The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-23
Martins Point Bridgc-ARain.

To the Editor of the Press.
In replying TO your correspondent in Mon
days Press did not intend TO involve my
ply to correct some of the erroneous state
ments of your correspondent, and as he still
persists in reiterating his statements without
any proof, or Ito those who are acquainted in
the vicinity without any reason for such
statement that mot more than twenty lani
lies would be accommodated by rebuilding
this BRIDGE" and as with his last commu-
nication he takes leave of the subject, must
crave the privilege of noticing some OF the
more glaring Inconsistencies which peryade
his article.
His statement that "the two roads were
formerly regarded so nearly equal in point Of
convenience that almost the entire travel was
diverted to the present route in preference to
paying toll by the old route" is best answer.
ed by the fact that the old bridge was built
and kept in repair las toll BRIDGE by an en-
-terprisins corporation for upwards of forty
years, Notwithstanding they had to compete
with free bridge on the other road, now the
only one to Portland accessible by the inhab-
itants of this sectionof the county. Why did
this corporation continue the bridge if"almost
the entire travel was diverted to the present
route ?"
That the hundred and more families direct
ty interested in the rebuilding of this bridge
are to be pecunlarily benefited is no reason at
all why the bridge should not be built; that it
is to greatly increase the value of their prop
erty" is one OF the strongest arguments why
it should be built, for wherever the valuation
is increased the taxation is proportionably in
creased. With good bridge at this point
property in the vicinity for miles around
would so increase in value that in few years
the county would be fully reimbursed for all
expenditures now incurred, as illustrated il
the opening of free and convenient avenues
to Cape Elizabeth via the Portland and Cape
Elizabeth bridge, and also the Stroudwa,er
bridge, leading to the Kerosene Works.
The people ''directly interested areearnest-
ly engaged in measures for securing this re-
feel the great, public necessity of having the
enterprise pushed to speedy completion, and
for the business men of Portland to oppose
measure which is to bring them an increase of
trade and increase the valuation of taxable
property in the county, is, to say the least,
very unwise.
In answer to "M.'s" statement that "unior-
tunately the county has no interest in these
abutments, or the soil on which they rest
and that they can only be acquired by pur-
chase" and would say, subscription has
been raised, (probably from among his
twenty families'') to purchase this property,
and gire 1t to the county.when they shall de-
eide to build the bridge. The utter igno-
rance of "M." upon all these important points
shows that he has undertaken an argument
against an enterprise which he had not the
slightest knowledge Of His time had better
been speEt in improving some of the "pleas-
ant drives on the Foreside road, instead of
wasting his talent in phantom arguments
against a measure which has almost the uni
versal sympathy of the whole county.
OF the numbers what would cross the bridge,
if built, any one can judge by looking at map
of the county aud its indicated dwelling hours,
from each of which it is seven miles turth-
er over an almost impossible road every time
he goes to and from Portland. Whether it is
for the interest OF the inhabitants of a city to
isolate themselves from the surrounding cotln-
try upon which it is dependentfor its supplies,
and make access difficult, it for them 10 judge.
The city of Portland is to all intents and
purposes an island, and there is no possible
communication between it and the main lapd
except over bridges. The writer of the COM
munication alluded to is undoubtedly of that
class of who people would, ifconsulted, have in
sisted that after the bridge over the little creek
between behring's Oaks and the wool shop
had been built, there was no further necessity
for any other mode of getting to and from the
main land, but it seems that people who had
the misfortune to live before him had other
notions, and were so unwise as to suppose
that great town could in no way so wen m
crease its wealth as by opening up avenues to
those who resided out oft Accordingly we
find bridges and ferries established leading
from and to the city in every direction. None
are more imperatively demanded, or can be
of greater public necessity than the. one un-
der discussion, and that the majority of the
business men of Portland so consider it cite
the petition in its behalf signed by upwards
of thousand of the mos enterprising mer-
chants OF Portland. The suggestion Oh M
that these men signed the petition IN lgno-
rance of the merits of the case Is anoVei hioue