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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rrata to pelure. □ 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 NOKTJI SHORE RAILWAY. SEYMOUR ON LIGHT SEYMOUR. 'i- •*!i'iw NORTH SlIORK RAILWAY SEYMOUR ON LIGHT, '"^'^ A ri:p.-,:,.u-.,„.x or ,„..,. ,,:n,,Ks u„,ch aph .vki:.. ,x Tin: M:u-p.\PKk> or ( m Enri . i\ 1S76. \vn H l■:xi'I..\^.\T()R^ rkmarks. BY SILAS SEYMOUR. ^iJ'.NKMM M.\ I i.TlX*; i:\<;im;k.r. QUEBEC, September 25, 1877. ' tf ' • •• > • • • • . • ' • .«'..'...• „ . .- , . . • • %:>►* l':XPLANATORY. In order that those who may not Ijc entirely familiar ft/ m with HIV own connection with the pa^t hi.story of what was former]}' known as tiie North Shore Railway, ma}' appreciate tlie motives which liave impelled, and will coiiiinuc to impel nie to resist, and publicly exi)0.fe the insidious efforts which are constantly being DKtde by Mr. A. L. Light, the present Government Engineer in charge of that Railway, to bolster up hi;* own pro- fessional reputation, at the expense of my own, 1 deem it proper to submit for their information, the following explanatory remarks : During the summer of 1S7J, I ^^as induced, by the representatiyes of the North Miore Railway Company, to abandt)n a large and lucrative ])raetice in the United States, (which practice iiad been secured to me a-*^ the result of a somewhat extended and practical experience in the construction and manairement of Railways, during which I had also established a reputation for a certain degree of probity, skill, and foresight in :?iich matters), and to accept the position of Consulting and Acting Chief Engineer of the North Shore Railway ; 61540 ^ EXPLANA'KJKY. *ii ,-'- . •■( , ^vliich position 1 continued to hold until tiie .summer of 1875, when the work came under tht3 control of the Provincial Government. Dining this time, and with the entire approval of the Board of Directors, a mjijoritv of whom were ap- pointed hy the Provincial Government, and the Corpo- ration of the City of Quebec, I had made a locati(;n of the line, and prepared plans and specifications of the entire work. I had also found responsible parties who, upon my representations as to the proba})le cost and value of the Railway, were willing to undertake, and did undertake the full construction and equipment of the Railway, in accordance with the provisions of the charter of the Company, and the laws then in force. I had also fullj' committed myself, in my published oilicial reports, with reference to the probable future business and net earnings oi the Raihvay ; as well as to the present and prospective value of the large amount of timbered lands, which had been granted as a subsidy to the Railway Company ; and the consequent desira- bility and safety of the debentures of the Company, as financial investments ; all of which reports had been freely circulated throughout the j)rincipal money mar- kets of the w^orld. In addition to which, I had myself visited Europe, for the purpose of explaining and vcri- lying these reports. In view of the foregoing facts, together with the further consideration, that the reputation w^hich I had acquired, during the practice above referred to. i ..i^'^S^ ::?13 EXPLANATORY. ? liti.s always been, and still is my only workinji' cjipi- tnl in life: and the onlv Iciracv wliicli I can roasodahly li(>pe to leave to my family. I hcu to submit, that I cannot be expected to remain entirely passive, while the (lovernment Knuineer is cor.stantlv endeavoring: to undeimine and destroy this rei)ntati()n. by insinuating that, but tor his tinielv interh'rence. the North Shore Hailwav would have bjen an enuineerin«r: and ii com- mercial failure; and conse f Kiiiiineer upon the sif/id- lion,^'' dated March 4, 1875 — and " Ilis/oricn/ Revieir of the Government Stdmhtrd^' dated April 0, 1S75, all of which are numbered in their proper order, from 1 to 7 inclusive, may be placed on iile in the Office of the Minister of Public Works, for future reference, in connection with the official reports of the Government Engineer, above referred to ; C EXPLANATOIIY. ▼ii c and to which (hey aro intiMuIod to alloid full roplios and oxplaiiiitions ro.spccting all niattovH coniU'ctiMl with the character ol' the work done; and the cost ol" cn^inecrins*. upon the N;)rlh Shore Kailway, durinu' the timr when I had the honor to occupy ilie position ol" Consulting and Acting Chiel' l!]ngineer of thf Railway (V)ini)any. Trusting that I may be -pardoiifd. Mr. Premier, lor pre- suming* to trouble you with a matter which, although it may at present a])pear '< bo entirely personal to myself ; yet one whicli I appreheno may, sooner or later, become of some interest to your ^^love-'ument i.s ail'ecting tlie success of the important Kailway polic) which you have in hand; I have !h ' lionor to remain, Mr, Premier. Your Very obedient servant, SILAS SEYMOUR, The Honorable C. B. DeBOUCHEKVILLE, Premier of the Province of Quebec, Minister of Public Works, Sfc, ^c. To which the following was received in reply : [Translation.] DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND PUBLIC WORKS. Quebec, Wth September, i876. Sir, In answer to your letter of the 12th of this month, I have the honor to inform you that the documents ■wnwu VIU EXPLANATORY. you Ldve transmitted, on the same date, to the Honbie. Prime Minister, have been registered in the books, and fyled in the records of this Department. I have the honor to be, . * Sir, Your very humble servant, (Signed,) ERNEST GAGNON, Secretary. General Seymour, Engineer, Quebec. With the same object in view, I have, during the past month, found the leisure to prepare and publish, in pamphlet form, a hasty review of a portion of a most remarkable pamphlet, which has recently been promul- gated to the public by the sume Government Engineer ; which portion relates, more particularly, to the subject of " Foundations in Deep Water " upon the North Shore Railway ; which subject is also treated of, to some extent in the letters above referred to ; and I have therefore deemed it advisable to republish these letters, at the present time, in pamplet form, in order that they may be preserved for future reference, and also be conve- niently appended to the former pamphlet. A careful perusal and consideration of the facts, as stated in these pamphlets, and the published documents therein referred to, must, it is confidently believed, re- sult in the conviction that the advent of the present •^ EXPLANATORY. IX "' ) re- nt GovevnTnent Engineer upon the North Shore Railway, and his periiiiuient oflieial connection therewith, have already proved, and nuif^t continue to prove to he the greatest misfortunes tliat could have befallen the Government and people of the Province of Quebec, in connection with that most inij)()rtant Enterprise. It will also become apparent, by a perusal of these documents, that the course taken by the Government Engineer, during the Fall and Winter of 1874, and the Spring of 1875, was such, that the Provincial Govern- ment and the Cit}' of Quebec refused to pay, upon the current estiuuites, their respective quotas of the subsi- dies which had been granted in aid of the Railway ; and that the Contractor wasc3nsequently ol)liged to suspend the work ; and the Railway Company was compelled, by the force of circumstances, to abandon the Enterprise, and to place it at the disposal of the Provincial Gov- ernment. ^ • • ■ Durinir the summer of 1875, a new contract was en- tered into between the Government and the Contractor, by the terms of which, and of the subsequent law which sanctioned it, the work was placed under the control of three Railway Commissioners to be appointed by the Government ; and the Government Engineer was clothed with the powers, which, under the original con- tract, had been vested in the Chief Engineer ol the Railway Company. During the latter part of January, 1876, the Gov- ernment appointed three Commissioners to supervise in X EXPLANATORY. its behalf, the construction of the entire line of Railway, extending from Quebec, via Montreal and Ottawa, to Portage dii Fort, a total distance of some throe hundred and forty miles, and at a total cost of between eight and ten million doU.ars. These Commissioners were all gentlemen of high standing and good repute ; but, unfortunately, neither of them were practical railway men. After having been thus chiefly instrumental in causing a year's delay in the }3rogress of the work, and in wiping out the Railway Company, the Government Engineer found himself, at the opening of the working season of 1876, in the position which he had evidently been seeking to attain, since his first advent upon the North Shore Railway, to wit : where, by superseding the ibrmer Chief Engineer, and l>eing under no control but that of a confiding and inexperienced Board of Railway Commissioners ; and having found a clause in the Government contract, which, as he vainly supposed, placed all the resources of the Contractor, as well as those of the Government, at his disposal, he could carry out at once his own peculiar views sls to changes in the alignment and gradients of the road ; and also in the plans of Foundations, Masonry, Bridging, Ballasting, Depot-buildings, Machine-shops, Rolling-stock, &c., &c., and thus safely assume the credit, (as inierred from his letter to the Canadian Illustrated Neics of May 15, 1876) of having made ^^ certain sweeping changes for the better on the works, since they came under Government control'' EXPLANATORY. XI It seems, howevei'j from the revelations contained in the Government Engineer's pamphlet, that matters have not worked f(» smoothly in that direction, during the first year's exi)erienee of the Government Engineer in his new position, as he had fondly anticipated ; for the reason that the Contractor claims to have some right to protec- tion under the contract, as well as the Government. And hence it appears^, that during the past winter, the Con- tractor addressed a communication to the Prime Minister of the Province, in which he .alleges that his rights and privileges under the contract, are constantly heing inter- fered with ])}■ the (lovernment Engineer; also, that he is required by the Govcinment Engineer to do a large amount of work that is not embraced in the contract, for which no extra allowance is made in the estimates ; also, that lie has been compelled to take down and re- build work that had been previously accepted by the Government Engineer ; also, that he has been subjected to all sorts of delays and damnges by reason of changes in, or the non-approval of plans, by the (Jovernirient Engineer ; also, that he has done a large amount of le- gitimate contract work, and incurred a large amount of expenditure, which have not been included in the monthly estimates returned by the (iovernment En- gineer. &;c , &c., &c. To all of which cliarges and allegations, tlie Govern- ment Engineer replies by printed pamphlet, addressed over his own signature, to the Railway Commissioners ; in which pamphlet the Contractor's charges are styled -■EEW^ Xll EXPLANATOKY. as " pretended grievances/' and his entire communica- tion is branded as a *' cunningly, if somewhat unscrupu- lously devised jeremaide." He also accuses the Con- tractor, through his agents, of attempting *' to tlnvart the Government Inspectors,"; also '* of covertly counter- manding their orders tosub-rontractors, and inciting the latter to do work inferior to specification," ; also "' of having persistently endeavored to evade his contract, and has thus himself caused the delay of which he so bitterly complains,"' ; also '• of there having been no loss of time but what the Contractor is himself answer- able for, and caused by his repeated attempts to cvuea his contract," «&c., kc. In the conclusion of his pami>hlet. the Giovernment Engineer states, that "' the Contractor began the St. Maurice Bridge some three months ago, and has already made mistakes that will prevent its completion this year" * ; also, that" the correspondence produced by the Contractor, in suppoi t of his statements, is unreliable ; facts are either distorted, or supi)re?^sed to suit his con- venience ; and in one instance he has not hesitattd to resort to fabrication, in order to bolster up his case ; " and further on, in the same paragraph, this fabrication is stigmatized as a " gross forger// : '' and finally : '• I do not hesitate to sav, in closing mv remarks, that all * NoTK. — Since the foregoing was in type, I Imvo been informed by Mr. T. J. ('. Reeves, of Messrs. Clark, Reeves it Co.. who nre the Contractors I' r building the St. Maurice Bridge; ami abo by Mr. I). H. Kelly, the Ajjont in cliingo of the work, that the bridge will, in all probability, be comjdetod by the 1st of Nov, next; or, at the latest, by the Idth. S. S. EXPIiANATORY. Xlll • difhculties,' 'uulavs" and ' lo.«ses " tliat have occnTcd in the prosecution of this work, have Keen caiisod hy the Contractors niismanauement ami want of eneruy ; and by his persistent eiVorts to evade his contract," kc Referring uenerally to the ver\ voUnninous [)ainphk't, as published to the world by the Government Kngineer, a copy of which was lirst placed in my hands by a gen- tleman from the United states ; and which also contains the charges and allegations made by the Contractor, above referred to, it is (piite clear that, if one half of the Contractor's changes are well foun led, the Government Eiiirinecr should lonsi' since have lieen dismissed bv the Government, from his high and responsible position, on account, either of gross incompetency, or a culpable neg- lect of dutv. It is also equally clear, that, if one half of what the Government Engineer alleges auainst the Contractor is well founded, the contract should long since have been cancelled by the Government, under the fifteenth clause, which provides, that the Contractor '' shall proceed with the said work at once, and prosecute the same with all possible speed, and according to the instructions given from time to time bv the Government Eniiineer : and failing this, upon a report from said Engineer to that eftect, the work may be prosecuted by the said Trustees or Commissioners, at the costs and charges of the said Contractor ; or. that if the Contractor I'ails to prosecute the said work in a proi er manner, or at a rate of ])ro- gress that will ensure its completion within the time XIV EXPLANATORY. specified, (to wit : Dec. 1st, 1877), that then, and in an y of the said case^<, the Government shall have power to cancel the whole contract, and to enter into other ar- rangements for its completion, without any procedure at law being at all necessary, by express condition." It would certainly appear, to .any one who is at all capable of construing the above provision of the contract correctly, that the duty which it imposes upon the Government Engineer, under such a condition of things as is described in his pamphlet, is very clearly defined; and that it does not point in the direction of an appeal to the public opinion of the country, through the agency of a pamphleteering crusade against the Contractor. The course pursued by the Government Engineer, has, on the contrary, reduced the Government, through its Railway Commissioners, to the mortifying necessity of calling to their aid the services of a competent and experienced Railway Engineer, for the purpose of tiding over the difficulties which exist between the Contractor and their own Engineer; and thus of allowing the work to drag its slow length along, under a condition of things which, if one may judge from the contents of the Gov- ernment Engineer's pajnphlet, may be expected to pro- duce, within a few years, (in case the Government Treasury holds out) such an abortion, in the guise of a Railway, as has never yet been seen, either in Canada, or upon the American Continent. And all this at a cost of from me or as icy such a coiulitioii of things as, from the contents of his ]).mphlet, are shown to exist within the organization of the Railway Department of tlie Provincial Govern- ment; which department, as l)efore stated, has under its control, the expenditure of from eight to ten million dollars of the people's money. . Neither do I consider it proper forme, at the present time, to indulge in any reflections upon either the Provincial Government, or upon its Board of Railway Commissioners, for allowing such a publication to be made, particularly at a time when the creditors of the Province, at least, should be thoroughly convinced that the strictest order, vigilance, and economy are being observed in such obligations and expenditures as must necessarily bo incurred, in order to insure the early, and proper completion of the gre.at North Shore line of Railway ; without, at the same time, involving the Province in financial bankruptcy and ruin. • SILAS SEYMOUR, General Consulting Engineer. Quebec, Sept. 25, 1877. * lite hits in of of M' .1". < . ", '.: 1 . i- '■.HUt i-^ir^ ;r»/<.i.."^ mi^^i^ NORTH SHORE RAILWAY. SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. SWEEPING CHANGES FOR THE BETTER. Mr. Editor,— My attention has recently been called to the following letter, which appeared some time since in the Canadian Illustrated Neiost, and was also subsequently published in the Montreal Gazette and other papers :— (To the Editor of the Canadian Illustrated News.) Quebec, 15th May, 1876. Dear Sir,— On my return here from the United States, after an absence of some time, my attention was called to an article that appeared in your issue of the 6th instant, referring to the Quebec Railway System, wherein mention was made of certain sweeping changes for the better that had been made on the works since they came under Gov- ernment control. 2 . SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. I hasten to say that these remarks do not apply to the Northern Colonization Kailway. In my ollicial report on this road, made to the (lovernment in the autumn of 1874, as Government Engineer, I had very little fault to lind with it, and that little was immediately proposed to be rectified, in the frankest manner, by Mr. Lejfge, the emi- nent Chief Engineer, and Mr. Duncan McDonald, the well- known Contractor. These objections, after all, w^ere mere differences of opinion, to which one man had probably just as much right as the other, and had nothing whatever to do with any intention of putting in inferior work. They consisted mainly in the question of the true height th«' rail level should be above the natural surface, in a snowy region. The depth culverts should be founded, to avoid action of frost, and the best kind ol hydraulic cement. On this work the " best steel rails and iron bridges, an enlarged grading, substantial foundations, larger and safer masonry, and the abolition of several dangerous draw- bridges," had been already adopted, and to a great extent carried out in a general satisfactory manner, at the time of my visit. By the insertion of this correction, you will simply do justice to the many professional gentlemen who have hith- erto conducted in a praiseworthy manner this great provincial work, and much oblige. Yours very faithfully, A. L. LIGHT. mmmmm SWEEPING CIIAiVdES FOR THE BETTER. 3 The statement made by Mr. Light in the foregoinjr letter, to the effect that these remarks respecting *' certain sweeinn^ changes for the better that had J)een made on the works, since they cam«' under the (rovernment control," "do not apply to the Northern Colonization Railway," seems, whe- ther intended or not, to leave the inlerence quite clear, that they do apply in full force, and without any qualih- cation, to the North Shore Railway ; which is the only other line of railway that has recently " come under Government control." It is quite apparent also, that the subsequent remark contained in his letter, to the effect that : " These objec- tions, after all, were mere differences of opinion, to which one man had probably just as much right as the other — and had nothing whatever to do with any intention of putting in inferior work," was intended for ti.e sole benefit of the " eminent Chief Engineer," and the " well-known Clontractor "' of the Northern Colonization Railway ; while, at the same time, the entire letter does not fail to convey the idea, that this remark would be entirely out of place in connection with the North Shore Railway. It is further stated that, the " very little fault which I had to find with the work on the Northern Colonization Railway, was immediately proposed to be rectified, in the frankest manner, by Mr. Legge, the eminent Chief Engi- neer, and Mr. Duncan McDonald, the well-known Con- tractor." The following extracts from Mr. Light's " Official Re- port," will show how *' very little fault " he had to find with it, &c. 4 SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. THE NORTHERN COLONIZATION RAILWAY. {Extracts from Report dated Januart/ 20th^ 1875.) " I now proceed to notice the grading of the road, by which is meant all matters connected with the arrange- ment of the gradients, including the construction of the earth-works, and ballasting. In this arrangement I cannot altogether concur, and i regret it the more, as all other matters were so entirely satisfactory. " The earth-works, in my opinion, are two feet too nar- row, and the grades in many places laid too low. In fact, economy has been rather too closely studied in this one particular, for the railway to be as economically and regu- larly worked in this climate, as it should be ; or to be in keeping with all its other really first-class appointments. " Were but a thousand dollars a mile more spent on this item, in raising the rail level more above the snow line, it would have a great and permanent effect in reducing working expenses." # # * * •' The embankments are intended to be fifteen feet wide at formation level, and the cuttings twenty feet. I have already expressed an opinion in a former report that these widths should not be less than seventeen feet, and twenty- four feet respectively, for a first-class railway. The pro- posed widths in cuttings are too narrow to afford tha- ample drainage required in this climate, and the embankments are not sufficiently wide to support the requisite quantities of ballast to prevent the road heaving up by the frost ; and at the same time steady the track, (especially around curves) at the high velocities, that from the general directness of this road, might otherwise be safely maintained.' * * SWEEPING CHANGES FOR THE BETIJH. ^ " The width of formation, however, can be rectified hereafter M^hen required, and the quantity of ballast also may be increased, though never so easily and cheaply as when the road is being built in the first instance. " The question of the lowness of the grade, however, is a more serious matter, this 'being difficult to alter after- wards, without changing the entire plan of the road ; and I would therefore suggest, that on the unfinished portions between Grreenville and Aylraer, the gradients should be re-examined, and raised bodily in some instances ; and the long bold sweeping grades, so much in vogue on the Northern Colonization Road, be broken up somewhat, so as to roll where necessary more over the surface ; and thus many long and shallow cuttings, liable to be packed with snow, and difficult to drain, may be avoided. By this means a more workable road in winter will be obtained, at little if any additional cost. " It is a matter of fact that an undulating railway, so long as the undulations are short, and do not exceed an inclination of 30 feet on a mile, can be worked quite as easily as a level road, the downhills compensating for the ups. l]y this means many troublesome cuttings may be avoided, which I am confident, when unnecessarily made in this climate, can only be effectually cured by fill- ing them up again with ballast to the original ground level. " A higher grade level will also have a further beneficial effect in getting rid of some open culverts now proposed to be put in the road, from the fact of the banks being too shallow to admit of covered structures. These open cul- verts are simply dangerou? uaps to catch an engine in, and should be avoided if jossible." * # # SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. I will now proceed to show how •' that little was im- mediately proposed to be rectified in the frankest manner, by Mr. Legge, the eminent Chief Engineer " of the Northern Colonization Railway. In doing this I shall take the liberty of referring to a very able communication in review of Mr. Light's report, addressed by Mr. Legge to the Secretary of his Company, under date of February 8th, 1875, from which the following are extracts : " Passing over the introductory and descriptive portions of the report, and acknowledging the careful and correct manner in which the several points have been referred to and discussed, reference will at once be made to the three or four items to which some exception has been taken by Mr. Light, as follows : — ' 1st. Lowness of grades in several localities. 2nd. Narrowness of embankments and cuttings. 3rd. Open or beam culverts. 4th. Steep grade in descending from Hochelaga height to level of City. " With reference to all these matters, I may at once state, that generally I concur entirely with Mr. Light in the abstract views he has given ; but circumstances fre- quently are more powerful in compelling deviations or modifications from the " abstract right " than can well be withstood. 1st. With reference to lowne.ress regret at not being able, under the circumstances, to agree entirely with Mr. Light in the strictures he has been good enough to make on the works of this railway. " No two people can see a thing in exactly the same light : neither I suppose can Engineers. All have their hobbies, or peculiar manner of doing work ; each no doubt equally good.' * # # # * The following extract from Mr. Lights Official Report upon the North Shore Kaihvay, will show that, at the date of that Report, he had at least no greater fault to find with the character of the work upon that Road, than upon 'the Northern Colonization. '.;' V ■■ I l< il ■'»ii J THE NORTH SHORE RAILWAY. Extract from Report dated Nov. 25, 1874 : — " I now pro- ceed to touch upon the second part oi your instructions, viz : Whether the works are well done, substantial, and permanent in character ; and if they are in accordance with the specifications ; and progressing in a satisfactory manner." * ^ * , ... -, '' The question whether the works are substantial and pern)anent in character, in all respects, can be answered iu the affirmative, with two exceptions, viz : the earth- works constituting the road-bed, arc iusulhcient, although in accordonance with the profiles. The bridges are to be of wood, the latter also are agreeable to contract ; and the plans proposed for them are generally arranged for good nr 12 SEYMOUR ON LIGHT . work. The alignment is good, and will generally admit a high rate of speed. " The inch Aon of the gradients is generally all that can be desired, but they are laid too low." # # # l" urther on, he expresses the same extreme views us to the width of road-bed, &c — as are expressed in his report on the M. N. C. R ; and he also recommends that : " The " formation level " between here and Three- Rivers, should generally also be raised up bodily, from one to three feet throughout its entire length, with the exception of the river crossings, and at five or six points where cuttings of medium depths occur." ^ # # It is very well known, however, that his views re- specting width of road bed, &c., were afterwards so far modified as to bring them quite within the requirements of the specifications which were previously in force, and which are still in force under the Government contract ; and also, that he finally required that the grades be raised only " an average of one foot" ; all of which w^as cheer- fully assented to by the Railway Company, the Chief Engineer, and the Contractor ; and was being carried out in good faith, long before the work passed into the hands of the Government. It is therefore loraewhat difficult to perceive where the ''sweeping- changes" have come in, even upon this road, since the work has come under " Government control " — except so far as they relate to the substitution, in part, of iron for wooden bridges ; and also of steel for iron rails ; and these latter changes would have been made by the Railway Company, long before the date of Mr. Liglit's Report, had its means been sufficient to cover the increased expenditure. SWEEPING CHANGES FOR THE BETTER. 10 o Deferring for the present, any remarks or eonclu-sions of my own upon the case ; I will now leave it for others to judge, as to how far the facts bear out the statement <'on- tained in Mr. Light's letter of 16th May, 1876. (which he hastened to place before the public.) that " I had very little fault to find with it, and that little was immediately proposed to be rectified in the irankest manner, by Mr. Legge, Ihe eminent Chief Engineer, and Mr. Dancau McDonald, the well-known Contracror ;" and also the other statement, made further on in the same letter, that " on this road the best steel rails and :ron br dges, an en- larged grading, substantial foundations, larger and safer masonry, and the abolition of several dangerous draw- bridges, had been already adopted, and 'o a ir'eat -extent carried out in a general satisfactory marner at Le Vme of my visit ; " and also the unavoidable inrer'^nce Ic be c :*j*wn frOiH the entire Ifttter, to the effect t^ at, ' >iceeK:i-^'^ changes for the betfer' ha.dL been made by tt.-i GoTernmen. cnli/ upon the North Shcre Railway, where ther-r nad also been an " indention of putting in inferior work,"' &c. I will a: so leave it for Mr. I'ght h.mssi , or for the Honor- abje, the Board of Jiaiiway Commissioners, whose servant he is, to ?yplam either the neces.sity, the expediency, or ever- the p(U 1 5 I'wXpciiscs oT IJailway Company '^0,704 00 General rSuporvision of work 2;3,t)21 14 Makini^ a total of sU}8,2H0 21) Which amount Mi. Light quotes at about 180,000 00 ^Making a dillerence of $11,710 71 The above item ol' Enu-ineerin-g, includes, not only the " Salary oi the Chiei' JMigineer,"' but also the '-OiUce Ex- penses" oi the Department ; together with such '• Super- vision " or Inspection of the ditferent works, as properly pertained to that DepartuK'nt. * It is therefore quite apparent that the item of ii? 1 20,GG4. 1 o in the (\slimate upon the North Shore Railway, (and not '^ISO.OOO. as assumed by Mr. Lig'ht," is exactly identical in its nature, with tli<^ item ()r$G4,127 uj^on the Montreal Northern Colonization I^ ail way. The contract, under which the above estinuite was made, ■ provides that the contractor shall i)ay the entire •' expenses of the Iti^ilway Company ; "' and therefore, this item was very properly included in ihc estimate. The same contract also provides that the lilnuineer shall iufdude in his month- ly estimates, the '• payments made " by the Contractors, under the head of " General Supervision of Work,"' includ- ing' the general expenses of carrying- on the work, super- vising- eng-ineers, overseers, agents, otlice expenses, &c., « 18 SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. &c., the amount of which was based entirely upon the monthly vouchers returned to the Chief Engineer by the Contractor ; and therefore this item was also entirely legitimate. All these matters w^ere fully explained to Mr. Light by myself, before he jirepared his report ; and that he must haA'e understood them clearly at the time when he made the foregoing " wjos/ umvarranted statement,''' will appear by reference to pages 2 and 3, of his published report upon the North Shore Railway, dated 25th November, 1874. 3rd. It appears evident therefore, that in order to make out a case against the North Shore Kailway ; and, if pos- sible, to cast discredit upon its Chief Engineer, Mr. Light w^as obliged, at that early period of his connection with the road, as Government Engineer, to resort to the grossest mis-statement of facts, as connected with the engineering expenses upon both the North Shore, and the Northern Colonization Kailways ; and that, instead of embodying this mis-statement in his report upon the North Shore Railway, where, if true, it might not have been entirely out of place, he very adroitly slipped it into his report upon the Northern Colonization Railway, from wh.ich the most oifensive portion of it was afterwards expui^.ged ; but not however until it had produced its full effect upon the minds of the different mem.bers of the Government ; who, although probably believing in its truth, considered it so much out of place in the report, that it was ordered to be suppressed, before being printed and laid before Parliament. Neither was it expunged, before Mr. Legge, the astute Engineer cf the Northern Colonization Railway, was aftbr- mm EXCESSIVE ENOINEERINa EXPENSES. 10 (led an opportunity of calling the attention of his Company to the facts, as officially announced by the Grovernment Engineer, in the following exulting manner : — Extract from Mr. Lei^-f^-e's Review of Mr. Lig'lii's Report, dated Fehrvary r, 1875. " To me it is a matter of much pleasure to learn from Mr. Light's report, that our expenditures for engineering, surveying, and expenses of the Company, to the first of the present year, compare so tavoraUly with that of the North Shore Railway. " The amount of the M. N C. R. being less than seven per cent on the total, while the North Shore Railway shows the large sum of eighty per cent of its expenditure for Engineering and Company's expenses." It is not to be supposed that Mr. Legge had any reason to doubt the correctness of the statement, so far as it rela- ted to the North Shore Railway ; and he evidently felt no desire to correct an official statement of this kind respec- ting his own road, particularly when hiade by the Govern- ment Engineer, ici' whose great ability experience and integrity, he had already, in the same communication, expressed the highest confidence an admiration. My own attention was accidentally called to the matter, during the latter part of February 1875, by reading Mr. Legge's reply to Mr. Lights report ; a copy of \, hich he was kind enough to send me ; and I immediately applied to Mr. Legge for a copy of that portion of Mr. Light's re- port which related to this snhj^ct, which he also kindly sent to me. Feeling somewhat indignant at the covert attack thus 20 SEYMOT^H ON I«IOKT. mr.de upon the North Shoro Ivaiiway Company, as ■■.veil as upon inysoir personally, I took the first opjtortunity to place the matter in its proper liu-ht. Wfore the Railway Company. ])y relerrini)- to it in a repon dated March 4th, 1875, which I Avas then preparing- upon anotI»;'r .subject ; and ag-ain, more at length, in a snb.-eqoeiit report dated April 6th, 1875. Inasmuch as •X)th of these report.^, which were subse- quently pul)lished, must have come under Mr. Light's notice ; it would very naturally be .'jUppo<«'d th-U, unless he still persists in the correctue.ss of his statem •'i:, he would have taken the fust opportunity, not oj^iy t ♦ place himself rig-ht in the matter; but al>o to do an .ict of simple justice to others. It seems, however, from his recent ietifr totlc Cat^ddian ]//i/s/ rated News, that these acts of ja.iona] ire-ntlemen. who have hitherto conducted '' another and more fav^-red ' Provincial AVork." , It is very well understood, and no one should know if better than Mr. Light himself, thai the enirineerinii- ei. nenses connected with any Railway, dnriii^ itt? incipient stag-es, are g-i'Herally 100 per cent of ail lh«.' expenditures ; and that they fre(|uently stand in that ratio until the work of construction i> actually commenced : after which the ratio diminishes accoiding- to th«> prosrrt'ss of the work, until it reaches its minimum up n Hnal completion. Take as an example, the Canadian PacificRailway. iip-n which a much lonuer time has already lieen spent in ■-'. gineering alone, ihan was occupied :n. ?h- ♦'Utire surveys, location and construction of the Vi*.ion I'acific Railwav, KXCESSIVE ENGliNEEllING EXPENSE?^. )\V [i under my general advice and direction ; and yet we hear no complaints upon the subject. By Mr. Lii>-ht"s own showing, there had ln-en more than i'our times the amount expended upon construction, on the Northern Colonization Railway, at the date of his compar- ison, than had been s})enl ibr the same purpose, on the North Shore : and therefore it is quite evident that no just comparison could have been made between the two roads, either then, or at any other lime, without taking into account all the elements bearing upon the case. Consequently, Mr. Light must have known that his state- ment, even if rrtie at that particular date, could, from the nature of the case, convey nothinu- but :iu erroneous im- pression. • All these matters were fully, and I believe satisfae'orily explained to the Kailway Company, in my reports above referred to : where it was shown, that although the enu'i- neering expenses incurred in 1871 and 1873, amounting to ii^43,705 had been practically thrown away, on account of the failure of the county subscriptions : and the dtday of contractors in going forw ard with the work ; yet, upon the iinal comi)letion of the work, these t'xpenses would be only Gi per cent of the entire expenditure, or cost of the road. While holdini-" the position of Consulting Engineer of the Kaihvay, I deed not feel authorized to make any fur- ther effort to counteract the injurious ett'ects of Mr. Light's mis-representations, than had been made in my oflicial re- ports to the railway company, while acting as its Consult- ing and Chief Engineer. But now that my professional connection with the road ^ SEYMOUK ON LIGHT. has terminated ; and as Mr. Light seems determined that the mis-statements contained, not only in the report herein referred to. but also in his more recent letter to the " Canadian Illustrated News," shall remain in full force and effect, at least, so far as he is concerned, I feel not only quite at liberty, but that it is my duty to vindicate my own private character and professional reputation ; and also the past history of the important Enterprise with which I have been so long and so intimately connected, an'l ■ :^e su'^cessful completion of which I still feel the deept; interest, from his insidious attacks, both in the past, the present, and the future. I am quite aware that the general public will take very little, if any interest in discussions of this nature ; th^ir only desire being that the North Shore Railway shall be speedily constructed ; but in what manner, by what means, or by whom, are matters of comparative indifference to them. But I also believe that there are many persons in this community, who, w^hile they may have an equal, and per- haps a greater interest in tht> final result, will still regard with proper contempt and indignation, the efforts of any person, however exalted may be his position, who attempts to prostitute that position, by casting unmerited obloquy and disgrace upon another although perhaps, far more humble and unpretending person ; whose sole and unre- mitted efforts, during the past five years, have been direc- ted to the resurrection of the North Shore Railwav, from the state of lethargy, or sleep of death, in which he origi- nally found it ; and placing it in the foremost ranks of the great public Enterprises of the day. EXCESSIVE ENGINEERING EXPENSES. 23 To thib clash of the community I will say, that in the future, as in the past, when speaking of Mr. Light, and the course which he has constantly pursued in relation to the North Shore Railway, (to say nothing of his treat- ment of myself, either personnally or professionally), since the date of his first official examination and report, in con- nection vvith the road, I shall endeavor to treat all such honest " differences of opinion " upon purely engineering questions, respecting which, to use his own language, " one man has probably just as much right as the other," with all the respect and consideration, that may be due to our respective positions. At the same time I will say, that the above treatment will be sovereign mercy to the treatment that I shall be quite sure to administer in all cases where I may have rea- son to believe, that, in changing or rejecting appropriate and well considered plans ; in condemning and tearing down well constructed works ; and thus unnecessarily increas- ing their cost, and delaying the completion of the road, he has been actuated by the sole purpose and desire of dem- onstrating, that everything that had been done upon the road, previous to his advent, had been improperly done ; and that the Government and the people, will b.e indebted to him alone, for a first class Railway, in ciise it shall ever be completed. • c . Quebec, 14th August, 1876. w ,h. I ' s ' .1" */ -v]t,\ I^^- ;-!]l 1 ..JJ ^hi V Tni- III) teLEVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARD. i H\ I". Mr. Editor. — In my published letters of the 7th and 14th inst., Mr. A. L. Light, the present Grovernment Enj^ineer in charge of that portion of Q. M. O. & 0. Rail- \\ ay, formerly known as the North Shore Railway, stands charged and convicted of the most gross, and apparently malicious insinuations and mis-statements, respecting the character of the work, and the administration of the Engi- neering department upon that road, of which I was the acting Chief Engineer, previous to the date of its becoming a Government work. This vindication of my own character and professional reputation, and the consequent public exposure of Mr. Light's insidious attempts to undermine and destroy them, was rendered necessary on my part, solely on account of the voluntary and uncalled for publication by Mr. Light, in the newspapers of Canada, of a letter in which these insinuations and mis-statements, instead of being confined to his official reports, were publicly promulgated to the world. Had it not been for this, I should have remained silent ; and have been quite willing to trust to the record of my own official acts and reports, in connection with the road, for any and all explanations, or vindications, that ELEVATION OF THE GOVEUNMENT STANDARD. 25 the circumstances mig-ht at any time have rendered either expedient or necessary. The evidence upon which Mr. Light's conviction rests, consists chiefly in his own reports, and other official docu- ments, all of which are either referred to, or quoted from ; and they are all quite as accessible to Mr. Light and others, as they r.re to myself; and therefore there can be no difficulty in explaining or refuting my charges, pro- vided the facts contained, either in these, or other au- thentic accords of the past, will warrant Ihe undertaking. Having now waited several weeks, either for an expla- nation, a defense, or a manly retraction of these mis-repre- sentations, I am forced to conclude, that Mr. Light either regards my charges anJ allegations as being unanswer- able ; or that he considers the high and responsible posi- tion which he holds under the Government, as afF'^rding him full license and justification for anything which he may choose to say or do, in connection with the North Shore Railway, however it may affect either the cost of the work, the time of its completion, or the character and reputation of those who may have been connected with it, previous to its coming under Government control. I propose, therefore, in the present letter, to briefly pass in review, so mtich of Mr. Light's history in connection with the North Shore Railway, as will afford those who may take an interest in the matter, a fair o;..portunity to judge of the reliability of his statements ; and also of his professional capacity as a Railway Engineer. The first inspection of the work by Mr. Light, after his appointment by the Government, was made quite late in the Fall of 1874. The first portion of the line, between w 26 SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. rr t Ji- Quebec and Three Rivers, was passed over during a driv ing snow-storm ; and the remaining portion, when the ground was covered, to the depth of several inches, by snow. While everything was fresh in his mind, he prepared and submitted to the Grovernment, his first report, dated Nov., 25, 1874, (referred to in my letter of Aug. 7, 1876,) in which he gave a general approval of the location of the line, the inclination of the grades, and the character of the work, with only two exceptions, viz., the insufficiency of the earth-works, and the wooden bridges. On the 12th of January, 1875, or within two months after the date of his first report ; and without having made any further inspection of the work, he submitted a second report upon the same subject, in which he states substan- tially as follows : — 1st. " The road-bed between Quebec and Three Rivers is laid entirely too low and narrow to be continuously and economically worked in this climate." 2nd. " The culverts or water passages, through embank- ments, are built upon imperfect plans," and therefore, " are liable to fail." 3rd. " The masonry in the bridging, although apparently good of its kind, is generally too small, the piers especially." Referring particularly to " the only pier as yet completed, viz : that on the west side of the Jacques Cartier River," he says : " this pier is founded on rock, which from its want of elasticity, like the stone sleepers on the old rail- ways, will augment the shattering eifect of passing trains, that will surely wreck it, sooner or later." 4th. " The proposed plan of founding piers on soft bot- ELEVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARD. 27 toms in the deep waters of the larger rivers, which in some instances are 25 feet deep at low water, although economical, I consider hazardous. " 5th. " The superstructure of many of these bridges, especially from Quebec to Portneuf, is much longer than the water-way of these streams require. "' 6th. " The cement and sand being used at Portneuf bridge, the only place I found masonry in progress, were very indifferent. The latter indeed quite unfit for the work, as I. pointed out to the resident Engineer."' It would certainly be quite difficult for any one who is at all familiar with such matters, or who had a just appre- ciation of the proper character and qualifications of even an ordinary Civil Engineer, to say nothing of the far greater responsibilities which are supposed to attach to an Engineer who represents the Provincial Government of Quebec, to believe it possible that the above report could have been written and officially signed by the same person who, only a few weeks previously, had written and officially signed another report respecting the same work, from which the following is an extract : " The question whether the works are substantial and permanent in character, in all respects, can be answered in the affirmative, with two exceptions, &c., &c" And yet this was done by Mr. A. L. Light, the present Grovernment Engineer ; against the eti*ect> of whose later insidious attacks and public misrepresentations, I am now endeavoring tc protect myself. Does Mr. Light, or even the Grovernment which he represents, suppose for a mo- ment, that I can allow an unsullied reputation of more than thirty years standing, to be effectually undermined I «i(.^f> SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. »t ' ityd,tH and destroyed, through the agency of means and influences, emanating from such a source, without at least naking an effort to prevent it ? To me the idea is preposterous. In the legitimate pursuit of this one and only object, I shall not pause, at the present time, to consider the probable motives which governed Mr. Light's proceedings ; nor the influences which may have been brought to bear upon him, by other parties, in order to induce him to prostitute his high position, and to degrade the honorable Profession, of which he claims to be a member, merely for the purpose of bringing obloquy and discredit upon so humble an individual as myself. Neither shall I be diverted from my purpose ; nor submit to be driven from my true position, as Defendant in the case, through the base instrumentality of slanderous edi- torials, promulgated through an unscrupulous and toadying press. Referring again, therefore, to the early history of Mr. Light's advent upon the North Shore Railway, it is proper to state ; that after his second effort to describe the cha- racter of the work upon the road ; both the Provincial Government and the Corporation of the City of Quebec, refused to make any further advances to the Railway Company, until these glaring defects in the constru 3tion of the road had been rectified ; and it therefore became imperative that a standard should be decided upon at once, which would meet the requirements of the G-overnment, and be acceptable to the Company and the Contractor. The Government and City Engineers were accordingly called upon to furnish this standard. Mr. Light now found himself in something like the posi- ELEVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARD. 29 if Mr. oper cha- cial bee, way tion ame nee, lent, tor. giy losi- tion of the " Bull in the China Shoj/^ He had suceeeded remarkably well in smashing things up generally - but he found it quite a difi'erent thing to restore them to proper harmony and working order. The first joint efiort of these gentlemen, under date of Mareh, 9, 1875, not proving sueeessful, a special meeting of the Railway Committee was held on the 12th, at whieh the G-overnment and City Engineers, together with the Chief Engineer and the Contractor of the Road, were pre- sent by invitation. The following extracts from the proceedings of this meeting, are taken from my " Historical Revieiv of the Go- vernment Standard,'' dated April 5, 1875 : — " With reference to the Jacques Cartier Pier already built, Mr. Light said that it must come down ; that it was much too small ; that the cement was worthless ; that there could not be more than 150 or 200 cubic yards in the pier ; and that it could be taken down and properly rebuilt for $3.00 per cubic yard." *' With reference to the Portneuf Piers, now partly con- structed, (to a height of 8 feet ; and 10 feet 5 inches in thickness at top), upon being asked by the Chief Engineer if these must also come down, Mr. Light said that they could remain, and be carried up fro ^ t'leir present height with a batter that would bring them out 7 feet at the top." " Upon being asken by the Chief Engineer, whether the requirements respecting the Jacques Cartier Pier "that there should be no coping, or that it should not be allow- ed to project," would apply to all the piers upon the road, Mr. Light replied, that it would most certainly apply to all piers, for the reason that the weight of the bridge 80 tii > ',<' ( SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. coming upon the front edge of a projecting coping, would have a tendency either to detach the coi)ing, or pull over the pier ; and he gave the Committee a beautiful illustra- tion of his idea, b}-^ placing a book in a projecting position over the side of the table at which we w^''° sitting, and showing how easily it could be tipped o\ , by the least pressure upon its outer or projecting edge." " Upon being asked by Colonel "Wm. Rhodes, the Presi- dent of the Company, whether in re-constructing the Jac- ques Cartier Pier, Mr. Light would kindly suggest some means of obviating the objections which he had previous- ly made to its being founded on solid rock ; Mr. Light, without suggesting any present means that had occured to him, for obviating that difficulty, referred the President to Railway expei.'ences in England, whe' it had been found necessary to substitute wood for st foundations iinder the rails, in order to avoid " the shattering effects of passing trains." ' Having thus freely exchanged views with all parties interested, another and final effort was made, on the 13th March, 1875, by the Government and City Euglueers, to perfect a standard for the road ; winch effort proved so far successful, that it was finally assented to by the Railway Company and the Contractor. And the same standard was afterwards incorporated into the present G-overn- ment contract, as an Addendum to the General Specifica- tions, and " Circular No. 2," which were prepared by myself, and were in force under the original contract. A comparison between the General Specifications (as explained and enforced in " Circular No. 2,") and the Gov- ernment standard above referred to, will show that the ELEVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARD. 31 latter covered nothing that was not fully provided for in the i'ornior ; and that the only chani^es required in the work already done, were the raising- ol" the grade an average of one loot, over the comparatively small amount oi' earth- works in progress ; together with the tearing down and re- building ol' the Jacques Cartier Fiei-; all oi" which, accord- ing to the construction placed upon the original contract by Mr. Walter fShanly and Mr. tSandford Fleming, as well as by myseir, could have been accomplished " i'or less than twenty thousand dollars." (See " Report of the Chief En- gineer npon the situation," dated March 4, 1875.) Thus it will be seen that the Ibrmer outcry against nar- row earth-works, delective culverts, excessive waterways, worthless sand and cehient, &c., &c., &e., having failed to accomplish the purpose for which it was originally intend- ed, was no longer persisted in ; and, also, that the very large mountain, after several months of the most excru- ciating labor, had succeeded in bringing forth a very small mouse. The efforts of Mr. Light, in the direction of an elevated standard for first-class (lovernment Railways, together with subsequent experiences, have, however, produced several very important, if not clearly beneficial results in Engineering Science, which should not be lost to the world, or to the profession ; among which I would call particular attention to the following, which may very properly be designated as : MODERN ENGINEERING MAXIMS. 1st. A Civil Engineer, whose skill and experience have elevated him to the exalted position of Grovernment Engl- 82 SEYMOUR ON LIGHT. Hi heer; while inspecting a line of unfinished Railway, through a country entirely new to him ; and at the rate of twenty inilefi or more per day ; a portion of the distance during a driving snow storm ; and the remainder with the ground covered with snow ; can tell with the utmost precision, the width of all excavations and embaiikments ; the height that the rail should be above the level of the ground ; the nature of the plans and foundations of all culverts and water-ways ; the strength and quality of the cement and sand used in the masonry ; the defects in the plans for foundations in deep water ; and the length of span required for each and every bridge. 2nd. Should the first fmpressions made upon the mind of an Engineer, during his inspection of the work, unfor- tuni?+.ely be quite favorable, it will not be either safe or expedient for him to promulgate these favorable irapres- pions in an official report, until after a suflicient time has elapsed, either to obliterate tliem from his mind, and re- place them with others of an entirely different character, or to enable him to strike the proper key-note, as dictated by other parties, who may possibly have a much more direct interest in the matter. 3rd. The greater the wndth of earth-works, the greater will be the facilities for drainage ; and also for overcoming the snow difficulty ; 17 feet embankments, and 24 feet cuttings, being the least widths admissable. 4th, " "Where human life is at stake, a slight margin for safety is generally allowed, in additional width of road- bed, to resist the wear and tear of time, and prevent trains from rolling over the sides of embankments, when they run off the track. ELEVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARD. ^3 img feet for [oad- lains they 5th. The grade line should be " raised up bodily from one to three feet, throughout its entire length," upon a por. tion of the line v here, for three-fourths of the distance, it already averaged from two to twenty feet above the natural surface of the ground. 6th. Coping should be dispensed with in all bridge ma- sonry ; " for the reason that the w^eight of the bridge coming upon the front edge of a projecting coping, would have a tendency , either to detach the coping, or pull over the Pier." Hh. The ends of the cross-ties should be thoroughly surrounded by ballast, extending outwards several feet in width, in order to facilitate the proper drainage of the su- perstructure. 8th. " It is a matter of fact that an undulating Railway, so long as the undulations are short, and do not exceed 30 feet in a mile, can be worked quite as easily as a level road ; the downhills compensating for the ups." 9th. When an Engineer supersedes another in charge of the construction of a line of Railway, it is expected that he will condemn everything that has been previously done, and c'lange all the plans for future work. The following may perhaps be more appropriately classed under the head of MONERN ENGINEERINO PARADOXES. 1st. " Culverts or water passages," upon the North Shore Railway, which " are built upon imperfect plans," have withstood the severe tests of two lower Canadian winters, without showing the slightest indications of fail- ure ; while those that have been built upon the most 34 SEYMOTTR ON LIGHT. approved i)lans, on the Nothern Colonization Railway, where the climate is much milder, have in several instan- ces tumhled down. 2nd. The masonry in the piers at the .Tacqu3s-( 'artier and Portnenf Tlivors. that was built with •' worthless " cement," and " sand quite unfit for the work." has proved to be so thoroughly bonde'' th^. xt required more labor to tear up the masonry than it did to pro* 3 the stone from the original quarries. 3rd. A single pier composed of first-class masonry ; standing nearly midway between two massive abutments ; and capable of sustaining twenty four times more weight than can ever come upon iv ; and of nearly three times the relative size and strength of the tow ers which support the Niagara Railway suspension bridge (which are founded on rock), must come down, because it - is founded on rock, which from its vant of elasticity, like the stone sleepers of the old Railways, will augment the shattering effects of passing trains, that will surely wreck it, sooner or later." An allusion having been made to the tearing down of the masonry at the Port Neuf bridge : which, as already shown, had previously been approved by the Government l^^ngineer, I shall reserve for a future occasion, some remarks respecting that, and other chanijvs in the work and plans, that have been made by Mr. Light's directions ; showing the unnecessary loss of time, and the consequent increased expense that have thus fitr resulted from the practical application of the foregoing Engineerinjr maxims ; and the free and vmlimited exercise of his arbitrary power. ELEVATION OF THE GOVERNMENT STANDARD. 35 It appears to me. however, that quite enough has been shown, in this, and my previous letters, to enable any unprejudiced mind to arrive at very just conclusions, respecting the reliability of statements contained, either in Mr. Light's official reports, or in his published letters ; and also respecting his high attainments as a Civil En- gineer. Quebec, Aug. 29th, 1876. p th fr< lai sp in u r ce of ^rt gx VALEDICTORY. CONTRADICTIONS AND ABSURDITIES. While necessarily engaged in revising the proof sheets of the foregoing letters, as they have passed through the press ; and while, at the same time, the contents of the Government Engineer's late pamphlet w^ere fresh in my mind, so many glaring contradictions and absurdities have presented themselves before me, v^^hile comparing the earlier official reports and statements of the Government Engineer, with his more modern efforts in the same direc- tion, that I cannot well refrain from calling especial attteu- tion to some of them, before dismissing this very prolific subject. THE ALIGNMENT OF THE ROAD. Referring to the Government Engineer's Report upon the North Shore Railway, dated Nov. 25, 1874, as quoted from in one of the preceding letters, he uses the following language in relation to this subject. " The alignment is good, and will admit a high rate of speed, " Whereas : On page 8 of the Government Engineer's late pamphlet, in referring to a change in the line near Portneuf, hesaj'-s: •' This change I have already referred to. It was a most ne- cessary one. It got rid of a 6 degree curve, and 84 degrees of curvature on a long maximum grade, which would have g^really crippled the line, no other curves exceeding 4 de- grees." 88 VALEDICTORY. ill Passing over the radical contradictions contained in the two reports, I will merely remark, that it is difficult to appreciate, either the necessity for the change ; or the manner in which this obnoxious 6-degree curve could " greatly cripple the line, " when it is considered that the curve was introduced in the immediate vicinity of a long- bridge, seventy-live or eighty feet in height, over which the trains would very naturally be required to pass with great caution, and at a reduced rate of speed. ,, It should also be understood, that the curve was not "■ got rid of,'' as the Government Engineer evidently in- tends to make it appear ; but that one of romewhat larger radius was substituted in its place, at an additional cost iu the Government of seven thousand dollars. The point where this curve occurs, is one of the most difficult upon the entire line ; and was studied with very great care, before a final location was determined upon. The curve in question, passes through a long, sloping, thorough cut ; which is composed of the most treacherous materials, and resembles 'the adjacent river slopes, which the Government Engineer (on page 19 of his late pamphlet) says : " are composed of slippery blue clay, and are liable to heavy land slides." The upper slope of the excavation is therefore liable to slide in at any time, and fill up the cut. Hence, and also on account of the peculiarly exposed condition of this portion of the line, to snoiv obstructions ^ it was deemed advisable to make the cutting as short and light as possible, by the insertion of a six degree curve, w'hich, at that time, had been adopted a,s the minimum lia* dius for the entire Main Liue. h CONTRADICTIONS AND ABSURDITIES. 39 It appears, however, that the Government Engineer, in his zeal to lind. at least one defective point in the alignment of the road, has, by either adroitly and culpably concealing the proper engineering views of the case ; or, as is more char- itable to assume, not having any just appreciation of them himself, succeeded in inducing the Kailway Commissioners, and the Uovernment. to allow him to throw the line muoh further uito the steep side hill ; and thus to add largely, both to the length and depth of the cutting ; and conse- quently, to the dangers from exposure to "■landslides''' and sno'w obstructions. And all this at an extra cost of eight thousand dollars, ^ and without adding a particle to the future business capacity of the road ; but, on the contrary, subjecting this business to almost certain additional ex- penses, detentions and delays ; which, together with the extra cost of the change, and the annual interest thereon, will eventually he found to be a rather unfortunate, as well as an expensive investment for the Government. WOODEN BRIDGING. Referring again to the same Olhcial Report ot Nov. 25. 1874, the following language is used in relation to this subject : '• The bridges are to be of wood, the latter also are agreealile to contract ; and the plans proposed for them are generally arranged for Good Worh^ Whereas, on pages 32 and 33 of his late pamphlet, the * NoTi:. — Sinci' the preceding ^a^n was printed, I have been reliably informed, that this " extra cost " is between $S,000 and $,9,000. I had previously been niformed, by the Cliairman of the Railway Coniinission, that it was considerablv over S7,000. S. 8. ■w VALEDICTORY. ? following language is used, in connection with the same subject : " The specifications given out by the late Railway Com- pany, were /ifii/ per cent lighter than the standard now adopted, which is as light as is safe'' And again : " I could not therefore have approved of work of which I had never seen the designs." And again : " 1 never saw the plans and specifications till December 1876." And again : " I merely gave the bridge builder, at his own request, a cer- tificate that he had fulfilled his contract with the contrac- tor; it does not at all follow that I considered the work up to standard ; which it was not, being some 50 percent too light." Before the Government Engineer made his report of Nov. 25, 1874, and the examinatioii of the work which preceded it, I had shown him all the plans, specifications and bills of materials for the wooden bridges between Quebec and Three-Rivers; and he had fully approved them. These plans were signed by me, and placed in the hands of the Contractor. Assuming these plans to be the same as those referred to in the Government Engineer's late pamphlet, it is some- what difficult to reconcile the statements contained in that pamphlet, with the truth ; or to appreciate the force of his remark in connection therewith, to wit : " the old specifi- cation is modified by the clause in the new contract, which binds the ' Contractor to make all changes in plans in con- formity with Government requirements, from time to time.' ' Having, however, recently exposed the fallacy of the Government Engineer's theory as to the proper con- struction of this clause in the Government contract, I will not enlarge upon that subject here. CONTRADICTIOXS AND ABSURDITIES 41 THE PORTNEUF BRIDC5E. By roterring- to page 67, of a pamphlet entitled : '• Hi:i- /orical Revietr of the Governine/if Standard, h// the Engineer in Chief, dated April 6, 1875, " it will be found that, on the 12th of March 1875, in the presence of a Spt :^ial Com- mittee of the Board of Directors of the North Shore Railway Company, and the Contractor, the Government Engineer stated, with rt^feronce to th«» work alr.^ady done in the foundations and masonry for this bridge, as follows : " With reference to the Portneuf Pier.'^. now partly con- structed, (to a height of 8 ft., and 10 ft. and 5 inches in thickness at top , upon being a.sked by the Chief Engineer, if these must also come down. Mr. Light said thai theij could remain, and be carried up, from their present height, with a batter that would bring them out .7 feet at top. " Referring also to the joint " Report of Mes « < » « 1 I » • • » » i