Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1848-06-09
Col. Croker of Fitchburgh.

In an article giving an account of the OPEN
ing of the Cheshire Railroad to Keene, the Bos-
ton Mil pays the subioincd well-descrved trib.
ute to the indomi,able energy. perseverance and
clcar-sigllted sagacity of Col. ALvAH CRocKER,
the protector and fnis1er of the Fitchburgh
Railroad. Col. CEocHEE certainly achieved a
most gratifying, as well as crcditable, triumph
over the Wanted business penetration, as well as
the incredulousncss, of the very clever Bosto-
mans, by carrying forward that enterprise to
complete and extraordinary success, in spite of
all the " cold words and colder looks which he
was doomed to encounter. The process by
which the Fitchburgh Railroad project reached
the point where it could safely be started, as we
have heard it eloquently and truly related, was
one which had many reseinblances to the spec
tacle which is said to be regarded with especial
sympathy by the gods Ia good man bravcly
struggling with adversely" Few men would
have borne the ieers and ridicule Of opponents,
and the more disheartening discussions, remon-
s%tranccs and dubious assistance of friends, so
patiently, SO perseveringly, and so well, as Col.
Col. CRocKER did. 1t was an instance of the
sustaining force there is in well-considered, cool
and sincere convictions. The Colonel 'knew he
was right" and nothing could prevent his L" 90
ing ahead !" We have known another Rail-
road project that was compelled, for "A period, to
sue and plead for favors it ought to have com-
m1ndcd; but this was nothing to the dismal
night-thc Norway night-that preceded the
day that finally broke upon the Fitchburg enter.
..,., - l..A .,,, ANI., I. ---l--
we have it from the Colonel's own lips. that
when the "Committee' who were charged with
the care and nursing of his feeble Fltchburg
bantling, in its days of neglected infancy, were
holding their usual meetings in some retired
apartment, 6 away from business and the tolls of
men," to hearhis reports of L" painful progress"
and to listen TO his words of confidence and en-
enlargement, they used to sit IN thedark. TO save
the expense of lamp oil! We could not help
thinking this a romantic exaggeration of the
Colonel-but be that as it may, the Offices of
the Fitchburgh Company were certainly not
then, as NOR, where merchants. most do congre-
gate, amid the granite pillars and "sounding
corridors" of the MERCHANTS EXCHANGE.
The following is what the Mail saws:
In TINS connection we cannot ioregoa desire to show
what NE enterprise and perseverance of one man can
90 III the accomplishment OF these mighty results
When Coi. Alvah Croker first started the idea of n
Railroad To Fltclburgh many persons considered him
INSANE AZ lcast some OF the members OF the Iegisla-
tnre voted tor the charter under the fear that h. wyuld
be insane unless II was granted die evidently had il so
much at heart and without the rcinotcst idea that n
rod OF the road would be built. In the depth of win.
ter, snow three tcct deep, Col. Crockcr canyassed all
the upper part OF Worcester and Middlesex counties.
getting subscribers one day for a single share, and
scarcely any day Tor more than n dozen shares-the
Oh FARMERS ieehng that they were making a donation
10, instead ol an Investment in a great enterprise
ultil he had a sufficient amount OF stock taken to en-
able INN to appeal to the capitalists of Boston with a
snow OF promise and success. We all know the re-
suit. Fitchburg stock has been twenty per cent.
above par, and It's business now is twice as great as
even the %sanguine Col. Croker ever anticipated.
But the Col. did not stop at the mere success of the
F~ltchhurg road. lthcn it was decided that that
would 90, he pushed on to keenc, and attempted TO
awake the people there to the importance OF another
link in the great chain. The rocky ramparts OF the
Monadnock ridge and the Surry hills beyond, all but
staggering even ms sangulnc mind but n survey was
determined on, which decided that n road was prnc-
ticablc- how " awiully practicable those can partly
decide who went up To krcne on Tuesday. Had the
people OF old Cheshire been one whit less enterprizinn
or had Col. Crocker found less sanguine friends among
them to come to his aid, the enterprise could not have
been completed. Thanks to HIM and to them, n
walled and ironed way has now been opened which
ere long Is to pour into the lap OF Boston the rich dow
~ Of trade that New ork has been Tor years draw
ing from the rich valley OF Western Vermont. Ii be.
longs To Boston, from position, from geographical d.
VISION, from the sympathy Of n common origin and lI-
>iltutlors, and from the higher sympathy OF a com
mon nj, rest and llberallty III pushing forward Il NIGH
~ enterprise.