Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-05-11
NEW YORK TO HALIFAT.

the DEVELOPMENTS incident to making a first
class line of railway, as great national
and international throughfare. Were the
Portland and Kennebec road only to depend
upon local travel and business for support,
we never should have seen the splendid iron
bridge across the Kennebec or even the ele-
CANT new sleeping car which we are admiring.
While some of our citizens were industriously
opposing consolidation rs dangerous to local
interests, the leading minds engaged in
1t were pushing it with a view not to injure
the State but to benefit it, and to make Maine
q part Of the great international highway be-
tween and across the continents. By theii
plans and labors we shall soon have in Maine
Injuries and accommodations for travel such
as we have already glimpse of in the new
sleeping car. This route will be equal to the
best in the country. Without consolidation
It mnst have failed. We have already fell
some advantages but they are only the begin
ing. With the completion and opening of the
European and North American Railway We
shall see larger results The condition of tina
road'and the plan ofwhich it is part-the con-
nection of Halifax and New York by rail-
are 80 well stated by correspondent of the
New York Herald at st. John, New Bruins
wick, that we copy his article as of peculiar in
terest to the people of onr State.
From New York to Halifax by rail ant
without change of cars! Two days time
saved between New York and Liverpool
These are events which in less than twelve
month will be as common as a railroad trip
now is between New York and San Francisco
What refer to is the now almost completed
European and North American Railway" a
line which seems destined to monopolize for
the immediate present all the light carrying
trade between America and the cities of Great
Britain. It 10 now SO nearly finished as to
warrant the belief that it will be in operation
in September or October next as far as this
city, from "the States and the link to form
a connection to Halifax will probably be COM
pleted q few months later. The road is char
tered both in the United States and the prov
inces, and the stock is about equally divided
between Americans and residents in New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The American
stockholders are mostly citizens Of Maine,
and their portion of the work has been the
building Of the line from Bangor to Vance
bofo'. on the st. Croix river, the dividing
stream between the United States and the
New Dominion and the provincial stockhold-
ers, according to the terms of agreement,
furnished the line from the eastern banks Of
the st. Croix to this city. The Dominion
company have their part of the road complete
and in running order, and the Maine corpo-
ration are short by distance of about fifty
1--WE miles, but this will be finished during the
nd hofn c<a toI lty,a
then be complete from Bangor to st. John.
A suspension bridge across st. John river
ut point about two miles from this city will
be one of the desirable features Of the route,
and an attempt will be made to have it con-
structed at the expense of the Dominion gov
eminent. There is already one built at the
same point, but it is too slender for other
than common highway purposes, and struc-
ture suitable for railway traffic will cost in the
neighborhood of million dollars, and be in
every respect as gigantic as the famous work
across the Niagara river. In relation to the
bridge the agreement between the two COM
panies is to the effect that the New Brunswick
corporation shall apply to the Dominion gov
eminent for aid to the amount of $3.50, 900
toward the building of the bridge that if such
aid is refused an application will then be made
to have the government purchase the stock of
the road to the amount of $250,000; that if
the government declines to do this, then the
New Brunswick company will apply for au-
thority to issue bonds to the Maine company
equal to the whole cost of the bridge; and il
all these means fail, then the New Brunswick
company is TO issue to the Maine company its
stock to q sufficient amount to build the bridge
which, as before stated, will be not far from
million dollars. The general Dominion
government has already granted subsidy
sufficient to secure continuous connection
Of the European and North American with
the Shediac railroad in this city. The work
will be commenced Immediately, and will be
accomplished by the laying of railway tracks
entirely around the border of the city
A considerable portion of the country
traversed by this new international railway is
comparatively undeveloped, and the benefits
of the route will be Of local as well as of a
general character. The country is by no
means rich in an agricultural sense, but there
are large fields of lumber scattered along the
route, which will be furnished facilities for
transportation for the first time. Numerous
str. ans furnish inviting mill privileges, and
It is not improbable that after the present
generation has passed away industrial man.
ufacturing villages will spring up along the
line. The road, running frem here in the d.
reetion of "the States" as the, provincials
Nrm Vic AMERICAN territory, starts from the
town OF Carlton, thriving little village, on
the other side of the river, which (until the
building of suspension bridge) is approach
able only after five minutes ride in ferry
boat. Starting from Carlton the road follows
the course of the st. John river up the Nerepis
and Douglas valleys to the headw alters of the
Oromorto streams, after which it crosses a
rather barren but level country-a distance
of forty-two miles-where junction is formed
with the New Brunswick and Canada Railroad
which is to be absorbed by and form portion
of the great route. Six miles from this iune-
ton 10 the st. Croix river, the dividing line
between the Dominion and the United States.
where the connection is formed between the
two companies, bearing the name of the
European and North American Railway
From that point into st. John the road is now
buiIi; but on the American side the Maine
builders have an uncompleted link of fifty
miles--from the Dominion line to Mattawam-
keag. This, however, will be completed in
September and open for traffic by the first OF
October. Even now there is considerable
travel by the route, the distance
between Mattawamkeag and the line being
done BY stages. Even the mails between New
Brunswick and the States are carried this way