discussing the merits of the various arrangements and dispositions of the working parts of locomotive engines, the author of the present paper proposes to make a few observations respecting the most vital part of these machines, that upon which the satisfactory performance of all the details must necessarily depend--namely, the Boiler.

Before proceeding to the immediate subject of this paper, it is proposed to point out one or two objections to locomotive boilers as at present constructed, which experience has brought under the author's notice; and then to describe a form of boiler which appears to him in some degree calculated to remedy the defects which will be referred to.

It is scarcely necessary to observe that the absolute power of a locomotive, or any other steam engine, is strictly proportioned to the quantity of steam which the boiler of such engine can produce in a given time; and chemists are generally agreed that the quantity of atmospheric air required, (or oxygen, which is the supporter of combustion,) as well as the quantity of fuel, is in direct proportion to the quantity of water evaporated; or in other words, to produce more steam, it is not only necessary to supply more fuel, but also more atmospheric air in proportion to the quantity of steam produced.

*From the London Mining Journal, No. 787.

† From the London Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, September, 1849.

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