The Portland daily press., 1869-12-06

Ogdensbnrg Against Rutland.
10 the Editor Of The Press:
The communication of B." in the Prose
of Friday, attempts to compare the relative
advantages of the Portland and Rutland and
the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroads as
far " as relates to the Vermont portion of
each," and concludes by saying "the Port
land and Rutland scheme is CANNON, from
beginning to end, its whole design to head off
the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad"
Those who recollect the visit to our city of
Governor Page and his friends including Gen.
Peter T. Washburn of Woodstock, now Gov
ernor of Vermont, in February, 1868, cannot
fail to regret such renewed exhibitions of UNI
fairness and ill-temper as that witnessed in
the communication in the Press. Its real
author can be readily inferred. But for its
misstatements as to the character of the Rut-
land line, it would not call for any notice.
or the character of the line and probable
cost of the Portland 81 Ogdensburg railroad
from Fryeburg to Swanton, the public are
kept in the most profound ignorance. But
every one knows that any line through the
Notch by way of st. Johnsbury to Swanton
must be difficult to build and still more diff
cult to keep in repair, to say nothing of the
frightful expense of working such line. An
elevation of 1900 feet must be overcome in
passing Ine w nlLe MOUNTAIN NOIcIl, lnNOlVlng
rise OF over 1000 feet in comparatively
short distance, if the valley of the Saco is fol-
lowed and more difficult still, should the line
keep on the side hill far above the bed of the
valley, perilous on account of liability to
slides, and moro expensive in cost of con-
struction. a.... ..ra....
Other and more difficult points, but not so
well known, occur between the Notch and
the Connecticut River, from the Connecticut
River over Moose Mountain to st. Johnsbury,
and from Walden heights to the Valley of the
Passampsic at st. Johnsbury, over the Valley
of the Lamoille River,-with an expensive
line between the head waters of the Lamole
and the line of the Vermont Central railroad
at Swanton.
From Rouses Point, the line of the Og-
densburg road passes over the northern spurs
of the Adirondack Mountains, by crooked
and difficult line, over lofty SUBMITS, making
transportation over this line so expensive as
to preclude the possibility of carrying freight
at profit.
The line from Ogdensburg to Rouse's Point
has never paid its running expenses, since it
was opened through. .. vl
The cost of the road has kept on increasing
year by year to much greater amount than
all the pretended net earnings.
1t received but SITE, ,S73.S1 from passenger
receipts in 1868, and ran IA ,240 miles of pas
senger trains, and carried 160,537 passengers
only.
The Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain rail-
road is not intrinsically worth to-day any
thing, beyond what its iron, machinery, de
pot, grounds and movable property would sell
for, on the breaking up of the line. The eff
feet Of building the Grand Trunk, upon this
line, has been precisely like that upon the
Veazie road at Bangor, by the building of the
E. & N. A. Railway making it good for moth
ing-except to be broken up and abandoned.
As to the Portland and Rutland line, every
foot has been surveyed. The line is very di-
rect and easy of construction to the foot OF
the Green Mountains in West Bridgewater,
from which point to reach Rutland distance
swings round the Killington Mountains, to
the north, through Sherburn and Chittenden,
with a grade of sixty feet to the mile only.
Rutland is the largest town in Vermont,
with population of IL 900 and a valuation OF
over $4,0OO;OOO and has by large majority
voted 100000, to the stock of the Rutland
and Woodstock railroad. The Boston inter-
est in the Rutland road, and all the enemies
of railroads generally, have combined to de-
lay the signatures Of the property holders
the law requiring majority of the property
holders, and of the property held, to sign their
consent. .
To avoid any possibility of defeat, on ac-
count of the lapse of time, the Legislature
has just extended the time in which to COM
plete the subscription of Rutland, COM
pletely refuting the statement of your cores
pondent "B." that Rutland has refused to
vote the aid in question. =
I should weary you with more details. 1t
is enough to say, that the line from Portland
to Rutland can be built for one third the cost
of line from Portland to Swanton-60 miles
of it being already buit-that the rise and
fall upon the Rutland line Is only one third
that, by the Notch route to Swanton, that
freight can be brought from Rutland to Port
land for one half the cost of bringing it from
| SwantoD to Portland by the Notch route
and that the business at Rutland, and along
the Rutland route, is five times greater than
that at Swanton, and along the Notch route
The line from Rutland to Oswego is already
assured, giving direct line from Portland tC
Buffalo and Chicago, whereas, to go west from
| Ogdensburg the line of the Grand Trunk
must be used, or the line to Oswego, 13C
miles. 1t is as near by railway, from Portland
| to Oswego, as from Portland to Ogdensburg
with less line to build; passing through a
well populated country all the way, without
heavy grades. On reaching Oswego we con-
meet the trade of the great West by new
and cheap route from Portland, along a line
| where the people and the railroads are friend
ly-while the proposed line from Portland to
Ogdensburg passes through the most desolat'
portion of New England, where there cal
never be much way business,-in opposition
| to and striking at other railroads on the route
| to relieve the feelings of a st. Johnsbury po
| tentate-and when it reaches Ogdensburg il
finds unused wharves and deserted elevators
The Ogdensburg line to Portland was go
up in hostility to the Passumpsic railroad, and
has been supported here, as the Ogdensbure
Journal says, Gin opposition to the Crane
Trunk line," for the reason 'that the aspira
tions" of certain people of Portland chad no
| been satisfied" p.