Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1845-03-21
NI1tH=tt!psl.n!.RSS
ISii NJ AssRkS
Or
MIR. EDW ARDS, OF KEENE,

port " The Peiiiion NJ Isaac Morse and others
GESrlEaEN:-l is no, rom any excess Of pre-.
. mpilnn thai at,eup To susini, this petition before
you ain sdch overwhelming WEIGHT Of counsel
1t is that have lived long enough and seen enough
OF trials AID ul Investigations before commit.
tees, To cirn that good ease, and competent AMI
honest tribunal. are mach sa!er relianres than 'nge.
ninfy AMI rlolicuce.
We appear u second time before the Legislature OF
Massachusetts, 10 ask for nuhnriiv To construct
short piece ri rnilroad wnhn the Hunts of the State.
we are not discouraged hv former denll; We per.
severe IN the conf enrc ilit request is reasuna.
NC, AMI that il will be favored wherever, aud ny
whomsctver, the grounds which it rests are I'M
dersfoud.
The petitioners ask for a Charter Tot railroad,
from the n III part Of your state, in Ninrhenden 10
inetsect he Vernon and Massachusetts road IN
Ashburnhan, distance of ten and half niles. II,
h,wc.rr the Vermont and Massa hnsetts Rallroad
Corporation shall obtain the power, for which Their
application is NOW pending before y0n, 10 change the
locati, of their r,a and shall Use 10 extend their
toai from Aslhurnhain 10 Ninchenden, should
then irqnire charter COR but three m,les Of road,
and shoui connect with Their TOAD at that point
Although we do not desire this change we di not OBJ
ect 10 II, and shall he content to receive chatter FOR
the tea and half miles Of rad, subject 10 the eec-
lion Of thu, corporation IN relation 10 the part below
Wlnchen en-.
1t will be III s seen that we ask but lille at your
hands could hardly rs less, and ask anything.
What we ask is comparatively unllnpOrant in itself
but Of great lnpnrtnnce to those who ask it. and in
dispens,he to the ohec iir which il is n.krd.
The t.rsaltrre Of New liampsl at lls 'aie $685.
.ion granted charter for rilrcad from the line OF
rmont t or ne Bellows Falls, through Keene
in the MY OF Cheshire, To the line Of M1ss1chu-
sets at W.ichcndnn. The Legislature Of Vermont
hal before his I'd charter for rna,lfrnm Bur.
linl'n - Come rn river, IN the county at Windsor
Wuiliau. This charter. by the of il. may
BE- c,n,rct.i with tn Cheshire Railroad, and the Two
would thus fm III = connerir'! route irnn Burlington
through Rnrni, Bellows Falls, and Krrne 10 Win,
chenIcn. AMI with the route now rttmncd for, and
the Vermont AMI Massachusetts, AMI .'iehhArE roads
would present To 'hc Pablo continuous route from
Bur IN Itun Ia u 'stnn.
If everything else con'd he accomplished. this whole
connection wiull fail, and all alb "e Wnchenden he
uuaviliin,, without the charter Which we now ask.
4 dee. interest felt in New Ham, elire and Yer
,n,nt he result n this apn.ca i'm. More than two
thousand petitioners, as will appear from your I!cs'
c,u,rl.n business men on the whole 'ne from Nn
chiien Ia Burlington. appear belnie yon IN an 81 r
petition. Every portion Of the r1nte from Ash nm
han to Burlington, has hrrr carei lis surveyed. The
reports of competent and eXprrrnccd engineers show
that entire ROUTE II Is T. a'ihe, -ihat although 1t
passes through an uneven and somewhat mountain
Gus country, a. any railroad mast to Accommodate
the business Of New Hampshire and Vermont, no
portions OF the route ofunusia difiGHltvthn, il
car be constructed Without very CHI c1nahIe grades
AMI A. rcnsplnhie cost -;ha. C:I,sts lie irCeH
Mountains Al 4 very favorable point, iequiIrg no
grade exeeedtn. ixiy feet; an! throughout lis whole
distance hnrei sing wealthy and productive region,
a5buning not only IN agriculture, and manufacturing
products but within the Sair of Vermont in v1urhe
ores aud seemingly nfXhausDihlc ql,rres Of lime,
81 ale freesi ne, nngnncse, marble srrren'inp, &c.
value with, la,ililes or cheap transportation.
Ffoin the evidence before yau, and examination
OF The map YOU mas, he SATISFIED we cailnu, d0nh
that a rirnad extended finIn Winchenirn or Ash
bIrnhan, only 10 kfene or Bellows Falls, wonid b.
an Important public improvement that il wop'd n
elIhrr point Accommodate The counties of thesh ".
and Sh Ivan in New Harry -are, and would nitrac
10 Its terminus the business OF large territory in Yer
mont, which c. ud reach other road yet made o
chartered, SO convenien Is. MOI to go too much int
detail you have learned that these place. nre in til
vrho 1 of lima, alT aud fr.,h Fra,
IVES ern Vermont 10 l}3s.on which has cen wearin
de,perever sln"s IT, rlnirv vas settled: and, nso
Of shorter Inc from the Goa ectlcnt river valley
uce longer tl1n NJ y, shortened By diversions 10 tn
Concord lnl Nashua road, LI be again enghrne.
bypushing up tbs very improvement; that thes. line
meet at Bellows Falls, forming ~ were the iroa
OF tunnel, and pass OF through Keene MS the drec
line. You have be told, and such is the fat, rhn
three ally lines Of Stages now, and have been
'n1nair't' from Keen- tn E1snn, for the arc0mmo
d1on OF ms iri'el ami that si'cr the opening q. The
FItchhnrg Rllrod more than 10 600 passengers have
been rsc"iv-t on t" that road in SIX n"nhs, roi the
direction Of k"pue alone.
In aIii'ion Ia ihis yon have The opinion OF seYern
intelligent wltlr- iamir with the cnunlry and HE
Ut business, that such road would he well sas
t,nri AM ma good return for he capita invested
Were wr To s'up here, Gentlemen Shout! ca'G IN
behalf df those clZrns Of New Hampshire and Yer
m'n', 10 whom have referred, that we have made
-uui clsr-hat We have shown that ub!ic exieen-
cvr.1n, the road 1ycd for as accommodating sd
ar a, 20 SIN your stale. yonr ""n clIlz"ns and NJ
Connected with the hrShrr Ra load nccunuloi1-
lin1 an inpnrt1nt trade with Massachus,tt> and The
cav If Boston which has always existed and ir IN
gensraphca p sirion always vii! exsi-whch is niu-
tlrilv beneficial 10 all concerned and has rilh n
requires fT as depends up.n vonr avn inrlnlcs i,i
carving It on hereafter, whtrh are now verSrrrht
lng the cmn'rv. aad are hereafter t. lie enlnYrd 10y
every par u IT it co extensively wGh The a lliy I,
Prov lie ild sustain them. Bat rs necessary To tho
lon, ne If t, ana Hicainn Ia which we have advert
ell, extending lrnu Boston 10 darlington. and theme,
To Nnt'ea, AMI an rs way looking towards nnr
T"achiig INT II. Northern and Northeastern New
fWk sc regard III connecting lax as oil far moT
grnrral unpnrtlnrc.
4 u'rnt r,nic cnnneriing Boston with Vernon
anI can,di Ia he the last great want Of tn
CIV ii Boston the remaining means i,r es'endint
ant accommodating the large and constantly increas
ing htisnrsS II Nnur cnmnercli capital.
Fuh,c litciiilbn has htea thoroughly awakened Il
this f. t. No less than s'ven great routes bet wee
,--- Wv" ave pr'ierted nnl are now in cnmp-iiiin
fore the rnlir, and the merits and advantages ,
each Aa!nus'v H-ed by It's friends. SIX of the.
route. aim at Rnrlingi'n as common pon'. Now
Mr. Oh nm'n. IN the first place assert w.thau, f !
OF contradiction that taking surveyed rarual d.
tai ces. % nj the above routes To B,lngnn II
ror'r III oi.h Keen", Rp.lws Falls, an Z lani
tie short 81 and most direct ruute-thai il is uuui
than twenty ules shorter than either Of The ~
r"ites and ri course, The distance from Burlin.
ton Ia Montreal IS common 10 al II is the ii
tame, shorter Than any Other route TO Montreal hroug
Is rngfon.
TIL Boston, Haverli and Stnnslend route to Mo-
u",i has been called the direct and short route but
wi lac that the route which his hren select.
nui il favored within the province. and = now ma
knnwu to the pubic as such, p1mphlet and M
anl through the Hewsp1prs-i mean the Sherhrn,
nMi Stnsi,'rd route, Is al ~ moe than twenty mil
longer iinl the K-enc AMI Rutland rnu,e.
Tue following - n statement Of the several r0i,
firm Rn-r,u tn Burlington referred to- ana the d
tsnc.- on elrh Ia that place and Montreal. and nj
the Sr'nsread route To Montreal with the distance
Rouies. Dis. 10 BURLINGTON. 70 N9nire
Concord, Lebanon, and Montpelier
2l9m-. &c si5n
2 Krenr n Falls, & Mnnrpcirr. 255 " 35l
, y = ~,
Hrau'r'r,'. y fla &c Snl'ni219 " 81
X .'n., y. FAN & ltn'lnnd 800 " 395
i't'tlrh "a ~ RIVER n Rutland 252 " 3i7
2 s,u.ptd. HaNrrih aud STAINS.
ra,t ~ Nonire,l 80;
TIC iis,in from Burlington to ontr Il ~
ut 96 uiIe from the evidence before you. Il is sta
hyn,r'- at 100 niles The difference attest, t,
the first SIX routes above, lualiy
.,,, ~. -rrn ihu tnr dtlir.nce in favor of
Ka."ie I, liIv- Falls and Rutland fnule,
Oyrr The Lebanon ron'e IS 20 mil
K-ene aud M,nineler, 26
Rrnillrbnr"' aud MONTPELIER 81
rraiclnrn' II Falls and Riand %
Riaiilrhnro W. River and Rutland %
And ~ \ route Ia Montreal shorter Than the Ha,
hill anl Sansrrnd 20i mules. This advantage in
taI,e all q her things heinz eq nj, would hr herl
in favor of the shnrt and direct l'n".-Ii involve
saving in ni,av If nj lea $500 000-ard an
expense # runuinn which unui not he likely Ia
met hv he local business IN the excess If dist II
md which with The loss of time must he horne nv
long husne.s Of the route or be drawbnrk up IN
litnds.
So-,,lly-Wr claim ,h,' ms an entire r9u,e
Krrn- prllo - Fii- aud Rila nassrs lhrnua
.c,untrv Il iprr pr,ltcIivenes- -h1vnr more ah
all n the cons rurunn If n RlIlInal and NOR,