The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-03-28

/ murder letter from Augusta describing
the Sprague purchase and explaining its bear
ings upon the future of the city; the Con
gressional proceedings of the week, with a
sketch OF the parliamentary passage at arms
between Gen. Butler and Mr.. Bingham; the
usual variety Of foreign and domestic news,
agricultural matter, market reports, shipping
news, &C., &C., includiag readable story
from CasselPs (London) Family Paper A
supplement contains the laws passed at the
recent session Of the Legislature. 80.
What will promote the Growth and Pros
Perity Of Pertlands
That the above question is one of vital i'm
portance to our people all admit; that differ
ent persons, occupying different standing
points, would give diversified answers, is quite
probable, and yet what we may have to say
will befso commonplace that all, we dare say,
| will concede its correctness. We do not pro-
pose to suggest any magnificent scheme, like
railroad to the moon or bridge across the
Atlantic, but simply to repeat what has been
many times said before, and we can only wish
that some pen more pointed and trenchant
than our own, welded by hand more skilful
and directed by brain better posted, could
be employed in discussing a question upon
the practical solution of which so much de-
pends. +'fti.'9 = r5at-.41u -.easW
That the railroad sprojected from this city will,
when constructed, afford greatly increased ia
ciities for business, no one can doubt The
| extension of the Portland and Rochester road
to Alfred, Rochester, N. H., and thence to Ep-
ping and Nashua, there to form q close con-
nection with the road to Worcester, will open
a new and shorter route than we now have to
New York, lessening the distance some thirty
eight or forty miles, avoiding the hack transit
in Boston, and saving two hours in time and
two dollars in expense between this city and
the commercial metropolis. Such route
would take nearly all the through travel from
this city and east ofhere for New York, while
the track would cross several roads leading
from the interior to Boston and afford oppor-
tunity for their freight to come to this port for
market or for shipment instead of necessari-
ly going to Boston as. it now does. Besides,
the products of the regions of country pene-
trated by the Great Falls and Conway, and
the Cocheco or. Dover and Alton roads, arriv-
ing at Rochester,-where both Of these roads
are crossed by the contemplated extension of
which we are speaking, would be flom twen-
ty-fve to thirty miles nearer Portland than
Boston, showing that by proper and deter
mined effort on the part of our merchants,
they can successfully compete with the larger
market for the trade of those productive re-
| gions. Indeed, the increased advantages
which the completion of the P. q r. road
would give to this city are woythy the atten-
ton of all our business men, real estate own
ers and capitalists, and the benefits to the city
should not for single moment be lost sight
of or overlooked.
| Another road, by no means rival of the
one just named-the Portland & Ogdensburg
proposes to open up a still wider country,
! and to furnish an additional route to the
great West. This proposed road, the con-
ed by capital organized and raised almost ex-
clusively outside of this city, passing up the
valley Ofthe Saco to Fryeburg viii go through
Conway, N. H., thence around the foot of the
southern spurs of the White Mountains, pass
ing directly through the most extensive tim
ber region of the Granite State, and reaching
the neighborhood of Franconia, make as di-
rect course as practicable to Wells River
junction in VT, and on ward to connect with
the Vermont Central whose direct connec-
| tions extend to Houses Point and Ogdens-
burg, N. T., on the st. Lawrence river, above
all the rapids, where close connection could be
formed in the season Of navigation with steam
vessels for all the Lake ports. baf dazfb ti7
| The extent of timber lands in N. H., brought
| by this proposed road within from forty to
sixty miles of this city, is absolutely immense,
while the timber,-pine, spruce, hemlock, ma
pie &c,,-incalculabIe IN amount weuld be
brought within three or four hours of ship
ping port, whereas now it has to find its way
through tortuous streams, obstructed by rap
ids, requiring from two to three years to get
it from the place of growth to the nearest
point Of distribution. A gentleman largely
interested in this timber counGry gives it as
his opinion, that such road as we are speak
| ing of would for many years make Portland
the greatest timber market on the Atlantic
| coast. -uVo1d also VII p. .,ltia.. t5.-
But this is not all; the proposed road would
not only traverse the timber region referred
to, and place the Franconia Iron Works in
convenient proximity to a shipping port, and
do the same thing for the extensive works at
ST. J0hnsbury, VT, but it would, if our mer-
chants were up to time as no one can doubt
| they would be, restore to Portland nearly all
the trade OF Northern New Hampehre and
Vermont, which has been drawn away from
US only by the roads leading from Boston to
those regions. At all points on the proposed
road the distance to this city would be so
much less than to Boston that it would give
Portland geographical advantage not easyt to
overcome; especially as the road would be un-
der control shat would deal fairly by us, and
not, like the Grard Trunk, beused to build up,
by unjust and unreasonable Determinations,
another city at our expense. "'''
| But the prospective advantages Of the Port
land and Ogdensburg road do not stop with
those we have named. The opening of new
| ShoihSi VI UCtWCcu tIlS SItdL
| West and the seaboard, thus making our city
not only the terminus Of the Grand Trunk
but of a competing line, will give our mer-
chants and our State the benefit of competi-
tion in freight, and also Of the cheaper rates
which larger water carriage secures. At Og-
densbuIg the cars would form close connec-
nection with sailing and steam vessels for all
the Lake ports, during the season of naviga-
| ton, and in winter time, by crossing the river
at that point the line of the Grand Trunk
| would be available for passengers if not for
| freight. 3r b aeaN U .4rsIt -.. ea
Perhaps other lines of rail may hereafter
be projected, of vast importance to our
city, but after all these have been summed
up, after we have bound Portland to every
principal portion Of the State by lines of land
and water communication, and brought up
| per Vermont and New Hampshire to our