The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-09-16
I'm 'lroad Meeting before the Soiut Conn
unilfee Of The & lily laun ca

Company for permission to grant to the Bos
| ton & Maine or other roads the right to use ant
T. improve the proposed new track upon Con-
" | mercial street as authorized by the City Coun
| ell Oct. TO- 1870, aud also to consider remon
STRANGE signed by several citizens. The Alder
mems room was filed with large number o
leading citizens.
The committee is as follows: Mayor Kings
bury, chairman, Aldermen Senter. Merrill and
}. Corey: Councilmen Jackson, Holden, Daveis
Sweat and Tolman.
Mayor Kingsbury called the meeting to order
at745 p M. and stated the proposition and OBJ
jeetons, reading the petition and remonstranct
Gen. S. j. Anderson, President of the Port
land & Ogcensburg road, was called upon t.
| open the discussion, but stated that the case o.
he road was fully presented at the meeting Of
the City Council, and he would prefer bearip e
from the remonstrants, who asked for this
hearing.
Mr.. Moses Gould inquired what was the con.
ideration the city received from the Portland
& Ogdensburg road for the roads having
changed the location of their track from the
Gas Companys land
Gen. Anderson said he would answer in the
| curse of the discussion.
Hon. John Lynch then spoke He regarded
che remonstrance asking the city not to lose
control over the grant given the Portland &
Ogdensburg road Oct. 10th last, as the best
| possible answer to the petition The petition
asked fer exclusive rights for themselves and
they to grant said rights to other roads. includ
ing the Boston & Maine. If the Boston &
| Maine road desire to obtain certain privilege,
| the proper course, il seemed to him, would be
for that road itself to petition the city for said
grant, The city should bestow such privileges
| SD as to protect itself and the C tizens, the
| property holders aud other railroad corpora
| lions. At the time Commercial street was
| built the Atlantic & st. Lawrence Railroad
obtained exclusive privilege to twenty-six feet
| of said street and the P. S. & P. road were al
| lowed Joint use of same by the former road
aud the city have DO control in the premises.
He deprecated the policy of such grants. In
October last, when the original grant for
another track was made to the p. & o. road,
he objected unless the matter should be placed
under the restriction of the Mayor, whom
every one believed would care for the general
good. Il even then struck me that another
track would be Injurious to the interests of the
| city and individuals. Even now the present
track is an interruption to business. Business
is increasing and the injury will be greater in
the future. He opposed the move then until
the city and others were well protected Now
it comes up in another shape. They ask for
exclusive rights to confer them upon other
roads. The p. Sc o. road would be the BOWER
to whom the b. & M. would apply for a route
across the city.
Mr.. Lynch gave other reasons for his obiec-
tons. He asked the city to retain control in
the matter, so that the interests of the Port
land & Rochester road may be protected. He
rever supposed the City Council would for
moment think OF granting such petition.
whether there was a remonstrance or not. The |
Portland & Rochester road never has asked |
tor exclusive rights. In going around to the |
front side by way Of the marginal road the city
retained control over them. He called upon
Gen. Anderson to further state the reasons for |
such request.
Gen. Anderson replied that he saw no Com
mercal street property holders on the remon-
STRANGE. He now could see where the trouble
comes from, the Portland & Rochester road.
He remarked that the P & r. was constantly
opposing their projects aud dsclamed any at
tempts of opposition to the P. & r. enter
prises. He regarded the right beginning of
the marginal way to be from the Grand Trunk
round to Fish Point Instead of on the Back
Cove. He hoped marginal way completely
around the city will some day be accomplished
The city can then assume control of it or it
can be managed by a, distinct corporation
Until then the city still controls the grant
given the p. & o. last October. and will do So
Gen. Anderson referred to the causes that led |
to the request for new track, the heavy |
charges of the Portland & Kennebec and the |
Portland, Saco & Portsmouth for transit of |
cars to and from Commercial street and |
wharves. The Portland & Rochester road is |
fully protected and are allowed by grant the |
use OF said track. This new petition is based
upon the old one and the order then passed
He then stated the circumstances about the
Gas Company location. The city being large
owners in the Gas Company the p & o. load,
in consideration OF the grant given, moved
their track from the land OF said Company to
| the latters benefit. 1t was an agree ment then
| fully understood and acknowledged. The P.
| & o. road now ask for the right TO grant other
| roads equal use of the new track not incon-
sistent with the agreement petition and order
| of October last The new request is copied
precisely from that of the Atlantic & st. Law
renee in 1850. The Grand Trunk road can
grant the Portland & Rochester, the Portland
| & Ogdensburg, the Boston & Maine, or any
other road the right to use their track The P.
& o. road being largely owned by the city.
| thew always will have control over it. We ask
| confirmation of the original grant and moth
| ing more, except to extend the same to the
Boston & Maine, as already stated, the Port
land & Rochester having the same privileges.
The city should certainly grant to u.s. a home
corpol alton, what they granted the Grand
Trunk ia 1850, foreign corporal on.
Gen. Anderson referred to the desire to OBJ.
tain a large share of the White Mountain
travel via Boston, Portland and North Con-
way. The Eastern road own the line via
Brooks Crossing, Great Falls and Conway
and next year it will be completed to Conway.
1t is rival line to ours. The Portland & Og-
densburg have a common interest with the
Boston & Maine road in this movement By a
railroad map he pointed out the different
routes. Some 30, 600, it is said, passed by one
point near the Notch this summer The Lake
Winnepisseogee will next year only be lake
/
| of Portland and tie Maine coast as summer
resorts and the desire of the Boston & Maine
road to secure this business. He answered
the objection that the new route would carry
people by Portland by stating that persons
usually buy tickets upon which they can go on
or stop at choice, and Portland will receive
a large amount of visitors and benefit there
from. The Boston & Maine desire to reach
the front side to connect with other other roads
and the steamer lines. The latter favor the
idea. The Eastern and Maine Central roads
| act together, and the Boston & Names only
| redress is the steamers. These advantages
| must be reached only on the front side. The
Boston & Maine if located on the Back Cove,
would lose an hour in making its through con-
. nections with these steamers, the Eastern and
Maine Central roads getting 50 much the start
AS to the aspersions about few men control
ling the Western end of the city, here is q
move to break through this very alleged mo
nopoly. The Directors of the P. s. o. road-s
Portland corporation-are trying to act for the
best interests OF the city. The city being the
controlling stockholders, we desire to feel the
responsibility of the situation. We only ash
for temporary privileges until the margina
way is built In response to an inquiry OF Mr.
Lynch, Gen. Anderson said that the BOSE OF
, & Maine had applied to the P. & o. road fol-