between South Danvers and Humphrey's Pond, in Lynnfield, has been adopted as a part of the line of the Lowell and Salem road, reported on the petition of Horace P. Wakefield and others, should that charter be granted, it will require the construction only of that portion of the road which lies between Humphries' Pond and South Reading, a distance of four miles, to complete the connection between South Danvers and South Reading. The whole length of the road, from South Danvers to South Reading, is 82 miles, and the estimate submitted by the engineer, covered the whole length of line.

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As it did not appear by the report of the engineer, or by any testimony before the committee, that this portion of the road would cost more than its relative proportion of the whole estimate, the committee have assumed his average estimate of $16,174 per mile, or $64,696 as the total cost of the road, exclusive of land-damages and equipment.

The route here proposed is very favorable for the construction of a railroad; and such is the character of the soil over which it passes, that it is confidently believed that the landdamages would be light.

The highest grade on this road is 40 feet per mile, which happens at or near the junction with the proposed Lowell and Salem road; but this grade may be reduced to 28 feet, by an expense of about $6,000; a portion of which would fall on this corporation, and a portion on the corporation with whose road they propose to unite.

The evidence before the committee, was that the travel between Salem or Danvers, and South Reading and vicinity, amounted to about one hundred persons per day. Danvers is largely engaged in the manufacture of leather; and as the principal business of South Reading, and the neighboring villages, is the manufacture of shoes, an intimate business connection exists between the two places, requiring a better channel of communication than they now possess.

There are, directly on the line of this road, some fine quarries of granite, considerable quantities of which are now annually quarried. The quality resembles the Quincy granite, and it is estimated that, with the facilities of railroad transportation,

large quantities would be annually sent to Boston and its vicinity. There is also a quarry of marble, or serpentine, said to be valuable, which will, no doubt, be wrought in sufficient quantities to furnish additional freight for this road.

There is, too, in the town of Lynnfield, one of the finest ponds of water to be found in Massachusetts. The waters of this pond are very pure, and, from its elevated position, the ice is said to make from one to two inches thicker than on most of the ponds now occupied for procuring ice. This, it is believed, will annually furnish a large amount of business also.

The following table will show the local business relied upon, in part, for the support of this road :

6,000

$14,220

Cost of running 4 miles of railroad, at $1,500 per mile,

As a portion of this business is to be transported over the Lowell and Salem road, from South Danvers to Lynnfield, we should deduct, for transportation over that road, about one fourth of the above sum, say - $3,555

Leaving a balance of

from local freight alone.

$10,665

This the committee deem conclusive, as regards the question of support.

Against granting the prayer of these petitioners, sundry remonstrants appeared, and were heard, among which were the Essex and Eastern Railroad Corporations. The Essex Railroad Corporation remonstrated on the ground, that a road from South Danvers to South Reading, would form a competing line

with their road, leading from Salem to Lawrence; and the same objections were urged against this road being extended to Lowell, over the Wakefield route. The committee were unable to realize the full force of the objection urged by this corporation, as they could not perceive that the two roads uniting, as these propose to do,-the one extending from Lowell, and the other from South Reading, and discharging their whole business on to this road at the very point where they now receive their Danvers business,-would furnish that road with less business than they now received from Danvers alone, which was clearly shown to be very limited.

The Eastern Railroad Corporation met this petition, also, upon the ground of its forming a parallel and competing line to their road, alleging that such an act would not only be a violation of the principles of justice, but directly contravening the settled policy of the Commonwealth.

To this it was replied, that but a small portion of the travel which was relied upon for this road was now, or ever had been, accommodated by the Eastern Railroad, and the freight was sent, almost exclusively, by teams to market; and that, while the construction of this road would be of the utmost importance to certain portions of the community, not now possessing railroad accommodation, it would withdraw, if any, so inconsiderable an amount of business, as never to be realized by that corporation.

Your committee, also, after a full and careful examination of all the facts in the case, and of the probable effects of the construction of this road upon those already existing, are of the opinion, that there are no reasonable grounds for apprehension on the part of the Eastern Railroad Corporation, believing, as they do, that the construction of this road will not operate prejudicially to the interest of that corporation.

Your committee, therefore, on the petition of T. P. Pingree and others, report the accompanying bill.

JOHN SARGENT,

For a majority of the Committee.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and FortyEight.

AN ACT

To establish the South Reading Branch Railroad.

BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

1 SECT. 1. Thomas P. Pingree, George Osborn, and 2 Thomas Emerson, their associates and successors, are 3 hereby made a corporation by the name of the South 4 Reading Branch Railroad, with all the powers and 5 privileges, and subject to all the duties, liabilities 6 and restrictions set forth in the forty-fourth chapter 7 of the Revised Statutes, and in that part of the thir8 ty-ninth chapter of the Revised Statutes, relating to 9 railroad corporations, and in all general statutes that 10 have been, or shall be hereafter, passed relating to 11 railroad corporations.

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SECT. 2. Said corporation are hereby authorized 2 to construct and maintain a railroad commencing at 3 some convenient point in Lynnfield, at the Lowell 4 and Salem Union Railroad, and thence running to the 5 village of South Reading and terminating at the Bos6 ton and Maine Railroad, with power to enter upon 7 and use the said Lowell and Salem Union Railroad, 8 or any part thereof, and that part of the Boston and 9 Maine Railroad which lies between the point of 10 junction therewith, and the city of Boston, according 11 to law; but neither the said Boston and Maine Rail12 road, nor this company, shall ever suffer any freight 13 or passenger cars to pass from the said South Read14 ing Branch Railroad, upon any part of the Boston 15 and Maine Railroad, north of the village of South 16 Reading.

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SECT. 3. The capital stock of said company shall 2 consist of not more than one thousand shares of one 3 hundred dollars each.

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SECT. 4. If the location of such railroad be not 2 filed, according to law, within two years, and said 3 railroad be not completed within three years from the 4 passage of this act, the same shall be void.

1 SECT. 5. The legislature may authorize authorize any other 2 railroad company to enter upon said railroad, at any 3 point thereof, and use the same according to law.

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SECT. 6. The legislature may, after the expira2 tion of five years from the time when said railroad 3 shall be opened for use, reduce the rates of toll or