Grand Trunk history.

The most important feature of the 4th of July festivities at Portland, Me., was the celebration of the semi-centennial of the G.T.R., the original Atlantic & St. Lawrence Ry. from Portland to Yarmouth, Me., having been opened for traffic just 50 years ago. The G.T.R. was represented by General Traffic Manager G. B. Reeve, who, in the course of his speech, said:

The Grand Trunk was the pioneer in the railway field in Canada, & the line between Portland & Montréal was opened in 1853, having taken about 6 years in building, the openings of the several portions taking place as follows:-Longueuil to St. Hyacinthe, in the spring of 1847; Longueuil to Richmond, in the autumn of 1850; Longueuil to Sherbrooke, in Aug. of 1852 ; Longueuil to Island Pond, in JuIy, 1853.

From the Portland end of the line the building of the road was also in operation, & the several sections were inaugurated as follows:—Portland to Yarmouth, July, 1848; Portland to Danville junction, Dec., 1849; Portland to Mechanic Falls, Feb., 1849; Portland to South Paris, Jan., 1850; Portland to Bethel, Mar., 1851 Portland to Gorham, July, 1851 ; Portland to Northunmberland (Groveton), July, 1852; Portland to Island Pond, Feb., 1853; thus connecting the two portions joining Longueuil & Portland with railway facilities. Longueuil was then the, western terminus of the system. Owing to this fact, there were consequently many inconveniences, trouble & expenses incurred in reaching the Canadian metropolis, as the river is 2 miles across at this point, & freight & passengers had to be transferred by boat in summer & by teams across the ice in winter. These difficulties, however, were soon overcome by the construction of the Victoria tubular bridge, which was built at the enormous expense of $7,000,000, & which, at the time of its opening, 1860, was considered a marvel of engineering achievement, & among the wonders of the world.

The construction of the present piers of the Victoria Bridge was an undertaking that was beset with many serious difficulties. The contractors had to contend with a roaring rapids 2 miles wide, intense "shoves" of ice, sometimes several feet thick, with a pressure of millions of tons, & without any of the modern means now used in sinking piers. The total weight of the piers is given as about 222,000 tons of blue limestone, & reaching a height of 60 ft. above the water line. On Aug. 25, 1860, the laying of the last stone & the driving of the last spike by the Prince of Wales was accomplished & the celebration was an event long remembered. Since then, in addition to its large & ever-increasing Canadian business, its through traffic between the Atlantic seaboard & Western points has developed to such an extent as to necessitate the re-construction of this bridge, & in its place a magnificent open work steel bridge is being erected, with double tracks, & on each side of the immense structure will be carriage ways & walks for foot passengers.

From the time when the line between Portland & Montréal was completed, the Co. has extended its rails to vast proportions, from a mileage of 292 miles in 1853, to a total of 4,186 miles at the present day, tapping all the principal centres of the States of Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont, & the provinces of Québec & Ontario, & the States of Michigan, Indiana & Illinois & rightly claiming for itself the Commercial Highway from the Atlantic Ocean to the West. In the early days of the roads history the Co. had almost insurmountable difficulties to beset them, especially during winter, & at a time when the modern ideas of railway management were unknown. Rail communication with Montréal was, however, made during the first winter of the completion of the road, &, after the close of navigation in 1853, screw steamers ran between Liverpool & Portland with passengers & goods, thus opening up for the first time an entire winter route for Canada; &, notwithstanding the deficiency of engine power & the defective state of the new line, the traffic of these vessels was conveyed with a dispatch that gave general satisfaction.

The traffic receipts of the early days compared with 1897 are interesting, & illustrate the growth of the Grand Trunk:—1854, traffic receipts, $835,577, mileage, 388; 1897, traffic receipts, $23,624,191, mileage, 4,186. The rolling stock & equipment has increased in like proportion, as the following figures demonstrate:

	1854.	1897.
Locomotives	64	1,109
Passenger cars	66	85
Freight cars	935	22,075
Snow plows	14	72
	1,079	24,701

During 1856 the total number of passengers transported amounted to 686,924, while for 1897 the figures roll up to over 8,000,000. Likewise the increase in freight tonnage has been something enormous, comparing the figures of 1854, which amounted to 619,990 tons, with those of 1897, which totalled 11,769,657 tons. The branch line from Richmond to Québec was completed in 1854, the main line from Montréal to Toronto in 1856, & the Sarnia Division in 1858. In the extension of the G.T. System to the westward, the importance of through international connections was considered, & with this end in view, the Co. in 1875 acquired the Chicago & Lake Huron Ry., thus gaining a direct connection with Chicago. The large through business between Chicago & Portland & the Atlantic seaboard controlled by the G.T.R. has amply justified the wisdom of the extension. The Co. later added to its mileage & business by acquiring numerous other lines; & on Aug. 12, 1882, the original G.T.R. was consolidated with the Great Western Ry., & with the company thus formed was united on Jan. 24, 1888, the Northern Ry. Co. of Canada, & its leased line, the Hamilton & North Western Ry., the amalgamated system taking the present style of the G. T. Ry. Co. of Canada. Several other railways having been acquired, the G.T. division, embracing 2,174 miles, with the Great Western division (including the Hamilton & North Western), embracing 1,338 miles, brought the mileage of this system up to 3,512 miles, exclusive of the Chicago & Grand Trunk, the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee, & the Toledo, Saginaw, & Muskegan railways controlled by the Co., & the Cincinnati, Saginaw & Mackinaw Railroad operated by it, all of these lines now being operated under the title of the G.T.R. System, with an aggregate, as stated, of 4, 186 miles. The G.T.R. System is laid, throughout its entire length, with heavy steel rails, while with its steel bridges, solid masonry & most improved modern structures, it is in no particular behind the great trunk lines of the United States.

Railways: G.T.Ry.

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