The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-08-10
The Reason Why.


The st. Adams Messenger gives the
following reply to the Bennington Banners
inquiries as to the cause of the break in
the through connection between New York
and Montreal;
We have taken pains to ascertain the
cause. Breaks have occurred at both
Rutland and Burlington. The cause of
the former has been already explained, as
arising from some misunderstanding be-
tween the Rutland d Burlington road and
the Harlem connections to the South. OF
the merits or dement's of this we know
nothing. But the break at Burlington
lies between the Rutland and Vt. Central
roads entirely, and the facts are these {:
The track between the station houses of
these roads in the city Of Burlington is
owned by the Rutland road and the YER
mont Central never runs over it, except
certains trains, which are distinctly spcci-
fed by agreement.
When the Harlem through line was es-
tablished the Central received at their
own station the through cars as they were
delivered by the Rutland road and on the
way south the Rutland road received
them at the same place for two days
They then ceased to run for them and the
Central conductor was obliged to trans
port his passengers and baggage by car
riages from one depot to the other. He
asked the conductor of the Rutland road
if he was not going to continue to receive
the Harlem car at the Central depot and
received the reply that he had no orders
to do so. lie then on a number Of occa-
sions, caused the car to be hauled to the
Rutland depot, and though it arrived
promptly on time and some minutes be-
fore the departure of the Rutland train
the conductor of the latter refused to haul
it, saying that it ought to leave Montreal
at $40 in the morning, and connect at
Burlington with their |. 80 train. This,
Of course, would not get the passengers
into New York so soon by several hours
as they could have gone over competing
line and was manifestly not in accordance
with the wish of those who established the
through route,
Meantime there was correspondence
between the Superintendents Of the sever
al connecting roads relative to the con-
nection, and several interviews between
the conductors and station agents at Bur-
lington, all Of which resulted in devel-
opment Of the foregoing facts and in an
order from Col. Merrill, Superintendent
Of the Rutland road,to their station agent
at Burlington to attach the through car
to their 80 train, Notwithstanding it
arrived in Burlington at 9.35 and
before the departure of their morning
train.
OF course this long delay was ruinous
to the through business, and before long
Mr.. Gyles Merrill, Superintendent of the
VT Central, received a dispatch from Mr.
Bridges, General Manager of the Grand
Trunk, that the train (Which they ran
from Montreal to St. Johns was carrying
no passengers and he should soon take it
off. Mr. Merrill telegraphed him for de-
lay, hoping that this might result in an
increase of travel sufficient to induce
Mr.. Bridges to continue running the
train, but as this failed, the train was
taken off
The regular southern express train over
the Vt. Central connects at Burlington
with the Rutland | 80 train and it would
have been more convenient and less ex-
pensiye to the Central to have hauled the
through car at that time. But for the
accommodation of the through train, which
they desired 10 make a success, they ran
another train from Burlington to st.
Johns and return and this fact taken in
connection with the foregoing narration
will show plainly enough that the cause
of ,he failure Of the through line is not
attributable % them but that they did all
they could to promote its interests and
render it efficient and prosperous.'