The Portland daily press., 1871-02-08

IhE
To the Editor Of the Press:
Let the reader place before him an accurate
map of Portland and its environs; let the
point where Preble street intersects the Mar
gnal Avenue as laid out across Back Cove be
taken as a centre; let the distance from the
| centre to Fish Point be radius. Now describe a
circle.
That circle will be found to enclose on the
east, northeast and south, almost the entire
peninsula upon (which the city is built; on the
west the circumference would fall beyond Lib
by's Corner; on the northwest, beyond Wood
ford's Corner; on the north and northeast, it
would nearly coincide with the Back Cove
road.
Upon the territory thus enclosed popula-
ton of two hundred thousand souls can be
readily accommodated.
Should Portland ever come to have such, or
approximately such, a population, by far the
greater part of it all would be domcied with
in the circuit tutlined. We say Portland for
it is foregone conclusion that the portion of
WestbrOok adjacent to us must soon be ours
The exact centre of this area is at the junction
ofthe Marginal Avenue and Preble street. At
that centre, accordingly, other circumstances
favorng. or as near it as practicable, the Gen.
tdl Passenger Station should be located.
IT'S EXTRAORDINARY ADVANTAGES.
Assuming that the station would require
room as noted in the former article, we OBJ
serve then, first, that from Preble street or
above, to Franklin street OR below, there is
ample space fora station Of the first magnitude
with all required tracks, turn outs, etc. This
space, that is, the portion required for station
uses, is now wholly unoccupied, it being in fact
flowed by the tide to shallow depth. It's inn
provement for depot purposes would, accord
ingly, involve no destruction of other property
or loss of former labor. The shape Of the land
surrounding, is all thai could be desired
There are no vast hills TO be cut down or scarf
ed off either to secure room or to give access
The slopes leading to the territory adjacent are
easy and readily traversable. The only exsep-
ton to this is on the interior slope of Munjoy,
and here material for filling can be had.
The required room can be had at loao cost, as
compared with prices realized on the front
shore line. The difference in the cost would
go far toward making up to the railroads the
expense of improvements at this point. To-
Gated here, passenger station is not in the scay
Of business. Here, it would not be, what it
would be on the front, a chronic nuisance.
But the grand feature of the site, in compare
son with which all others are of triflng conse-
quence is its subservience to public convenience
A station located upon it, within the limits
above specified, would be within one-third of a
mile of the City Building, both 10 an air line
and by streets already constructed
four minutes walk of the City Hall and street
cars! Within six minutes walk of the Post
Office and the banks; within three minutes of
the Westbrook cars likewise, and thus accessl.
BILE to the out of-town district which is soon to
be "aDnexed." What other site can show a |
of advantages like these? advau-
tages both for the immediate present and the |
distant future.