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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fllmAs en commen^ant par la premlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'iiiustratlon et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symboles suivants apparattra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, seion Ie cas: Ie symbols —► signifie "A SUiVRE", Ie symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimte A des taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque ie document est trop grend pour Atre reproduit en un seui cilchA, 11 est filmA A partir de Tangle supArleur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant Ie nombre d'imagas nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants lllustrent la mAthode. rata > eiure, A 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 S 6 HE PORT OK THE MANAGINO DIRECTOR OF THK GREAT WKSTEHN RAILWAY OF CANADA, to ROBERT W. HARRIS, Esq PilEHIDKNl or THE COMVAMT, D»hd HAMILTON, CANADA, 'AUl AVGLST. IboO. I'ouboiT : fRINTFI* IIY T lUlKTrmi, ItlU'KnT STIIKKT, II AYM.VUKfT l«M, i-:xin <>iu';at VVrstkrn IIattavay, Atif/HKt Mis/, 1853, HiK, One of thu (liities imposed upon me when I was iippoinLoJ, at il... dose of last year, Managing Director of tliis Company, was, that I should make n) Ihe date of each annual meeting, a report upon the proceedings of tin? Company. At the late meeting, I had hcon but six nioutlis in tliis country, and as tlio report of the Directors was full and ample, it was not .considered necessary that I shouk) then make a separate report. Having, however, since the annual meeting, several times visited the works ftlong the whole line, and having, within a few days, returned from one of those visits, it may noi be out ol place, if I state a few facts connected with x\w line, as, at the distance at which we are from the English Share- holders, they will naturally he anxious to have as much information as possible, in reference to an undertaking in which they are so deeply interested. The main line, a total length of 22H miles, is divided into three sections— the first called the Eastern division, extending from Niagara Falls t<, Hamilton, a distance of i;j nnles; i|,„ naW, Hie Central .Jivisiun, from llnmiltoii to L(»ii(loii, 75 inilis ; and the last, tin; VVostom (liviHion. (nun liOndon to WindHor, 1 10 inih^s. Upon tlie Eastern division, the works are being pressed forward with the very greatest activity ; upmi that section there are four steam excavators at work, taking out the heaviest cuts ; there are two locomotive engines employed in aiding the track layers, who are laying about two miles of permanent way per day ; and there is o force engaged upon the structures not yet completed, which must place them (mt of danger in the course of a short time. The Contractors assure me, most positively, that they will be sufficiently forward to enable us to open that division by the 1st of November next, and as they will lose a considerable sum of money if they do not succeed, I feel confident from that fact, and the general state of the work, that I shall have the satisfaction of writing by the mail after the Ist of November, that the Great Western Railway is carrying traffic upon upwards of 40 miles of its line. Upon the division between Hamilton and London, the works are in a very forward state indeed ; nearly all the large structures are complete ; the grading may be said, except at one or two points, to be almost finished, and there are but very few spots which offer any obstacle to the progress of the tracklayers, who are now at work at five different points. Upon tins division three stean excavators, and two locomotive engines, are at work, and I feel justified in expressing my strong belief, from the progress which is making at the present time, that, by the beginning of the month of December, we shiill run om- trains regularly between Niagara Falls and London, ii distance of nearly l!40 miles. Oil till- \V\st{?rii division, huiwern London and Windsor, tlio works iit one or two points are not in quite 8o foi-ward ii state. A few miles west of liondon there are two very Iieavy cuttings, in which the material is of a very hard description, hut there is now at work upon them a very large force, which will he ahle to get a track through in the time hereafter specified. At the prairie lands (now under water) Itordering on Lake St. Clair, considcrahle work lias yet to lie done, but as there are now two steam dredging machines at work at this point, there seems to be no reason to fear this work being behind. Upon the remainder of the division the work is in a very forward state, track being now laid at four different points, and three engines being employed in aiding this operation ; on the whole, then, I believe that, by the 1st of January next, we shall be enabled to carry our traffic along the whole line. I make these statements from personal observation, and from assurances received from the various Con- tractors, who are pressing forward the work entrusted to them, with an energy which gives good earnest of the fulfilment of the promises which they make. Of course there are several things which may tend to delay the opening somewhat beyond the dates which I iiave specified, and it is clearly impossible in so vast a work, involving such a multiplicity of details and arrange- ments, to prophecy without the chance of failure. The weather for the last few months has been such as to facilitate the progress of the works, and we may reason- ably expc ot that the Autumn will afford full scope for the most active exertiouis. P'ortunatuly, up to this time, we have uoi sutfercd mat ^riallv from sickness among the (i wni'Ktiu'M, ami I trust that we sliiill not tins vliii iikh i with so tinloi'tmiiitr a liiiidranci' to our progioHs. Oiut HiiiiU iliiric-iilly against wliicjli wr Imvc to coiiIiikI is tlic ^rral H(!ar('ity of labourers ; \\v liavr Hiillori'd f^'ii-atly I'roni this «'aus ■ ihroughotit tlii' whole ol' iJiis yi'sir — wages are at a [loiiit hi'voud what wa^; ever known before — the great extent of work going forward in Canada, lenders it dillieiiU to procure either the' number or (juality <»f men so nuieli needed; and tlic evidently near i:onjj)leti()n of tlu' works, tcMuls to induce strikes amongst the men, and tints delay for days very important works •it the most critical moments. With all these dillioultien, and no one not aitually amongst them can appreciate their ext nt, the work is biding pressed on most vigour- viusly throughout the whole Hue, and '." none of the contingencies, to which I have adverted, delay our operations, T feel the greatest confidence in naming the dates before! nientioned at which wc may be earning revenue. The Contractors are now engaged vigouro'isly in putting up the various station-buildings, and there is no doubt whati'ver but that we shall bo fully prepared in this respect to carry on our operations. A supply of stock, sufficient to commence work, is now placed beyond all doubt, as we have at this moment engines and carriages enough to conduct operations until we receive from the Contractors, now buaily engagcMl, a furth(>r Huj)ply in the Spring, I may, liowrver, hero say, that if my expectations of U'afhe an ui all realised, wc sliall need a very much luig'.'i rjuiuitity ol lolling .stock ih*in Iims < \er yet been f;-tiianied a?; neccbbarv. On tin; \vlii»lc, then, I feci li(i|))»y in licinijf ablo to look rorward to such onrly iliitcft for the coinnKnujcnicnt of hiisincaa; and it may not 1)o nnintcrosting iff, who liavr not until the present year boon persr.nally aoqiiaintod with thia part of the world, make a fow remarks as to the prospcots which arc before uh. The country between Niii^'ara Kails and London presents an almost unbroken speetaelc of the f^'ventest fertility, and the immense «|uantity of produce which is raised alonp^ this part of our line and the surroundinfjr districts, will inevitably find its way by our Unihvay to Hamilton, as the nearest point to meet water conv(>yance to the St. Lawronco and the American Torts on liakc Ontario. The lino passes through nnincrous thrivinpf towns and villages, which evince every sign of a most prosperous condition. The country is studded with steam and water mills, from which immense quantities of flour and lumber arc annually sent away, and I feel perfectly satisfied that the local trade on this 120 n)iles ul' the line, will present n^sults of the most fav(Uirablo and astonishing nature. As a proof of this, I may ujention, that the Ontario, Simcoe and TIur(m Railway, which runs northward from Toronto, through a country inferior to that served by the Groat Western, and upon which none of the through travel, ultimately expected via the Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe from Lake Superior, yet passes, is at this time, although but lately opened, earning 6 per cent, net from local travel alone, tipon the amount of capital expended upon Am portion of the lino now in operation, Tliis is a most encouraging fact, and I was surprised, when travelling along that line the other day, to observe how well filled the trains appeared to l)e. § il Tl'(< triitli(! between lliimiltoii iiiid liOndon alone, without ooinilin^ that to he derived IVoin the intt.'r- mediato towns (uiiuh thu ountro of u most Hounshing district), of Dundus, Paris, Woodstock, Ingersoll antl Beaohvillo. will ho of very considerable extent ; the stagefi, whioh tnke some sixteen hours on the journey, and are most uncomfortable modes of oonveyanoe, at the present moment carry on an average fifty passengers each way daily, and the most intelligent Merohants of London assure me, that when thoj Imve the opportunity of travelling by railway between that place and Hamilton, and returning the same day, that the passenger traffic will be at onoe quadrupled. Hero is at once a source of revenue of a certain and most remuuerative character. I could add much as to the* impetus which facilities of communication will afford to the general prosperity of the country, and therefore of the Railway, but a few months Tvill enable me to announce results, which I feel sure will oxoecd any expectations which I might now feel justified in holding out. The country, between London and Windsor, is at present not so well settled, but it is fast filling up, and the price of land in that district shows that the attention of "parties is being directed to it, its splendid wheat- land, and almost inexhaustible supply of oak, pine, and other timber. The existenee and prosperity of such towns as Chatham, under the disadvantage of want of oonvenient means of communication, speaks volumes for the caj bilitios of the district. The loqiil trafiie upon the Great Western line, and I Bpeak hero from persojial observation and inquiry, appears to uie to have beou always underrated, tind 1 i' . ];• 9 feel persuaded thnt the operations of n very short time will 8])0W that the local trnffic alone will be sufficient to afford ii very handsome return upon the capital ex- pended. ]hit, in addition to the local traflfic, wc shall secure h very large portion of the through-trovel between the Eastern and Western Statei? of America. From New York and Boston, the great centres of business for this Continent, there are daily (on one line alone) six express or mail passenger trains to Buffalo, and as many returning. The bulk of these passengers now proceed westward, either by the railways along the Soutli shore of Lake Erie, or by steamers across the Lake. The Great Western connecting both at Niagara Falls and Buffalo, with the trains alluded to, will effect a saving of upwards of 1 00 miles of railway in the distance between New York, Boston or Bu£falo and Chicago, and of course, therefore, will draw the majority of the (ravel to and from Cliicago and the West. It also connects, by the shortest possible line, the sister cities of Buffalo and Detroit,, each the centre of the business of a vast and nourishing district The opening of this railway next winter, at a time when the navigation of Lake Erie is suspended, will pour through Canada nearly the whole of the vast east .uid west travel, which is, even now, being conveyed along the line of railway between Buffalo and New York and Boston, and the lines in Michigan, with a tedious break between them. The Central Michigan lliiilway, running from Chicago (where it is connected with a large ramification of railways penetrating ftu: into the prolific west) to Detroit, immediately opposite the 10 wi'stern terminus of this road nt Windsor, is now curry- ing on a largo and profitnldi' business, and will excliangc with this line, when open, a lnrge quantity of passenger and freiglit traffic. The manner of travelling on this side of the Atlnntic is very different from what it is at homo. The journey between New York or Hostcm and Chicago, or points still further west, oc^cupies a considerable spac«! of time, ajid, as Americans sc^ldom stop on a journey, it is an almost universal ])ractico in the summer months, to proceed during tlu; day by railway, and siocp on board one of the floating palaces which cross liake Erie at night. This enables passengers to proceed without the loss of time which stopping at an hotel would involve. The dangerous navigation of Lake Eric has hitherto rendered this a very unsafe mode of travelling, but even the numerous and fatal accidents which yearly occur, have not prevented the practice. Jn oiucr, therefore, to secure the travel during Summer by the Gn^it Wes- tern, a line of first-class steamers, will run beiwoen Oswego and Hamilton. Accordnigly, passengers leaving the Sea lioard ov Chicago in the morning, will be enabled by the evening to reach Jiake Ontario, which is perfectly safe and free from the dangers which havt; made liake Erie so painfully notorious; and, after enjoying a night's rest, proceed in the moming by railway to their destination. This route will become a mt)st favourite one during the Summer, and without it, liukc! Erie would, with all its dangers, be a very [lowerful competitor to us. On the whole, then, the prospects ])resented by this ifiilwiiy iii'i^ u\ i\ fur more encouraging nnture than iinv- 11 ilim<,' with wliicli my ten vcjU'h cxpcriciirc ot Isn^^'lish liiilwiiys has iniulc mc rurniliiir : mid if the |j(,'s,hnt ii]>on I'miiiimcnt it homo, we muy siil'oly look for the «jfni(hnil dovtdopmont of the most sntisfiictory and romnncmtive results. Whilst 1 am nferrin*,' to the prospects of the Groat Wi'stern llailway, T cannot avoid makin;^ some allusion to its cost. When 1 reached this coinitry, in the heii^inninpf of .January of the present year^ 1 fonnd that it had heen lately ascertained that the cost of tlio line would exceed the original estimate. The experience o\' Knglish railways did not cause me to bo much surpris(;d at such a result, nor was I a-tonislied to learn by the Chief Engineer's report of last Juno, tbat even his predecessor's last estimate would not suifice to complete the railway. Thi,' cost of this line having been made the subject of a good (hial of remark, and compi "*ed disparagingly willi that of American railways generally, n may bo useful if i (correct some erroneous impressions which appear to exist. I may then remark, that this railway will, when the existing contracts are closed up, bo as nearly as possible completed ; that hardly any of the works will bo of such a temporary character as to require renewing imme- diately, or until the receipt of revenue places tlie Company in a Hnancial position to do so ; and tin t all the important structures are of sutficient size and strength f(i allow o| till doubling of tlu line without extra cost in that respcit. It ib ii l;ut, not geiurully known in Kngiiind, thru verv feu- if imv, Amerifim rnilwnvs. are !2 niucli more tliuii ImlT compktcd wlieii they iirc opened, and that a carcfu] inquiry as tu the exact cost in its present state, of any hitely perfectly-completed American railway, would show that it had arrived at a sum considerably greater than will be the mileage cost of the Great Western Railway. This is a most important fact, and one which should not be lost sight of, especially as the economical working of a railway depends so much upon the stability and pcrfectness of its original con- struction. It is true that the means at the disposal of the Company will not be quite suliicicnt to close up all the contracts for the construction of the line, but it is exceedingly satisfactory to be assured that the re- arrangement which has been effected within the last few months, of all the construction and other existing contracts, will enable the Company to close them all up without difficulty, or the probability of a resort to any of those vexatious and expensive legal proceedings with which the railway history of this Continent so plentifully abounds. Before concluding this somewliat lengthy statement, which, however, the great importance of the subject will, I trust, excuse, 1 must mention that the proceed- ings of the Grand Trunk Company, who are vigourously prosecuting the works upon their line from Guelph to Saniia, have rendered it absolutely essential that this Company sliould be in a position to complete its line to Samia. We have, accordingly, in pursuance of the authority given the Board at the last aimual meeting of Shareholders, and in accordance witii the resolution come to by the English Sharcholdirs on the 10th of May Jiifst, uiiidc n contrm;! witli a lugiily nspectable and 13 .v.s,.o„sn,l,. Oontrno,,,,., .I,,, ,„,: ,„„|„„,„|,„„ ,„ .,^|,„^,^ ''■"Rl'tof w„y.,,,.,,vi,l., I,,. ,,.,,,,,,„,, .^,,,. ,,„,,,„,„ I'letu tI,o wl„.l,, lin,, i„ „ „,„„,„, ,,,,i^,, ^,,^,1 ,^^ ^^^ tl.o proscnt, Westc.m ,livi»i„n „f the Groat Wcsu.™ lin,- for „ „„„, „f ±>.7,„„„ currency (cpml to „l,„ut t.r,.0(.O "torl.np) „ ,„ilc He ,,,„ „g,.^^^ ^^^ ,^_^^, iMr,n,l,00 of t .0 sross nmount in nonconvcrtiblo bonds of the Great Western Comply, „nd to oompleto the line within twelve months of the time.that he is i„Mr„cte,I to eon,- menco the works. The line will pass through a comparatively easy country, and the necessary preliminary steps are now bomg taken, so as to enable the line to be put under construction the moment it is considered desirable to do so, but no expenditure will be incurred this year, nml the Directors will thus have the satisfaction of feeling that even in a period of great railway excitement, they have been enabled to carry through the great work entrusted to them without encountering the constiuetion of any branch line, beyond the short spun of twelve imlos to the important town of Gait, which it will be remembered was commenced simultaneously with the main lino. A career ol' almost unexampled prosperity in nulway hist..ry is now about to commence in Canada, and I sincerely ti-ust that no wavering on the part of the Shareholders will permit that prosperity to be cast away, by listening to any sch.-me for merging this line into any other Company. lu conclusion, let me again repeat, that the (Ireat Western Railway will, I feel the greatest confidence, be in full and successful operation by the rlosc (.I'tlic present >var ; ,is p.ospeets ,.f ,, su.!ee.ssful ri'.suli aiv. in , < N Illy juilgintMit. hev'-nd tlic vrucli v»t doiiltt jiimI ilii- (ciii pit'tiou ul llif Siirnni line (»ii tln' f!ivuui;il»li' tcnns 1 linvr montioiit'd, will foiici: it in iVom ilir rlmnci- of intrusion from the nortli. Vhv sinnll sum nfctlcd lo hv rniscd for tho Ifttti'r purpose — t'.'-i(K),()0(l iMirnincy, is insij^ni iicant wlun oompim d with tin' ohjcois it will accom- plish, and the triillic it will secure ; tind ii further sum (for the main-line) of i'.. '100, ()()(> cMrreney, mnkinp^ in all t.oOO.OOO eurrenoy, or t'.lOO.OOO sterling:, will complete in m perfect and elHcient nnmiier. ii line of railway, the works of which are second to none on th(> American Continent, and tin; husiness upon which will dovelopo the most satisfactory results. It is, however, hcyond douht, tliat increased rolling- stock, required to work the Hamilton and Toronto and Sarnia lines, and to accommodate the vast business which will present itself upon the line generally, as well as an increase of station accommodation, and the necessity for soon doubling certain portions of tho line, will, before long, requir<> further outlay, hut the objects will all be of a nature to add to the dividends, which before h)ng we shall, I have no doubt, have the pleasure of paying to the Shareholders of the Company. I have the honour to be. Sin, Your most obedient Servant, C. .1. 13RYDGES, M