|
|
Description and Holding Information
|
|
|
Railroad Commissioners. Report, <1860>-
|
|
Report of the Railroad Commissioners of the State of Maine. This group is from 1860-1865, with some reports not present. The Commissioners were to
examine each railroad's physical plant and financial affairs each year. Bridges were a special focus, because many were built of wood and tended to
fail. The state was well served by north-south railroads, but was struggling to finish the east-west line.
**1860 same title Submitted on December
15, 1860, the report said there were fourteen active railroads in the state, built at a cost of more than $19,000,000 and in debt to $11,250,000.
The Commission thought the state should discourage the construction of competing railroads until the present ones could pay their way out of debt. The
industry needed more protective laws for goods and people. During the year, 748,506 passengers rode, 453 tons of merchandise moved, plus lots of
cattle and timber. There was a brief discussion about iron bridges and the ruinously expensive way railroad construction was financed. Beginning on page
six, a civil engineer evaluated each railroad. The York and Cumberland was an example of a system in very bad shape.
**1861 and 1862 not
present
**1863 Forty-third Legislature. Senate. No. 3 Report of the Railroad Commissioners, December 31, 1863. There had been great demand for rail
service, but maintenance was difficult because it was hard to get iron, rolling stock, and labor. In the individual inspections, the Atlantic And St.
Lawrence Railroad was an example of how the Commission dealt with a dangerous situation.
**1864 Forty-fourth Legislature. Senate. No. 4 same
title
On January 20, 1865. the commissioners tendered their report for 1864. They could now inspect from April to November. Haste in construction had
made unsafe conditions all over. The Commissioners have walked all the railroads in the state and described the problems they found. It was still
difficult to get iron. They recommended a change to crossing signs.
**1865 Forty-fifth Legislature. Senate. No. 12. Report, December 30, 1865.
One Commissioner had walked every foot of every railroad. Weather driven frost, expansion, and contraction was a serious problem in Maine; roadbed and
equipment failures were common during the winter. The Commission had no legal standing between November to March--that should be corrected. The
Commission was still asking for legislative action on outdated crossing signs. They listed other changes that would help the industry and made some
suggestions for smoother operation of the railways. Pages 9-14 were the reports on individual companies. (Digitized from a microfilm copy of title
originally held by the Maine State Library and the Library of Congress).
|
|
|
Title:
Report of the Railroad Commissioners of the State of Maine, for the year ...
|
|
|
OCLC Number:
657032887
|
|
|
|
|
|
Available Volumes
|
|
|
|
|
|