Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-07-11
Iotal Shtttbes.
Pr0jccfcd 1ndrOscogOn yditcU
Railroad.

Railroad.
Recently some railroad men who had
been gancing at the map, made n dis.
coycry, 10 them new, and ut Il meeting OF
the Maine Central Il. r. Directors, in
Portland, some one called their attention
10 The fact ihat u light line drawn from
Pennington to Portland, passed through
Livcrmorc Falls and Lewiston. Tho hint
seemed to strike all the Directors lorci.
bly, for some of them said we must look
mp the AndroScoggn Valley route. Ac-
cording to invitation OF the Directors Of
the Androscoggin Valley Il. X -MessrS.
A. ID. Lockwood, Presidents Lee Strick
land, j. b. Ham, Phio Clark, John ID.
Hodge, +. j. Cox, Hannibal A. Smith,
B. +. league, Clerl,--a delegation OF tho
Maine Central r. r. Directors left Lewis
ton, Monday morning, on a trip over the
line OF this Valley Road. Darius Alden,
Esq, OF Augusta than any other.
the Vanderbilt of Maine Railway enter
priSe-and 4. ID. Lockwood. Esq, OF
7 Lewiston, represented The Maine Central
Directors or the tip, while oi the Com
miticc ot Conference on lease OF the pro-
iected road was cX.GOv. Washburn. OF
The party we're also John w Perkins,
ESD, OF Lewiston, Treasurer of the Val.
ley Il. r., and the Engineer, John Read,
Esq. The party took the highways near
est the rcconnoitered line, and the Maine
| Central Directors were shown all the
leading courses OF the road, which leaves
I the Maine Central r. K. in Auburn, pass
cS 10 East Auburn, thence around Lake
Auburn 10 North Auburn, thence to Tur.
uer Village, thence to Bretlun's Mills,
and So up river. At the latter point it is
desired to have the Rumford Falls Branch
| divcrgc 10 the west, while the Liycrmnro
Falls Branch takes IN easlcily and al
most direct course 10 that point
Tie notable fact respecting the road
up TO this point, is the ease and rapidity
with which it can be built. Though the
country is hilly and broken. nature seems
so far to have opened Il highway for the
iron horse through this region, that hard
| ly is there II deep cut or an obstruction of
ledge along the whole route The hills
seem to be divided at the right point, and
valleys and horScbacks, ridges and shOul.
deus of hills appear handily along the
! line, rs if they were put there 10 bear up
a railroad. and reduce the cost to about
$4,000 per mile ill you reach Brcttun's
Mills You will say ''wcll, really, here
is Il good chance for railroad" but 60.
ing from Brittnn's Mills to Liyermore
Falls, YOU would point in dismay at The
nmercilul dimensions OF The hills, and
the apparent impossiblity of getting Il
level track through such country. But
this is only in seeming; for be il known
shat wherever thcrc was IN ugly hill,
wherever there was deep ravine, wher-
ever there were united all the natural OBJ
! strnclions TO easy locomoti0n, there our
revcred fathers planted highway, and
you may travel over their aerial roads
and marvel how could railroad be built
here; but you shall find sometimes that
the beloved ancestors have carried YOU
the most circuitous and hilly way, and
that nature kindlcr than they knew, was
only waiting for man with an cngin-
eer's eye to show you that there was
place through such Il region for the iron
horse to pass.
Such is ;hc' case, evidently, between
Brcttun's Mills and Livermorc Falls. AS
Il matter OF fact. only two or three, and
these not important changes OF course oc-
cur, while for considerable portions of
the distance the track will run in q
straight line Nor will there be any deep
fills or cuts; for along the hillsidcS are
ridges, and through the apparently inter.
vcning hills, are canons which seem TO
invite the locomotive and encourage the
enterprise.
am aware that there are some, even
those who shonld be most deeply inter.
ested in this railroad enterprise, who say:
Good idea, but don't see how it il to
be built" | wish these skeptics could
come over the route and talk with the
people. They know il can be done
You should get hold OF some of the en-.
thusasm and faith OF these people along
the loutc of this road to feel that here is
a feasible plan. The proposition which
The Maine Central Directors arc consider
ing, and which seems TO meet with great
favor from these gentlemen, is TO take up