The Portland daily press., 1870-12-05
DAILY PRESS.
MD
Monday Morning, December s, 1870

PORTLAND


The Lake Ontario Shore railroad. some-
times known as Gerrit Smiths line, from the
fact that he is President and large stock
holder in the Corporation, is to extend from
the city of Oswego to the Niagara river,
distance of AS miles, and is designed to con.
meet at Oswego with the Portland line.
A letter from G. Mollison, Esq.,a director
in that line, who is chairman of the New En-
gland and Oswego Railway Company, writing
under date of November 3oth says, "Our LAKE
Ontario shore road is part of the great Trans
continental line, which we expect to put uI-
der contract next Spring." The Directors
are so busy in closing up the business of
bonding the towns on that line, that they
find it difficult to come in force to Portland,
antil after the completion of their work dur
ing the present month of December. Hon.
Gilbert Mollison Of Oswego, VIM. McEchron,
Esq. of Glens Falls, and r. T. Hough, ESQ.,,
OF West Leyden are proposed as the New
York Directors in the consolidated line from
Oswego to Portland. Hon. Fred. Billings of
woodstock, Vermont, and John Cain, ESQ.,,
OF Rutland, are expected to represent the in
terests OF Vermont. The President of the
New Hampshire Central railroad, Judge Fow-
Ter, of Bristol, is well known in this city as a
devoted friend of the enterprise, but no Off
cial action has been taken for the selection of
Directors for New Hampshire. The wishes
of Gov. Stearns, President of the Northern
railroad, and the interest of that company
will be consulted, tor the Northern Railroad
Company proposes to build a section of ten
miles from Danbury to Bristol, and to give an
additional track for the use of the Rutland,
Oswego & Chicago Railway Company, from
Bristol to White River Junction, distance of
Al miles. From Bristol to Meredith, the line
is OF easy construction, as is also the line from
Meredith to Portland, and the surveys now in
progress indicate a shortening of the line sew
eral miles between Meredith and tide water
at Portland Harbor, as compared with previ-
Gus estimates,
1t was at one time proposed to include the
Lake Ontario Shore road in the consolidated
line TO Portland, but the work had progressed
so far, under an existing organization and it
was deemed best to allow the building of it as
an independent line, while by its connections
at Oswego with the New England and Oswe-
60 line, it would form portion of the trunk
line from Lake Erie on the Niagara river to
Portland harbor. This consummation ID of
the greatest interest to the city of Buffalo,
whose Board of Trade strongly urged the line
as necessary to the protection of the CONNER
cial interest of Buffalo. Buffalo is connected
with Chicago by Lake navigation through the
st. Clair channel with propellers OF 14O0 IONS
burthen, afording in the summer months the
cheapest outlet to Buffalo of western produce.
The slow delays of the Canal and the high
price OF transportation over the Erie and Cen
tral roads, costing five times the price per
mile of new line to the sea, checks the en-
terprise of Buffalo so that comparative una
nimity in the community exists in Buffalo and
Oswego, as to value and Importance of the
Lake Ontario Shore railroad, for by the run
ming of the line as now proposed through
Rochester short line is found between Os-
wego and Buffalo, uniting the most important
commercial cities of Western and Northern
New York in favor of the Transcontinental
railway.
Any one by an examination of good map
will realize the value and Importance OF the
Lake Ontario Shore road. *x*