Grand Trunk betterments, etc.

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The stations at St. Hyacinthe & Victoriaville, Que. are about completed.

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The Co. has begun the construction of a tunnel in Girouard St., Ste. Hyacinthe, Que., the cost of which is to be borne by the Co. & the city jointly. It will not be completed till next spring.

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The toll collector's shelters have been placed in readiness for occupancy on both sides of the Victoria Jubilee bridge & it is expected that the vehicle & foot passenger roadways will be opened to the public almost immediately. The fencing on the embankment at the approaches to both ends of the bridge is about completed. (Oct., pg. 281.)

The improvements in front of the Bonaventure Station, Montréal, are about completed, including the asphalting. Next summer there will be flower beds & fountains in the space which heretofore has been very unsightly. Rigid regulations will be enforced in regard to admission of carters to the enclosed space. (Oct., pg. 291.)

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Work will be continued on the new general office building in Montréal while weather permits, it being the intention to have the building completed as soon as possible. The architect is experimenting with non-inflammable wood, with a view to its introduction in the building, which will be the first attempt to realize in Canada a practical benefit from a discovery which the British Admiralty has employed in the construction of recent warships, thus obviating the danger of fire in case of an engagement at sea. The U.S. Government has adopted non-inflammable wood in the internal fittings of its recently built cruisers, while contractors & builders are giving attention to the wonderful possibilities of its application to private dwellings. With the amount of steel & iron which will enter into the construction of the general offices, the employment of non-inflammable wood would make the building absolutely fire-proof, which is Mr. Hay's desire.

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The building of the bridge at St. Anne's, Que., has done away with the last tubular span bridge on the system.

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The City Council of Kingston, Ont. & the County Council of Frontenac, are considering the question of building a subway under the Co.'s tracks at Montréal St., Kingston.

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In addition to the remodelling of the yards at York, near Toronto, extensive improvements are being made in the yards at Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, and Palmerston, Ont. (Oct., Pg. 291.)

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The Co. will add an additional span to its bridge at Brantford, Ont., next spring, in connection with the city's scheme for flood prevention. The city has agreed to pay 37 1/2% of the cost.

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Large up-to-date coal chutes are being built at Sarnia, Niagara Falls & other points. The Sarnia one has a 600 ft. incline for the cars, the building being 280 by 18 feet.

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The scheme for the reorganization of the Chicago & G.T. finances, which is detailed on page 319, provides for the double tracking of the line & revision of grades, etc. H. A. Woods has been appointed engineer in charge of all new work in this connection, with office at Detroit, Mich. It is proposed to build a second track from Port Huron to Chicago, & to reduce grades throughout the line, to compare favorably at least, with other lines leading to the east from Chicago. To accomplish this, it will be necessary to make diversions from the present line in several places. The work will be done gradually to avoid interruption to traffic. About 60 miles of the work will be opened early next year. For the present, at least, the Co. will do all the train work with its own force.

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J. S. Metcalfe & Co., Chicago, have the contract for rebuilding the Co.'s elevator at Elsdon, Ill., recently burned. Work has commenced & it is expected to complete it by Jan. 31. It will hold about 125,000 bus. & will have a transferring capacity of 100 cars a day. The power plant will be equipped with three 72"×18" boilers, one 22×42 Vilter girder bed Corliss engine, one 400 h.p. heater, boiler, feed pump, etc. It will be lighted by electricity & everything about it will be first-class in every respect. It will have 6 legs, 4 no. 9 oat clippers & six 1,400 bus. Fairbank's hopper scales. The roof will be of at felt & gravel, & the outside covering will be no. 26 painted corrugated iron. The foundation will be of piles & concrete piers. It will be used for transfer & clipping purposes only, not for storage.

Railways: G.T.Ry.