The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-03-01

hu iuAusiOu vi ucW DlOOu, INTO
the veins Of the people of "olj Addison
seems, to have taken place during the last
few months, which bids fairto bring them
out of the lethargy, which has surrounded
them so long, and which, it is hoped will,
in time, make new country, of an old
one. I refer to the movement nov going
on there, in the interests of new railroads;
and if you will give me place, in the COL
umes, Of your excellent paper, l may be
able. to offer few suggestions, as little
mite contributed, among the many, to-
wards pushing forward the good work.
Born and reared, in her limits l, like
many others Felt that the West offered
greater inducements to young man, than
the east, /, too, like them chose it for my
home, but, in spite Of all, my heart turns
back again to the home of my childhood,
and the associations that cluster around
it, render it, dearer to me than any 9TH
er place where may call my home, and
when | see movements going on there
which tend to its advancement, l feel the
same interest, that you do, who are still
there. Do not think however, that
would give up the home of my adoption,
and 20 back again to live, for it has charm
that no other can have, and more than all
that, there is that dash or "go aheadi-
tiveness" then, which cannot be found in
the east. But to come back to my sub.
ject. A railroad, has been chartered by
the legislature, called the addison Coun-
~ Railroad" and strife, is now going
on, among tie towns of that county, as
to which ones shall have the road. 1t is.
of course, expected that the Rutland
Railroad, will build the road, aud control
it, and the only question, which is asked
is this, (which towns will give the most
money towards building this road ? as it
is very certain that the ones, that will
give the most, must have it. The route
which l think is the most fessiblc one.
and which, if n resident | should favor
the most is from Middlebury, through
Cornwall and Bridport, to either Grown
Point, or Chimney Point, and my letter
will be directed more to your readers, in
those towns, than any others. Having been
connected with railroads during the last
ten years, and being acquainted with the
manner in which towns are bonded, for
their construction, as well as the benefits,
which usually accrue to those towns, by
having railroads running through them.
l feel, that am not an entire stranger to
the subject. I well recollsct the time,
when railroad was first chartered from
Bellows Falls to Burlington, the difficult
ties that it had to encounter, in its infan-
cy, and the millions of dollars expended
in its construction At that time, drov-
ers, taking cattle to market, were obliged
to be week, or more upon the road, be-
tween our place and Boston. The lake
was then, our only fast means of travel.
At every point upon her borders, might
be seen stores, docks, and warehouses, fill
ed to over flowing with merchantable ar
ticles awaiting transit. The interior
towns, were all tributary to those upon
the lake. But the railroad was flushed,
and trains commenced running, and where
are those stores, does and warehouses now?
Rotting and falling into ruins the scene
was reversed, and the towns upon the
lake because tributary to the others.
An opportunity is now offered, to regain
little that was then lost, and the towns
of Cornwall, and Bridport, instead of be-
ing obliged to 90 away for miles, in order
to ship their products to market, can find
a market at home. In each one OF these
towns there will be one or two dcpots,
and hence little villages, for there is
bound to be one, where these depots are
located. Men will come there and estab-
lish stores for the purpose Of buying, and
trading with the people around. Again
what use is there to ship the ore (taken
out at Port Henry,) south, to be smelted.
Coal can be brought from the south, smell
the ore at home as cheaply as the ore can
be transported there and the pigs can
then be taken to market. With the water
power running to waste, that Middlebury
has, what il to hinder her, having q fur
mace, and with that manufactures. Why,
she can better afford to give S2OO,OOO,
than to let this road go anywhere else.
Again as the junction of the two roads,s she
becomes the principal transfer point for
freight going west. Brought up from Bos-
ton it il sent across this short cut, to con-
meet with the road upon the other side of
the lake, thence onward to the north
where she has connection with the Og-
densburgh Railroad, through to Chicago
and San Francisco. This Mr.. Editor is
no idle dream. The Rutland Railroad,
cut off by the Vermont Central at Bur-
lington, has been. obliged to build a boat
in order to make this connection west. But
let this road be built and then she short
ems her time and sends her passengers and
freight by this route having control as she
does of the Plattsburg and Whitehall, II.
R. And now leaving Middlebury, We
pass along, south of the burying ground,
direct west with easy grades, coming
along south of Ellsworth's we strike the
Lemon Fair, crossing at tho bridge near
Mr.. Dana's we then keep just south Of
his house towards Mr.. Paine's and pass
upon the hill west of him, and thence
around the hill near Moses Hanilton's,
and strike south of the village Of Bird
FORT, somewhere nearer the Old Hill place,
then due west to the landing at Frost's,
and crossing the Lake there; or passing
north of the village of Bridport towards
Chimney Point, and crossing there. My
idea, now is however, that the road can
be built cheaper, to cross at Crown Point,
and bridge would not cost as much as
at Chimney Point. There is a sand bar,
which puts out from the New York side
Just south of Put Greek, nearly across to
the Vermont side, so that the water is
quite shallow, and you have solid foun-
dation for the piling which supports the
draw, as the channel brings very close to
the Vermont shore. And now another
reason the Rensselaer, n Saratoga II. Il.