File:Sandford Fleming, empire builder (1915) (14759420712).jpg

Identifier: sandfordflemin00burp (find matches)
Title: Sandford Fleming, empire builder
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Burpee, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone), 1873-1946
Subjects: Fleming, Sandford, Sir, 1827-1915 Railroads
Publisher: London, Oxford University Press
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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t much more than a year to complete thework, favourable weather and other conditions were ofsupreme importance. Unfortunately the summer of 1866was unparalleled in this province for rain \ Also Fleminghad certain very definite notions as to how a railway shouldbe built, and now that the opportunity was thrust upon him,and the responsibility rested upon his own shoulders, hedetermined to construct a road that would be a credit bothto himself and the province. It is perhaps unnecessary to say that, having undertakena public work, and conscientiously striving to do it worthily,Fleming was bitterly assailed both in the legislature and inthe newspapers of Nova Scotia, his motives, his honesty, hismethods, the character of his work, all being called in ques-tion. With wise self-control, he made no answer to his criticsuntil May 31, 1867. That was the day appointed for thecompletion of the Pictou Railway, and on that very day, inspite of all difficulties and handicaps, the railway was opened
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BUILDING THE INTERCOLONIAL 101 for public use. On that same day, also, Fleming issued hisfirst and only reply to his critics, in the form of a pamphlet,containing letters and reports, written by engineers of inter-national reputation, who had personally inspected the rail-way, and gave their opinions thereon in unmistakableterms. The work, which the local critics had damned rootand branch, is described by the engineers as the finest half-hundred miles of railway in British North America \ In the late autumn of 1866, Fleming was invited to dinewith the Governor, Sir William Fenwick Williams. AdmiralHope and several of his officers were also of the party. Afterdinner, the Governor expressed a wish to see a new steamshovel at work on the railway near Halifax. It was a verystormy day, with a horrible mixture of snow and rain, andthe Governor with some of the officers presently found dis-cretion the better part of valour. But the admiral wasgame. Im going, any way , said he. So off they st

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