The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-21

II the facts stated in the following communi-
cation, which comes to us from most intelli-
gent and respectable source, are to be relied
upon, the value of the enterprise to which it
refers, to Portland, cannot be over-estimated.
For the lumber and the local trade and the
pleasure travel alone the road should he built.
But when in addition thereto it is considered
that it Is to be connected with and become a
part Of through line to Ogdensburg- bring
ing that place, by railroad (as ia believed bv
the friends of the roadl within 365 miles of
Portland-and that it will secure to our city
the bulk Of the trade OF the northern half of
Vermont, its Importance becomes SO patent
and commanding that there should be no hest
tation in determining upon its early construc-
ton.
The great house Of Fairbanks & Co., of st.
bloomsbury, have already subscribed 100000
to the stock of the corporation which is to
build the westerly section of this line. u
And while this work of great necessity is
going on, the Portland s. Rochester road
should, and we believe will, be pushed forward
to its completion thus giving us another way
to Boston, New York and the West
" ioAA oAOSo CutcI pIlScS COuSuuuldt6u, tutTe
can remain no question of the rapid growth
and great prosperity of Portland. And among
the certain and not distant results will be week
ly trips through the summer, and semi-weekly
in the winter by the ocean steamers between
Liverpool and Portland. Western products
can be delivered at Ogdenshurg at as low
rates as at Oswego, and the former is as near
Portland as the latter is to New York. And
when the unequalled facility at Portland for
the transfer of produce from the cars to the
steamships, and the very small port charges
here, are contrasted with the expenses at New
York, it will not be doubted that Western
pr oduce can be put on shipboard in Portland
harbor at less cost than it can be in New York.
LOWELL, Feb. 1867.
To THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS: t
notice by letter in the Boston Journal,
that your city is interested in the project of a
railroad connecting it by a more direct route
with the West, and that one of the routes sug-
gested extends up the valley of the Saco to
Conway and thence to Wells River In refer
ence to fhis line, which believe to be the
shortest, and of the easiest grade of any that
has been thought Of and of the greatest ad-
vantage to Portland. I beg you to allow me a
few words.
l. OF the route. 1t should be by the Saco
river valley to Fryeburg and Conway, thence
by Swift's or Sawyer's river, and thence to
the east branch of Pemigewasset and on
through Lincoln, Landau and Bath to Wells
river. From Albany to Lincoln is about
twenty miles. i have been from Lincoln up
the Pemigewasset river, some seventeen miles,
and consider this route through the woods one
of the most level, and of the easiest grade for
railroad, that ever saw. When you get to
Conway and Albany you have nearly reach
ed the height of lan,l. From Albany to
Woodstock through the White Mountains the
grade think will not exceed fifty feet to the
mile -....-.
2. This road will open trade of more than
100000 acres of virgin timber lands to the
Portland market. In Albany, Woodstock,
Lincoln, Candaf, &c, there are more than
taco thousand millions of timber consisting of
the best pine, spruce, hemlock and hardwood
lumber. The birch and maple are of the best
quality for ship building. This timber would
go to Portland as there is no other outlet for
the most part of it, and Portland is much near
er than any other port. This road could take
vast quantities Of lumber from Northern New
Hampshire at a rate of $3.50 or $500 per M.
over down grade road of 60 or 20 miles and
pay well. The distance from Portland to these
wild lands does not exceed sixty miles.
3. This road would command nearly all the
White Mountain travel, and it would pass
within few miles of Mount Washington and
within nj ne miles of Franconia Notch +.
fH.-a- I.W.N D.
A NEW INvaNLIoN.-This is the age of now