The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1845-05-14
RAILROAD No. 2.

route will more completely secure the whole
business, and better accommodate the great
mass Of the population of the State than the
Central. Surprising the Western route TO
connect with the Cheshire at Bellows Falls,
or as some think best. at the mouth of Black
River, and from either point pursue its course
through CaveDdish. Ludlow and over Mount
Holley to Burlington, while the Central
route passes up the Connecticut TO the mouth
of White River, and thence through Mont
pelier to Burlington, it will at once be per-
ceiyed by a reference TO the map, that at least
halfof Windham County will be well accom-
modated, Windsor as well accommodated by
one as the other. Franklin and Grand Isle
will be better accommodated by the Western
route, as the distance would be % or 80 miles
less. And we may as well here observe that
in all our calculations about the routes, that
from Bellows Falls to Burlington by Rutland,
it is 1l2 miles, while from Bellows Falls to
the mouth of White River it is 20 miles, and
thence to Burlington 103 miles, equal to 142
miles, a difference OF 80 miles in favor Of the
Rutland route. The difference is variousIy
calculated at from &c to 80 miles.
But since p~erusing the above our eye has
met with a communication in the Rutland
Herald from a gentleman Of great capabillty
on the subject of Rail- r Dads, from which we
extract the following statement which COM
mends itselfto the judgement Of all those who
are sincerely DESTROYS of arriving at the true
merits Of the rival routes:
II assume then that The following territory
is better accommodated by the Rutland than
by the Central route. The counties O; Wind
ham, one-third Of Bennington, half of Wind
sor, Rutland, Addison, Chittenden, Franklin,
Grand Isle and one-third Of LamoilIe, having
, a population Of l64 ,091 and a Grand List OF
S4I3'3I9,52 equalt to a property valuation OF
"A. 1885,, s52 dollars.
The Central route would better
date The following counties, halfof Windsor (;
Orange. Washington, Caledonia, Essex, Or
5 leans and two-rhirds ofLamoille with a pop
5 %ulation of 1lO, sol and a Grand List OF $780,
3l9, 1890 equal to a property valuation of Co.
93I $50 dollars. Thus showing difference
: in favor OF the Rutland route, in population
of47, 700 and in property valuation of17 ,405,-
Z 9l0 dollars.
; If the railway shall be built upon the Rut-
y land route, and no other in the STATE leading
a directly to Boston, Washington and Orleans
counties and Ihe rcmainder Of LamoiIle would
l be well accommodated by such railway. And
again, by extending a branch road from Bur
: lington 10 Montpelier. the whole State would
; be well accommodated.
IT the Central road sould be built and nc
! other, the counties Of Addison, Rutiaud, Ben
U nington and Windham, would neither derive
c any benefit from it, or furnish to it a pound
a of freight. But the rich products and i'm
mense quantities Of marble, and iron, Of the
D first three, would 60 to New York as they
E now dc, and thence would they obtain their
merchandise, plaster and salt"
We add that should The Western routs be
adopted a Railroad might DC constructed
from Montpelier to Burlington as well as The
% miles the extra distance CT the Central
, route. This done, and every county in the
: State would be well accommodated by the
Rutland route.
This exhibition OF stubborn facts by the able
correspondent of the Herald founded upon
the geographical position of the counties, and
the indisputable statistics of the comparative
wealth and population Of the various sections
reached by the different routes, at once puts
TO fight the unwarrantable classification and
tabular misrepresentation by which the ad-
~vocates of the Central route have endeavored
to gain advantages to which they have no le-
climate claim.
But in whatever speculaiions we may in
dulge in relation to The relative accommoda-
lions Of the various sections of our State the
Boston people who must furnish he greatest
amount OF capital for the construction ofthe
road must decide the route. The grounds Of
this decision will be, which will cost the least
III construction and expense of operation, con-
~centrate the most business in Boston and have
the advantage for passage and freight.
In the first place it is conceded by all that
the expense of building, running and repair
ing about 80 miles of road will be saved by
the Rutland route amounting to b or ~"
thousand dollars in construction alone ana
should the average expense Of running Oh
oUU m snoN"""
er roads il will cost $4,000 more 10 run Inc
| Central rou,e Than the Southern.
Again. a fair estimate of the expense of
construction throughout the whole distance
cannot fail 10 be favorable to the Rutland
route. 1t is conceded that the grades on this
route are ten feet higher than on the Central
vet it is we'll known by those who have wound
around among the narrow values of the
branches of White River, and the serpentine
course ofthe Onion River that the greater num-
Der of curvatures on the Central route will at
least counterbalance its advantage in grades.
Indeed the survey Of the Central route in
dicates that even in grading the Rutland route
will probably have the advantage. From an
extract of this survey from a communica-
II :. -~n,zNe that on |