Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-12-02

mont having Just granted charter for the
abovs named railroad, our present purpose
ID, in general manner, to point ont some
Of the leading objects and necessities Of
this outlet.
The readers Of your journal are aleady
too familiar with the detection of the
Troy q Boston, and Bennington s. Rut-
land railroads, to require any recital Of
that difficulty, which led the people Of
this vG11ey to contribute 80 generously to
the building Of the Lebanon Springs
railroad, in order to obtain southern
connection. As to that, the best we can
say is ii IL soeN. But the Lebanon Springs
road being completed, the benefcent re-
suits OF that enterprise have failed 10
moet the most moderate expectations Of
any Of its many friends; and they unite
with us in wishing it were better. 1t was.
hoped, and, indeed, reasonably expected,
that on being placed in connection with
the Harlem, and by means Of that road,
with New York, the spleen existing be-
tween tho Troy d. Boston and Bennington
81 Rutland roads would have vented it.
self, and the interests, If not the reason Of
the contending parties would have in
duced them to resume their former con-
nection, and thus furnish the people Of
this valley with facilities for their west
ern freight and travel, which they had
long and prohtably enjoyed. But they
have patiently waited and roundly paid
in vain. And now after the lapse Of about
three years, there is no more prospect Of a
resumption of the connection than there
was the day 1t was broken.
1t may be said that consolidation Of
the Harlem, Lebanon Springs and Ben
nington 81 Rutland roads will remedy the
difficulties of which we complain. But
not SO. 1t doubtless would, with reason
able rates, be all we could desire in a
southern direction. But it would not
alter or vary the necessity of u feasible
outlet for our western freight and travel.
The same considerations, and the same
necessities, which induced the building OF
the Lebanon Springs road, are now urg-
ing themselves with equal force upon this
people to the building of this new outlet,
Should it be asked, why We have not
the facilities demanded, by way of Ben
pington and Troy, we answer, let the
querist examine the time tables and find
a connection giving no passenger train to
Troy from any point north of North Ben
nington, and then inquire the charges for
freight, and find them $l5 per car more
than when the line was operated by one
company, he will not only be. perfectly
satisfied with the reasons why, but thor
oughly convinced Of the doctrine of total
deprayity-at least in railroad manage
ment.
Your readers would be astonished to
| 81 IS
community has paid within the last two
years. What we mean by extra freight is
the amount they have paid over and
above what the same freight would have
cost at the rates charged at the time of
the rupture. We stated in the beginning
that our present intention was to speak
only in general terms. In q subsequent
communication we may take the liberty
to give You fow fgures to show how far
this contemplated railroad could have
been completed by the amount of extra
freight this people have paid.
The route is from East Dorset south
westerly into Manchester, thence north
westerly through West Dorset, East Ru-
pert and Pawlet, distance of about "a
miles. In its course, it will run through
every marble yard in the town of Dorset,
and pass conveniently near to those in
Manchester. The grade is so easy that
the cost of construction must be light.
But we will leave these statistics. and es-
Inmates to the corps of engineers who are
soon to pass over the route.
The citizens on the line should begin
to agitate the matter, and canvass its ad-
vantages and benefits. ANY project that
is desirable, and at the same time both
feasible and practicable, will bear agita-
ton The more it is thought of. and
talked about, the more favorable will be
the opinion concerning it. Somewhere
we have heard the adage whatever
tie people have determined upon is surely
to be accomplished" A few meetings
should be held in the towns along the
line, and when the survey has been made.
and the engineers report submitted to a
general meeting, we will prove our adage
true.
Manchester, Nov. %, 1863.