The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-05-20

and Philandcr Coburn, were authorized to
report of this action committee Of the
Moosehead Road Directors, consisting of
Judge Dickerson, Mayor Hayford, w. II.
, Simpson and Joseph II. kaler, were invested
with similar powers. Another conference
: followed at Portland, and finally the meeting
} in this city, at which the contract was signed
} with the approval of our board. There were
} present here Judge Rice, Ex-Gov. Coburn,
VIM. D. Sewall, Esq, of Bath, Darius Alden,
Esq, Of Augusta, and Mr.. Totman, one of
They met informally q large number of our
> citizens, to whom Judge Rice explained the
, results of the proposed connection, and its
! influence on the localities Interested. His re-
marks gave great satisfaction to those who
heard them.
: The benefit to our city Of this new arrange
ment cannot be overestimated. 1t relieves us
, of all anxiety for the future in respect to the
: debt to the city, and sends our bonds into the
market backed not only by the ordinary cred
powerful and wealthy corporation. 1t puts
, the stock Of the road on par with the best
six per cent. stocks of the country. We have
''made assurance double sure' i'll respect to
both these securities. and can rest easy in re-
gard to them. No road on the face of the
earth ever opened with more tlatterng pros
Ipects. 1t should send, as it does, a thrill of
10y and pride through every resident of our
city. 1t unites hitherto divided people in
the prosecution Of this work. All the oppo-
nents of the road, the original cold water
throwers, the injunctors. and everybody else,
express the utmost gladness. After diligent
inquiry, we can hear of but few persons who
are dissatisfied, and they profess desire to
wait upon the Maine Central a while longer !!
To those who may question the effect of the
few considerations may be suggested, The
original plan was to tap the lumber supply of
Moosehead Lake. OF all the lumber cut up
on the Lake and the upper tributaries of the
Kennebec, nineteen-twentieth are floated
down to the immediate neighhorhood of Ken
dalrs Mills before being sawn, where the wa
ter power is cxhaustless. If the road was run
to the Lake, this lumber would still float down
the river, because is costs almost nothing to
transport it in that manner. But when man
ufactured, it must take some other convey
ance. Belfast furnishes a shipping port forty
miles nearer than any other. We tap Moose
hed Lake, eohez IRE reach Kenda1rs IHills
The same is true OF all the beautiful and fer
tile region above. No open winter harbor
can compete with ours for shipping agricul-
tural products. As showing the feelings of
the people of the upper Kennebec in this res
pect, we are permitted to make an extract
from letter received from prominent gen
tleman OF that region
NORTH ANsoN, May u, 1869.
! DO my all means hope your Directors will decide
to connect with the kennebec & Portland Railroad.
| have no doubt it would be decidedly for your ad-
vantage, and am quite as confident it would also
result in great benefit to our town and this region
generally
BY the extension from skowhegan it would put
your place in intimate connection with the northern
and western part of this county, and in fact with
the whole of it. We should be fifty miles nearer
an open winter harbor than we now are.
The Skowhegan Reporter of last week
says
1T is said that this WIN be the nearest route for
them to make connection II the Belfast people,
nearer than the Lake, so that it can be shipped TO
them by rail from a point much nearer than that.
The basin of tue upper kennebec abounds in such
lumber they require. Belfast can then compete
with Bath and Portland for the heavy freight. From
our stand point it must be most favorable connec-
ton for that section
Under the charter of that company Il road can be
| extended by the line already surveyed, to Scion,
Bingham and such points further up may be re-
qured by the business of the country"
The gentlemen who have leased our road
understand the business it will deyelope.
They are experienced. and Of excellent iudg-
ment. 1t must do large amount to pay the
interest, and it cannot do that large amount,
without greatly benefiting Belfast We shall
draw to ourselves trade from the shore towns
of the bay and eastern coast, trade that we
once had, but have lost Of late 1t will be
the best land route to Boston for all the east
ern region. glance at the map will show
that a city at the head of Penobscot Bay,
which runs forty miles towards the interior
of the State with good harbor, always open,
and with Railroad to the interior, cannot
fail to thrive. There is not such an instance
in the world All the interests of our CITY
have been carefully guarded in the lease, so
there can be no discrimination against US in
freight
| Since our road was undertaken, and while
we have been waiting the dilatory motions of
the Central, the Bangor people have actually
graded road into the very region that we
were striving to reach, and are now laying
the iron and preparing the engines and cars
The bulk Of the trade which we were entitled
to, is going to Bangor by that route This
has taken away a large part Of the induce
ment to build in that direction
AS a passenger route to the West, a connec-
ton at Newport is very circuitous. Starting
from Belfast, passengers would travel forty
miles, and be no nearer Boston than when
they first stepped on the cars. With road
Fto Rockland, the travel would naturally tend
in that direction, reaching Portland by way
of Bath.
1t is we'll known that the narrow gauge In
terest has long s0nVht a means of reachino