Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-09-10
Opening Of the Northern Railroad in Graf
tOn.-3S miles from Concord.

DANltL w EBSI Eh was AMONG the invited utIpstS.
and visited Z" the bowels of his native state. on
the occasion, for the first time in many wears.
We find in the N. Y. Tribune the following re-
port of his speech at Grafton. The Tribune
says -
The people from the many adjacent towns Ind me-
seinbled at Grafton Tor the purpose of witnessing and
participating in the ccremonie OF the occasion. After
the collation-conducted on the strictcst of tenner-
ance principles, in the most liberal manncr-it being
ascertained that Mr.. Webster was present, there was
an unanimous and most enthusiastic call for him
He came ont, with his overcoat on his arm, and in an
easy aud familiar manner made las far as we could
hear the following remarks:
" am very happy, fellow citizens 10 be here on this
occasion to meet here the Directors of the Northern
Railroad-,he Directors OF various other RairoaIs
connected with it below, and such a number of nv lel-
low-citizens, inhabitants Of this part Of the statc.-
Perhaps my pleasure and my surprise at the success of
this great enterprise so far, are the greater from the
fact OF my early acquaintance with this region, and all
It's localities.
But, gentlemen, | see the rain is beginning to fall
fast, and pray yon to take shelter unIcrsome of these
roofs (Cries OF $50 on, 90 on, never mind u.s.
b" In my youth and early manhood, have traverscd
these mountains along all the roads which lead through
or over them. We are on Smiths river, which, while
in College, had occasion to swim. Even that could
not always be done, and have made a circuit of ma
ny rough and tedious miles to get over it. At that
day, steam, as a motive power, acting on water and
land, was thought OF by nobody nor were there good
practicable roads in this part OF the state. AT that
day, one must have travcrsed this wilderness on horse
back or on foot. So late as when ! left College, there
was no road from river to river for n carriage tit for the
conveyance OF persons. well rccollect the COM
mencement of the turnpike system. The granting of
the charter OF the fourth turnpike, which led from Lee
hanon to ~Boscawcn, was regarded MS a wonderful era.
The champion i'll the Legislature of this great enter
PRISE was Benjamin j. Gilbert, then n lawyer at Han
over, always a most amiabie and excellent man, and
now enjoying a healthiul old age in the city OF Boston.
| think he is 81 years old. He is well known to the
elder inhabitants OF this county, and am glad of this
] OnpDrtnnltv To ulIllp to HIM ms n HIGHLY valued friend
OF long standing.
:" emembcr to have attended the first meeting of
the prGprletors OF this turnpike at Andover. 1t was
difficult to persuade men that 1t was possible to have a
passable carriage road through these mountains. |
was too young and too poor to be a subscriber but |
held the proxies OF several absent subscribers, and
what | lacked IN knowledge and experience, | made
up IN zeal and, as far as | now remember, my first
speech after left college was in favor of what was
then regarded as a great almost impracticable internal
Improvement, to wit: the making OF n smooth though
lilHy road from Connecticut river, opposite the mouth
OF the White river, to the Nlerrimuck river. at the
mouth ot the ContoocoOk. Perhaps the most valua-
bic result OF the making Of this and other t~urnpikes
was the communication OF knowledge upon road max
ing among the people Tor, in IA few years atterward,
great numbers OF the people went to church, TO elccto-
raj and other meetings, IN chaises and wagons. over
very tClcrablc rOadS. / ne next stage alter tnrupikei
was canals. Gov. Sullivan, DR., ID Xter, Col. Baldwin
and other eminent citizens oil Massachusetts, had
planned the MlddleseX Canal, connecting the Ncrri-
mack river at Pawtuckrt Falls, near where Lowell
now is, with Boston. And a canal was also built
round those falls, also, to complete a water convey
ance to NcwbuIyport. Great expense was incurred
a%iterward in locking the various falls higher up the
river, until at length the river was made naylLablc tor
boats as high mp us Concord. This was thought to be
a great and most useful achievement, and so indeed it
was. Bat n vastly greater was now approaching-thc
era OF steam. That Is the invention which distin-
cuisines this age. The application OF steam to the
moving oIhcavy bodies, on the water and on the land,
towers above all other inventions o.! this or the proceed.
ing age, as the Cardigan mountain now before US, lifts
Itself above the little UilOrks nj liz llSa.
=" Fellow-citi1ens, can We without wonder consider
where we are and what has brought Us here Sever
al oil this company LETT Boston and Salem this morn.
Ing. They passed the kearsarge on The left, the Rag
ged Mountain on the right, have threaded all the val
lcys and gorges, and here they are now, at . o'clock
at the foot OF the Cardigan Hills. They probably
went to the market this morning, ordered their din.
ners, went home 10 a leisure breakfast and sat out
Here they now are, enjoying the collation. OF our hos
pitable friend, Mr.. Cas-, at the hour when their fami.
lies are dining at home. By the way. if they had
thought inland it would have been Il happy though
they might have brought us n few fish taken on
OF the sea at sunrise this morning, aud we might here
enjoy as good n fish dinner as our friends are now en-
lJoying at Phillips Beach or Nahant. THIS woul,
have been rather striking-a chowder at the foot o
the Cardigan Hills would have been u thing to b.
talked about.
d" Fellow citizens, this Railroad may be said to brin.
the sea to your doors. You cannot, indeed, snuff it
salt water, but will both snuff and taste its best pro
ducts, as fresh as those who live on its shores. ! can
not conceive OF any policy more useful 20 the grea
mass OF the community than the policy which e-tub
llsiIed these public improvements. Lei me saw fellow
citizens, that in the history of human invention
there is hardly one so well calculated IA th,, n
railroads to equalize the condition of men. The rich
esl must travel IN the cars, Tor there they travel fasicst
tile poorest can travel in the cars, while they could no
travel otherwlsr, because this mode of conyevnnc,
costs but little time or money. Probably there are IN tn,
multitude before Inc those who have friends at sucl
distances that they could hardly have visited them
had not railroads come to their assistance to save then
time and 10 save their expense. Men are thus brough
together as %neighbors and acquaintances who live tive
hundred miles apart.
We sometimes hear idle prejudices expressed
against railroads, because they are close corporations
but so from the necessity OF the case they necessarily
must be, because the track OF n railway cannot be a
road, upon which every man may drive his own car.
rage. sometimes, 1t l. true, these railroads interrupt
or annoy individuals IN the enjoyment OF their property
tor these cases the most ample compensation ought Il
be made. | have myself had n little taste of this in.
convenience. When the Directors OF the road resoly.
ed 10 lay 1t ont upon the river, (as | must say they
were very wise IN doing) they showed themselves d
little too loving to me, coming so near my farm house
That the thunder OF their engines and the screams o
Their steam Whistles In say nothing OF other inconve-
nlenccs, not n little disturbed the peace and reposc
OF It's occupants. There Is beside an awkward and
ugly tihDaiklnelt thrown up across my meadows. Il
INJURIES the looks OF the fields. Bat have remarked
below citizens, that railroad directors and railroad
projectors are no enthusiastic lovers OF landscape
beauty a handsome held OF lawn, beautiful copseS
and all the gorgcousncss OF forest scenery, pass for lit.
tie IN their eyes. Their business is to cut and slash
TO level or delace n finely rounded field and to fill uI
btuuAiiuiiS NlniliB NdlltNs. / ltN are Vllle utlllIdilil
III their creed and IN their practice. Their business il
to make a good road. They look upon a well con
siructed emhankment as an agreeable work of art
a long, deep cut through hard pan ana rock, such as
We have Just passed, gives them delight 10 b~chold-and
II they can find "A fair reason to run a tunnel under q
deep mountain, they are halt in raptures. To be seri-
Gus, gentlemen, must say admire the skill, the en-
tcrprlse, and that rather bold defiance OF expense
which have enabled the Directors OF this road to bring
II with an easy ascent more than 500 feet above the
level of the Merrimack River. We shall soon see il
cross yonder mountainous ridge, commonly called
" the Height OF Land" and thence pitch down into the
lar valley OF the Connecticut,
Fellow citizens, you who live along the line of the
Road must already begin To feel its beneficial effects.
our country Is rather n rough one. There are, in
deed, good lands about the base OF the krarsarge, on
Beach Hill, Babcock's Hill, and other places adjacent
TO the road. There are other portions not so FERTILE
We may inter this from the names they bear. W.
have come through Little Gains {" Hard Scrabble ="
and "Dungcswamp," which latter | understand is an
Indian word 10 signify the poorest land in creation -
But fellow citizens, health and industry, GOOD morals
aud good government have made your homes among
these mountains prosperous and happy. This great
Improvement comes to your farther assistance. Ii
Will give you new facilities, connect you more readily
with other portions OF the State, aud most assurpdly.
according to all experience, create new objects Tor lie
application OF your enterprise and your labor. Yol
do not yet begin to know the benefits it will confer ON
you rejoice most heartily that my native State has
adopted a policy which has led TO these results. trust
mat policy may he steadily pursued I'LL internal I'M
pIoNeiIchl III some really and lulrinsicallv useful iorn