The Portland daily press., 1867-04-13
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND
Saturday Morning, April lo, 1867.
Portland a. Ogdemsburg RaiIro,s

Portland q O2demsburg Railroad
To the Editor ofthe Press:
No one can doubt-no one, think, does
doubt-that vast advantages would result to
Portland from the construction OF the pro-
jected line OF railway from Montpelier max
ing, as it would, close connection with Chi
cago, Milwaukee, Detroit and other Lake
ports, besides securing to our city the trade OF
at least onethird of the State of Vermont
the depot of one hundred millions feet, per
annum, of lumber from the central and noun
tain region of New Hampshire,-the great
current of White Mountain pleasure travel
competition with the Grand Trunk Rail-
way, rendering it necessary for that corpora-
tion to keep its road in repair and yield to
Portland the tar advantage of her geoeraphi-
cal position Thereby doing itself real beue-
fit, as it will find in the end and, finally. |
without doubt, one or more weekly lines of
steamships throughout the year between this
port and Europe.
The open questions are only these-Can
the road be built? win it be built? 1t is
said to be long and expensive line. Where
men that can or will furnish or find IL?
l. The money is already virtually secured
to construct that part OF the road which lies
between Montpelier and the west line Of New
Hampshire. So much is beyond controversy.
2. If the people of Portland and Maine can
see that the road will also be built through
New Hampshire to the western line of Maine
that the only contingencyis is that of con-
nection there with a road from Portland
will they, does any one suppose, permit this
great enterprise to fail by neglecting to pro-
vide, If necessary, the amount required of
them to construct railroad over a route so
favorable and inconsiderable in length, as that
which lies between Hollis and Fryeburg?-
Is it not entirely certain that if such valua-
Bile results as this great thoroughfare promises
nay, assures-can be realized by so incon-
siderable an effort as would be required to
build some thirty miles of railroad, that such
effort would be made, and that it would be sue
cessfuly made? t f5
8. Tie question then comes down to this
Can the means be secured to build the road
through New Hampshire? Where shall we
look for them? What interests are concerned
to provide them? The products of the West,
already in excess of the means OF transporta-
creasins more rapidly than the facilities and
| means OF transit. The present lines of com
| munication, whe taxed to their utmost ca
| pacity, are 1.-THE G.. I. II. excepted) made up
| Of many different roads and companies. SO
| that there are various obstacles in the way of
the greatest regularity, despatch and cheap
ness while the delays and expenses attending
transhipments and the harbor charges &c. IN
| New York and Boston, are so much in excess
| OF those OF Portland as to render il certain
that produce from Chicago and other Lake
cities can be placed on shipboard in Portland,
| oia propellers and the Portland .S Og(lens-
burg road, for seven months in the year, at
a considerably smaller cost than by any 9th
er route. Is il not beyond question that this
line, including that from Ogdensburg to
Rouse's Point and the Vermont Central road,
would become. one of the largest, If not the
very largest, freight roads in the whole coun-
| try? Will not this city become substantiallv
| the port for Chicago? Can the brsiness of
the latter, and of other Western cities, be done
over any other route with such despatch and
economy?
May not the interests of the produce and
other merchants OF Chicago and of her cap-
italists generally, y,-of all the railroads enter
ing that city from the West,-of owners of
pr0pellers and other vessels navigating the
lol~o af t1n
from Ogdensburg to Montpelier, whose traffic
is to be quadrupled by the completion of this
route,-of the manufacturing interests in
Maine which are to grow up at Augusta and
in other places, and which will have commits
sion houses and salesrooms in Chicago and
other Western marts,-of the proprietors of
timber lands in New Hampshre,-be safely
relied upon to fill the gap between Vermont
and Maine? am informed by high authori-
| ty that some of the most important of them
| can be. And am also advised that some of
them are already moving towards an organiza-
ton to this end, and one that does not con-
template defeat
Under these circumstances, what shsll
Maine do? While performing her part in
other important enterprises, shall she not told
herself in position to secure this the greatest
of all, by the grant of such aid as may be
found necessary to construct, or secure the
construction OF such portion of the route as
lies within our State? sf
Other roads may be useful, expedient and
entitled to our favor-but this is OF command
ing importance-of supreme necessity to the
prosperity and growth of this city.