Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1868-05-13

the road. The meeting was called to order
by Gem S. j. Anderson. who by request
of the committee of corporators, presented
the following list of officers: F....
an PRESIDENT, Hu
| HON JOHN b. BROWN.
| VICE PRESIDENTS
Jacob Mcclellan, John Lynch. VIM l.. Put
nam, N l. Woodbury., Libby, 4 c Hersey,
!. ID NJ Sweat, W Woodbury., + Messer, "
5 Dana, Jose, T B Cummings, James Nc
| Glinchy, Chas Strobes, 1T John smith, Joseph
Howard, Geo Woodman, N Miller, Agustus
Stevens p Kimbal, Bion Bradbury, Wood-
bury Davis, i Upham William Curtis, Allen
Aaines. W NJ Harris, Geo Treethcn, J Perkins,
Albert Warwick, q NJ Marrett, Peleg Barker, X
NJ Richardson, John NJ Adams, Ed Hamblin, &
NJ Chase, VIM H Stewart, Fred Poor, W + Phil-
lips, q Shepey, N A Foster. Samuel Spring,
Ezra Carter, Fred Bailey, Furbush. B King
bury jr., Chas SaGnr, TIC Chase, A p Fuller, Il
Knight, Simon Libby, } Proctor, Walter Co.
rey, Clark, Edmund Phinney, T Twitche,
| q j Morris, Jonas H Perley, Frank SawN er, j
B Cummings, Neal Dow. Lewis B Smith, II.
Breed, A Marr and one hundred Others.
.... .f. SECRETARIES. 80 : .
M Rich, Royal Lincoln, George o Gosse A
Chase, Stephen Berry, VIM Howe.
Mr.. Brown was welcomed with cheers
as he took the chair. Nearly generation
he said, had passed away since in 1914
the first great railroad enterprise was in.
augurated in Portland. 1t was a time of
great depression. The great commercial
crisis of 1887 had but just passed by,
and the country was almost bankrupt -
!. The business of Portland then was cx-
porting lumber hauled in by teams, in
porting West India goods, and manutact-
: uring New England rum, which alone
was enough to impoverisb the country
The Washingtonians put stop even to
that industry; our young men were going
away the town was in the condition of
Salem and Newburyport, and seemed des-
tined to the same fate. Our business men
wero men of small Tneaus the population
of the city was about fifteen thousand,
and the valuation eight millions. Yet
Portland at that day raised million in
stock to carry on that enterprise, and no.
body doubts now that it was we'll done.---
There were objections then. as there will
always be objections to every undertaking.
Boston looked on with undisguised scorn
and contempt. which no doubt stimulated
and helped us. But at last the Atlantic
and St. Lawrence road has done all it can
do for Portland. We have reached anoth.
er point of departure. Without new bus
mess we can no longer grow. ard as no
city stands still we must either grow or
shrink. Through the Notch of the White
Mountains an avenue lies open to St.
Johnsbury, the Lamoilc Valley, 0gdens-
burg and the Great West. We have now
the facilities which in 1914 we lacked for
doing an immense business. Commercial
street with its system of railways on eve
ry wharf was not then in existence. We
are ready and waiting for the business
which this new avenue will bring US BOs-
ton now as before is skeptical and declares
that the gorge is impassibe but we will
get through the Notch before they get
their HoosIc tunnel and at less cost. +
The chairman then called upon Collec-
ter WashburD, chairman Of the committee
of corporators appointed to investigate
the prospects of the enterprise for his re-
port. Mr.. Washburne began by saying
that the FIRST suggestion Of a railroad
through the White Mountain Notch came
from Vermont In the winter of 1967A9,
two gentlemen, one from St. Johnsbury,
the other residing 10 New York but hav-
ing large interests in Vermont, came to
Portland. They had been 10 conference
with the managers of the Vermont Cen
tral railroad. ami invited the attention Of
some Of the leading business men of Port
land to apropOscd route from MOutpelier
cia St. JOhnsbury through the Notch to
Portland, saying that the Vermont oeu-
tral Company stood ready to take ailease
of the line as soon as 1t could be obtained.
A charter had already been obtained in
Vermont. The road would bring Portland
30 or 40 miles nearer to Lake Ontario and
the West than Boston, and fcom 90 to 90
miles nearer to various points in North
eru Vermont and New hampshire. These
representations were SO sutisfa story that