Middletown transcript., 1869-03-13

made at Middletown. With this addition
to its resources, Stockholder certainly will
not pretend to say the Kent Co. would not
have been in as good condition financially
to build the 7 miles additional road to
Middletown, as it was without it, to build
to the State line on the Townsend route.
And it was not known until December
then following, that there was any pros
pect of the Delaware road extending its
branch to Massey's.
On the failure of those In the Middle
town interest to raise the required 800, 900
the Board did in July 1868 determine to
locate the Road by the Townsend route,
and to accept the offer of the Delaware
r. r. Co. to build it to the State line,
and that road never receded from that To-
cation. This location was thus determined
in about ten months after the organization,
and within three or four months after it
was ascertained that the Delaware R. r.
60. would not aid in building the road
from Middletown, instead of having been
delayed for over two years as stated by
Stakeholder.
The proposition from the Delaware r.
r. Co. to extend its branch to Massey's
Gross Roads, when made in December
1867, was on condition that interest on
the cost Of the ad-,sbQuld be guaran-
teed. The guarantee of interest was
thought Objectionable by the Kent county
company, and it was not waived until
April 1868, when owing to the absence of
the President and other members who fa-
vored it as then presented, and to the
hope of others that there was yet some
prospect that they could carry the road to
Middletown, the proposition was laid over
from one meeting to another, until their
terms expired on the 11th of May.
1t thus appears that the previous board
had this proposition in its later form
(Which is the one, it is presumed, that
Stakeholder refers to as magnanimous'')
before it only about 80 days, which added
to the So days subsequent delay by the
new Board was less than three months, in
stead of more than year, as charged by
Stakeholder; or if he refers to the origi-
nal proposition with guarantee of interest
the whole time, from its first presentation
in December, to its acceptance in its i'm
proved form in July, was but about seven
months, and three of them, involved no
delay of the Delaware company, as they
did not get their charter to build the road
until the last of February 1868.
The Board by this delay did probably
lose the control in part over the location
of the junction at Massey's Cross Roads,
but 90 the several thousand dollars loss on
cost to the Kent company by it," has it is
believed no existence beyond Stockholders
statement. The distance is shorter to
reach the junction at its present location.
than it would have been at the place ma
med by the Kent county company, and
the cost will probably be less.
Stakeholder further states, that it is
confidently believed by many Stockholders
that this refusal delay, to connect with
the Delaware branch at Massey's, had its
main object and motive in first securing
the building of the wharf at Chestertown,
deluding many into the belief that the
connection could be made at Middletown.
These are grave defamatory imputations,
made and published without evidence to
rest upon beyond the confident belief
of parties who profess to know nothing
about them. Had he been concerned to
know their truth before he gave them !
publicity, he could have learned the parts |
that the several directors took in these |
measures, which would it is believed have !
shown that these imputations are in whole
and in every part without even shadow
to warrant their conception; much less
their publication.
The wharf was not built to improve the
"county town. as Stakeholder represents,
nor was it to accommodate or advantage
the business of the town. All the railroad |
facilities the town requires for its business
and convenience would be afforded by the
road reaching its suburbs, without going to
the river, but large stockholders of the
town and county thought that the interest
of the road required that it should connect
by switch or branch with the river. The
road was put under contract by the curved
route approaching near Chestertown by the
main line The contractors were to finish
it from Massey's to Chestertown by the LIST
of January, 1869, and thence to Swan
Creek by January 1, 1870.
They desired to have connection with
the water to facilitate the delivery of iron
and ties, and they insisted that they must
be allowed to begin at Swan Creek, or
have access to the river at Chestertown.
Had they been allowed to begin at Deep
Landing, it would have deferred the pros
pect of having an early connection with
the Del. Road, and jeoparded either that
connection, or theconneotion ofthe two ends
of the road in the centre, for it was known
that additional funds would have to be raised
by the sale of bonds or otherwise to meet
part of the cash payments on four to eight
miles Of the road, to be last built; and 1t
appeared reasonable then, as has since, to
some extent, been conceded, to anticipate !
that the company with 90 to 80 miles of
its road finished aud being worked in con-
nection with the Delaware road, would be
in more favorable position to raise ad-
ditional funds, than with the lower end
finished, without having the connection