The Portland daily press., 1868-04-22
Terms $500 per aana.ns, IN 0dU0nce.

nun h'u'ialu northwest to OgdensbuTg by a
iie cfoSsipS the outlet Of Lake George at Ii
conderoSa ana proceeding over the Adirop-
dack mountains, If such road eould no built
This however is a merely casual sugpestion
What Mr.. Adams seriously urges is that Bos-
ton should now aim at the consolidation and
enlightened management of the lines already
constructed to Ogdensburg along the eastern
shore OF Lake Cnamplain and out of the reach
Vi We" iofk. The combined length Of these
lines, controlled by a dozen different cerpora-
tions, insanely flying at each others tbroats
is 400 miles. The best thing Boston can do
in Mr.. Adamss opinion, is to consolidate these
lines, to establish cooperating lines of steam
ers on the Lakes, and to build a marginal
railway on her own Wharves, to facilitate the
handling of freight. The cost Of truckage in
Boston, under present arrangements, would
amount to about three cents a bushel, a tax
which is prohibitOry so far as the expectation
of cereals is concerned.
Now let US see what is 20 be said for Port
land. The same reasons which forbid Bos-
or to look for any export business by the
way of Saratoga or Troy, forbid Portland to
look in the direction of Schenectady or Rome
1t we turn to Ogdensburg, the route from
Portland through the Notch is only 1926 miles.
From Boston to Ogdensburg the distance is
4O6 miles. The advantage in distance is
clearly with Portland. The Boston line is
mismanaged by dozen corporations. The
Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad Company
is already authorized to adopt such means
as may be found advisable to bring the whole
line from Ontario to the Atlantic under the
management of a single head. There can
be no systematic management of railroads
without consolidation. The interest of the
public demands that the avenues of trade
should not he choked by the chickering's of a
dozen superintendents. In this respect we
have the advantage Of starting right As TO
facilities for handling freight, there is no
comparison between the two cities. Boston
is talking about marginal railway; ours is
already completed. Point ypoint, we shall
have all the advantages which Boston can
expect from the opening of Ontario to
steam navigation and more, whenever the
road from Portland to the Connecticut river
at Dalton is completed. From Dalton 10 Og-
densburg everything is provided for. 1t is
for Portland with the aid of the Maine and
New Hampshire towns along the route, to
build so much of the road as lies this side of
Dalton. If the small towns of Vermont
can build their part of the road for the sake
of an outlet for their local business. it is i'm
possible to suppose that Portland will let this
prize slip out of her fingers. Twenty-four
hours nearer Liverpool than New York,
eighty-one miles nearer Ogdensburg than
Boston, nothing but a culpabe and stupid
blindness can prevent us from seizing the op-
portunity to make Portland first class port
of export and import. Boston will be likely
always to remain larger market than Port
land. She is naturally distributing point
for New England. while Portland has only
the State of Maine and portion of New
Hampshire and Vermont to supply. In the
race for commercial Importance however, we
shall have the lead whenever the Niagara
ship canal is opened, and If we are not
equipped to keep it, the fault will be our
own.