Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-05-13

parallel with its source. There 10 grandeur q d
unity in this great basin lts valliss and its ave-
nues of communication all point in one direction
all point to Woodstock snd Houlton m The entire
pots Of its trade and traffic. With this railroad
connecting Woodstock, Houlton and kattsvam-
keag, all this territory would become commercial
unit seeking ts sgress 70 tho octs IN and ito eonnec
ton with tho great avenues Of the country through
this single limo of communication.
These two great valleys constitute one-half the
area of your State--and not divided nts small
separate and distinct valleys, but united BY this
railroad constituting ono great indisisiblc oae.--
including the Provincial portion Of the uppcr St.
John, its area, ss have before said, was equal to
ono half the state Of New York.
At the time Maine wes admitted into The Onion.
the county of penobseot, then including what is
now Piseataquis and nearly all tho territory which
is now Aroostook numbered . population only
of a few thousands--I think less than fifteen
thousand. Now that same territory numbers
one hundred thousand. The Provincial portion Of
the upper st. John then contained but few inhab.
itants-t now contains thirty five O. forty thous-
and The influence Of this railrosd upon the
growth, population, and prosperity of the Stass
must be immense. What will be It's population
within the next ten or twenty years brought into
intimate relations and near neighborhood by his
railroad with the settled portion Of the country
and aided by the momsntuR Of your vastly In.
| creased population and wealth
Mr.. Speaker There is another project proposed
another route to connect these Lower Provinces
with us by railroad and to connect the valley Of
the Upper St. John with tide water and with tho
State. That route extends from Milford directly
East to Calais. 1t has already been surveyed II
passes the heads of the valleys of the Union
river and the Machias river and some other of the
waters which flow to the through Hancock
and Washington counties. This route is through
an unsettled country, almost entirely wilderness,
thnpt oil nula mill ,f iUh-
ing to it or single inhabitant upon it, until IL
reache. the neghborhood of Calais. A railroad
this route would prove injurious to Ellsworth.
Machns and tae towns and the country on tho
coast for it would be n new avenue across tho
heads Of these rivers sluicing portion Of the re.
sources of their respective valleys away from them
in another direction. Its local trade and traffic
would also be very small.
The distance from Milford to Calais and from
Milford up the Penobscot and Mattawamkeag to
the boundary, is about the same. There Is but III.
tie, ifaDy, difference in the two routes. The for.
mer, up natural valleys with low and easy grades
the latter, across valleys with comparatively high
gradients. By the one, the road can be chsaply
built-while by the other it is expensive. The
Calais route was intended by its projectors mainly
for the through travel 1t ignores the great north
and central portions Of your State. 1t ignores
Aroostook. 1t ignores also the local trade and
travel of the valleys of the Penobscot and ST. John
The House will perceive at glance, that its oh.
jects purposes and results so far as our own State
is concerned, widely different from thos which
the route propo: ed by this bill will secure. Who
will contribute towards the construction of a road
o, er this lower route? Not the great valleys Of
the Penobscot and Aroostook, for their interests
lie in another direction. Not the people of the
State, for they desire the aevelopemcnt Of our own
resources. Not the people of Calais for this new
avenue will divide with her the trade and traffic
of the valley Of the St Crox, and bring portion
of it toward the W est II could not be built.