The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-05-22
railroad from Manchester TO Portland
Direct.


Under the above caption the Mirror and Far
mer, published at Manchester, n. H., has
very earnest article upon a railroad connect
ing Portland with the Great West 1t says:
Portland is undaunted by the fire. Her peo-
pie are determined to make that city a fore
most seaport place. Enterprise is as necessa-
sary to the growth of a city as to the success
of an individual The smart business man is
planning night and day to extend his means OF
earning money. The place in which he lives
has no one so devoted TO her interests. Occa-
sionally few individuals devote some of their
time in that way, but such public spirited per-
SONS are not common. Maine seems to be null
of them now. Portland Augusta and Bangor,
appropriate without hesitation by the hundreds
OF thousands OF dollars for the increase OF
manufactures, and the extension of transport
ing facilities.
1t is indeed true that Portland as well as
the country needs railroad TO connect her
with iron bonds to the Great West Our citi-
zens have generously voted the credit OF Port
Land to aid in building the road to Rochester.
So far good. The paper from which We
quote above, says, that petition has been Cir
| culated asking the City Council of Manchester
to make survey of route from Rochester
| to Gambia, a distance of 21 miles. The leading
Id1-pdycIS HuNC hcu euiS PceistOh. AhC PSo-
! pie in that section of the country are in ear
nest in railroad matters. Railroad meetings
have been held in New Boston, EPSON and
other towns, and the railroad fever seems to be
| on the increase. Since Portland has shown
her willingness to aid in extending the railroad
to Rochester and beyond, the people on the
| contemplated route are wide awake and deter
mined to have the work completed that they
may have easy communication with our city
! The time was when Portland had quite a
! trade with Vermonters who drove their -four
and six horse teams through the Notch of the
White Mountains and came to our city with
| the produce of their farms. Our merchants
| in those days looked for the arrival of these
Vermont teams with much interest. They
brought to this market big hogs and yellow
butter and took back with them articles o
Nest In ]ia growth which our merchants haa
| imported 1t seems as If nature intended tbi
Notch between those grand old mountains TO
| passage way to the shores OF the Af,,sntic un
til human genius might construct some otht' :
avenue. And now if the iron horse has powe,
enough to haul the cars through this pass
and the grade is not too much for him. then
let the track be laid for him with all possible
despatch, and let his hot breath be heard among
these MAZE site mountains.
Ii this can be done-and we understand the
route is quite feasible--then the people OF the
Granite State and of Northern Vermont will
find their way to Portland, and profitable
trade will spring up which now passes else
where. There is nothing in the way to Rouse's
Point after passing through this Notch. The
connecting links can soon be made with the
Ogdensburg road and then the way will be open
to the teeming West. When the Vermont
Central is reached at Montpelier it is about for
ty miles from Burlington on the eastern sbore
of Lake Champlain. Five miles from Burling
ton is Essex junction where the Vermont and
Canada road commences, leading to Rouse's
Point, Montreal and Ogdensburg Those who
are bound west can pass on and not go to
Burlington, but pleasure travellers will find
the route to the Ogdensburg road very pleas
ant by going to Burlington and there taking
the Champlain steamboats, TO Rouses foihL
There are other routes to the Ogdensburg road
which promise well, and they VIII soon De
found out 1t is quite natural that all would
like To have the cars run near their place of
residence: but that desire can be gratified
in but comparatively few instances, and hence
we may expect to hear opinions made up from
purely selfish motives which are to be taken
with many grains of allowance. Northern
Vermont is a glorious country and railroad
crossing almost any part oft, where it is possi-
BILE to establish one, would greatly benefit the
people. What Portland wants is the nearest
and best road to Rouse's Point there to con-
meet with the Ogdensburg route which points
directly towards the great West, and whetberr
that will run to Montpelier and there connect
with the Vermont Central, or pass tbrougb
Vermont farther to the north is the onestion
to be hereafter settled by actual SURVEYS and re-
liable facts I'd
Since writing the above we have received
communication from Cambridge Centre VI.
The writer thinks the road ought to pass
through the Lamoille valley. Ipstead Ct |
striking the Vermont Central at Montpelier, |
he proposes to go north of that town and con-
meet with the Vermont and Canada either st |
Georgia or ST. Albans. The reader will under
stand the Vermont and Canada commences at ]