Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-03-09


towns along the west side OF Lake Cham
plain, being entirely without railrord IA
cilities, procured charter for line from
Whitehall to Plattsburgh. 1t is well
known that the Adirondacks, which skirt
the shore of the lake, are lined with mex
haustible beds of the best magnetic iron
ore. The deposits are worked in many
places, but on the largest scale at Port
Henry and in the region of the Ausable
River. It is curious fact, and SEEM
ing realization of the absurdity of carry
ing Goals to Newcastle, that large quanti-
ties of iron from these mines are sent to
Pennsylvania, and to Pittsburg in
The secret of this ia that
the iron, being of superior quality, ia
mixed by the Pennsylvania operators with
their own ore, the result being an article
much better than the latter when I'M
mixed. But, to return to the Whitehall
and Plattsburgh Railroad. Only two
sections have been built. The first
runs from Pittsburgh twenty miles
other from Ticonderoga to Port Henry.
Both sections were promptly snntehed up
by the Rutland Railroad man9uvre
which not only gave them the means OF
checking competition for through bust
ness in case the line should be completed,
but also threw great portion Of the iron
business into their hands. The value Of
the northern section was at once and has
ever since been apparent. But the south
ern seotion-an isolated strip of road
seventeen miles long--is almost useless at
present. The products of the extensive
furnaces at Port Henry find their best
and in fact their only way to market
through Lake Champlain and the Cham
plain Canal. But this route is available
not more than seven months in the year,
md during the other five the furnaces are
idle, or, if active. the iron is stored till
the opening of navigation brings relief.
This state of affair led to the adoption
two years since of plan by which this
rich region should be given uninterrupt.
ed communication with the world at large.
The Vermont Legislature chartered the
on the Rutland road to point on Lake
Champlain opposite Ticonderoga; while
the New York Legislature chartered a
drawbridge across the lake to connect this
road with the short section on the west
side.
The Addison Railroad is already under
contract, and as 1t ia but thirteen miles
long it will be in running order by Octo.
Der. The Bay State Iron Company,
which has large interest in Port Henry,
furnishes the rails. taking its pay half in
stock and half in freight orders. The pre-
liminary steps for building the bridge
have also been taken. Both enterprises
were in the hands of the Rutland Rail.
road, and were passed by them over to the
Vermont Central.
Now, at this ninth hour, the Legisla-
ture of New York is agitated over pro-
position to repeal the franchise of the
bridge company, and defeat thereby the
whole scheme. The repeal is urged by a
variety of interests, among which may
specify certain parties in Plattsburgh,
whose grievance is not now clear; the
village of Whitehall, which demands the
completion of the line on the other side OF
the lake, or, in default of that, monopoly
for the water route; the Rensselaer, and
Saratoga Railroad people, who wish to
thwart the Rutland Company; and the
various towns and cities-notably Troy
and Albany-on the line of the Renssel-
aer and Saratoga and the Champlain
Canal, which are jealous of the growing
strength of Boston and Boston interests
in this vicinity. The annual yield of the
Port Henry mines is over three hundred
thousand tons, and their capacity ia
practically unlimited. The prospect that
an increase of facilities will send the
greater portion of this iron to Boston
naturally causes the great manufacturing
cities Of the Hudson the keenest anxiety.
Whether they are warranted in urging
the State of New York to commit wan
ton breach Of faith. ia not so olsar- SO
far as am informed, it is not pretended
that the incorporators of the bridge have
violated any, even the slightest, provision
of the charter. The grant may have been
an error in respect to the interests of the
parties who are now seeking to have it
revoked, but shall blunder be corrected
by an injustice The Rutland people,
however, are not much alarmed. 1t is not
believed that the Legislature will repeal
the charter, or that if it does any court
will sustain the repeal.
Ihad nearly forgotten to mention the
interest which this Addison road has for
Lake George tourists. Tioonderoga, the
western terminus of the bridge, is the
landing for Lake George and the Fort
William Henry hotel. Passengers from
Boston, however, generally go by way of
Rutland to Fort Ann. and thence by
stage to Caldwell, reaching the hotel in
the evening. But by the proposed road
one can leave Boston in the morning, and,
going by way Of Rutland and Ticondero-
ga, and enjoying delightful sail through
~ r l. - 4 Ii
William Henry hotel'in time for tea.
This letter has already reached such a
length that the Rutland and Woodstock
Railroad must be passed over very hasti-
ly. This is an enterprise which wss char.
tered by the Vermont legislature in 1869.
1t is part of what is called the Portland
aud Rutland Railroad, which is in it,
turn a link in the projected Portland and
Chicago line, the scheme that recently
appeared in Congress in such imposing
shape, seeking Uncle Sans aid. AS ORR
Qinally chartered, the Rutland and
Woodstock was to run. believe, from
Rutland to White River Junction, where
il would connect with the Northern New
Hampshire for Boston and Portland. But
the subsequent completion of a short line
from White Roads junction to Wood
stock leaves only the gap between the
latter place and Rutland to be built. The
natural obstacles to the line are very
great, and the grades which it would ne
cessarily have are very formidable. John
Gain, of this village, is president of the
line. and is working earnestly in favor of
il. but with indifferent success so far.
The Rutland Railroad has occupied rather
an ambiguous position toward the project,
though Governor Page is one of the di-
rectors. The towns on the east side OF
the mountain are ready to support it, but
there Ia less enthusiasm on this side, Rut-
land herself refused to give any munich.
pal aid. There is modified plan which
proposes to have the Woodstock road
strike across the mountain at a more
southern point, hitting the Rutland Rail-
road between here and Bellows Falls, and
there coming in on the track of the latter.
And still another, and an independent
project, Ia to build line across from Gas.
sett's station on the Rutland to Claremont.