The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-05-21

liens be carried into effect. At the time the
aid was asked the York s. Cumberland rail-
road was in bad repute. IL was in debt and
involved in litigation; and doubts were ex-
| pressed whether the aid asked for would extend
the road to Alfred and Rochester; whether the
bonds of the city would not be used in settling
old claims rather than extending the road
Hence the restriction imposed by the city that
the full amount of the aid voted should not be
paid to the company until the Mayor and Al
dermen were satisfied that connection was OF
would be made by the Portland & Rochester
| with some road or roads in New Hampshire,
and extending West. From the towns on the
line the amount of $4,000 had already been
secured, and the sum of $4,000 may be ex-
pected from stock subscriptions
The road is now doing good business. 1t
is free from debt, and there is no necessity for
the restriction to continue. The road to Saco
river cost about 81 100000; but this was in con-
sequence of extensive litigation.
The security of the city is ample 1t has the
| first mortgage on'the road. The road from
Portland to Alfred is well worth one million
dollars. 1t will cost $500, 600 to extend it to
Rochester; and thus the city will have for the
security of 100000, road well worth 81 AGO.
600.
Mr.. Lynch alluded to the business of the
road for the past year, which, ON account of
the troubles in Cuba, he considered poor one
for its business in the shipment Of box shocks,
which are manufactured largely at Buxton.
Since the exte nsion of the road to Allied, the
freight and passenger traffic had increased 40
percent. and this was in consequence of the
extension of the road.
A glance at the map, said Mr.. Lynch, will
show the important connections to be made
when Rochester is reached. 1t will show the
increase Of business traffic with this city He
thought it would be the best investment Port
land could ever make, if instead of loaning
the Company $4,000 additional, they wonld
vote to give them outright 81 600. OO0-such
would be the increase of trade with the city.
| When the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad
was projected, in which the city invested
| 81, 800 900, there was no such prospect of an
increase of trade as there is on this route
By extending the road to Rochester we have
connection with the Boston, Concord s.
Montreal road, and very direct line to Og-
densburg.x Build the road to Rochester, and
other roads will be ready to connect and give
the Portland & Rochester as favorable terms
as are granted to any roads,
Mr.. Lynch expressed the hope that the aid
asked for would be granted, as the security
| furnished was ample.
Mr.. Ddnlap, of Nashua, N III. addressed the
Board, and thanked them for their courtesy
1 Ha raurattad fha ahsanao of T,,a~a
who was detained by his duties. He said
| Judge Worcester, who was present, was the
talking man, and he, Mr.. D., would prefer that
the Judge should address the Board first He
| then introduced the gentleman.
Judge Worcester, of Nashua, N, H., said he
had been a resident of that place but little over
year, but had taken deep interest in what
concerned the benefi of the city, and especial
| ly in the proposed railroad from Nashua to
Rochester. The project was started many years
ago, but nothing had been done about it until
| recently.
The project contemplated the construction ol
o line from Rochester to Portland, There was
nothing done about it until some two or three
months since. There had been but little done
| towards getting subscriptions to the stock, it
being understood that the success of the pro-
ject must depend principally upon the aid
granted by the towns on the line Of the route
The towns looked to Nashua to see what she
would do. He then explained the proceedings
of the citizens of Nashua in town meeting, and
the subsequent proceedings of the City Coun-
Gil; also the opposition met with by conflicting
railroad corporations and others, but the citi-
zens stood firm, and finally carried their point
and an appropriation of 100000 was made in
aid of the road, ara subscription to the stock
of $4,000 was made by the citizens.
As to the connection to be made BY the Nash
VA & Rochester with the Portland & Roches-
ter, Judge Worcester had no doubt. He was
confident the road would be built, as the towns
on the route were coming into the project lib
orally. The railroads radiating from that city
South and West were interested in the matter,
and the Worcester 8 Nashua road you'd come
to their aid. 1855
The great object was to obtain the shortest
and most direct route to New York and the
West. From Portland to Worcester via Bos-
ton, it is 155 miles; via Manchester, N. H., lat
miles; via Lawrence and Groton Junction 142
miles; via Rochester and Nashua 1856 miles.
The Judge then went into calculation of
the distance from Portland to Troy, N. Y, by
the several different lines, showing conclusive
ly that from Portland to Troy, via Rochester,
Nashua and the Hoosac tunnel route, while
Boston gains only % miles, Portland gains 80
miles. This route also gives Portland a con-
neetion with the New York Central road at
Troy.
The advantages of this route for the Euro
pean & North American Railway were also
sxpatiated upon. 1t would be the great route
from Halifax to Buffalo and the great West.
Nashua, said the Judge, wants q better and
more direct route to Portland, and one that is
calculated to promote traffic between the two
cities, and the proposed routes, now under
consideration, are the ones that commend
themselves to the attention of the Nashua
people.
Henry Parkinson, Esq, of Nashua, spoke of
the prospect of raising the means to build the
road to Rochester. Ten or eleven towns on
the line had voted to raise their five Der cent
and leading citizens will subscribe to the stock.
The amount already subscribed is some six or
seven hundred thousand dollars. This, with
what they are assured can be raised from other
sources, insured the building of the road.
Mr. Dunlap spoke of the connection to be
made with the Portland & Rochester road,
and considered it sure thing. 1t would be a
paying road. They not only asked the city of
Nashua to loan its aid, but they also were will
ing to put their own funds into it, so sure
were they it would be remuneratve. When
the Worcester & Nashua road was projected,
| it was sneered at and it was said it would
never pay. What is the result? The stock is
now far above par, and the business of the
road is increasing every year.
BY the construction of the Pacific Railroad
and the anticipated finishing of the European
& North American Railway, the traffic from
the Provinces and the Pacific must pass across
the country, and the Portland & Rochester
Nashua.& Rochester, with their Western con-
nections, must take the traffic.
O. G. Moore, Esq, editor of the Nashua Tel
egraph, next addressed the Board In>allud-
| ing to connection to be made in New Hamp-
shire with the Portland 6 Rochester road, lie
said there were already four different parties
| striving to reach Rochester at the same time
with Portland. There was no doubt appre-
hended in Nashua as to the utility of the road
to Rochester, and that, with the aid granted
sby Nashua and the towns on the line it
would be built. 1t was for the interest of the
Worcester & Nashua road that it should be, in
| order that they might have an Eastern connec-
ton, and thus compete with the great thor
| III fro,