Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-09-18
For the Journal.
Montpelier a. Black River Railroad.

and by it the feasibility Of road between
this place and North Troy, or some point at
or near Canada line, is established beyond
question Now if such line of road can
be built without extraordinary or unusual
expense, the question arises, what are the re-
sources Of the section through which it would
pass How long would the natural or de-
veloped wealth along the route continue to
offer it sufficient revenue
1t would be safe, judging from the general
history of railroads in this country, to make
these propostions--that the first five years Of
roads existence, after completion, decide
whether that road is to be paying invest
ment to its builders; and that in that time
the road must depend entirely on local BUSH
ness for such support as shall place it on
firm financial basis Could the region along
the line of this proposed road give business
that would pay expenses, and besides pay
enough additional to create a sinking fund
for any purpose to which it might be necos-
sary to apply a surplus, either for paying a
bonded debt or dividends to its stockholders
If you will get with me into one Of our
safe, elegant, and commodious narrow gauge
passenger coaches will show you drst
class line Of road, aud the rich country through
which it passes.
Before we start let US inspect the car in
which we are seated. Its length from buffer
to buffer is 40 feet, feet less than first
class coach Of the standard gauge its width
inside is seven feet from foot and half to
two feet less than the standard gauge The
gross weight Of car empty is $4,000 pounds,
against 10000 for the standard gauge 1t
seats SO passengers, against sc for the larger
car. An engine in hauling passenger train
on the feet > gauge, drags s3S lbs. of dead
weight for every passenger, allowing 36 pas
sengers to car The engine Of our narrow
gauge train, with 36 passengers to car, pulls
but 4l6 lbs Of dead weight for each passen-
ger, or less than one.lalf as much as in the
first instance. This is the reason why you
have to pay but p cents a mile for your ride
we don't issue passes on our lno-instcad
of 4 cents, the usual local tariff enforced by
roads Of the common gauge.
You will perceive at once that in seating
capacity, our cars are as comfortable as any.
There is row Of double seats halfway up
the car on your left, and on the opposite side
the seats are single; then the order is reversed,
and the double seats come on your right, the
single on your left This is for the purpose
of distributing equally the load.
We don't have sufficient accommodations
to give one passenger fo'r seats, but all more
moderate demands on the capacity Of our
cars we can satisfy, we trust acceptaby.
1t is near our leaving time and there is
opportunity but for word in regard to the
possibility and probable result of an accident
before we must commence our sightseeing -
We are not in the habit of running off the
track, or of smashing up, but if we do we
have one great advantage over the ordinary
gauge. We can do it great deal easier and
quicker, because there is less to smash And
passengers are saved great anxiety of mind,
for it takes them so much less time to crawl
out Of the wreck, and find out the worst. Then
the ratio of spiuters to passengers is greatly
reduced, and on the whole there seem to be
reasons enough for running of the track on
the foot gauge rather than on the 4 feet 81
But our train has started and we are now
moving up the North Branch skirting the bot
tom Of the hills that run down to the stream
We make but short stop at Wrights
Mills. You may see that the woollen mills,
destroyed by fire some time since, have been
rebuilt on more extensive basis This is
the first beneficial result of the road which
we see. This viii give US constant and in
creasing revenue in the way of freights AZ
ter few moments stop at Worcester, we COM
menced climbing up toward the summit in
Elmore. We are now entering one Of the
best and certainly most accessible lumber
sections in the State aud for Il or 10 miles
we pass through the very center Of it, For
miles to our right and left stretches out an
almost unkroken forest of magnificent spruce,
hemlock and hard timber. A few years ago
this land was worth hardly a nominal price ;
now it is source Of iucalculable profit to its
owners. We rush by two or three slate quar-
ries, where stone Of a quality second to none
in the State is being wrested from the grasp
of mother earth, and sent to supply an in
creasing demand from different parts Of the
country. The people of Montpelier hardly
knew what wealth of resource these towns so
near them contained till our road infused a
newly begotten energy into the veins of the
people living in them, and brought to their as.
sistance the experience and money Of foreign
capitalists.
From the summit we gradually descend
into the valley of the Lamoille, and are soon
at Wolcott, where we cross the line of the
Lamoille Valley Railroad,
Leaving Wolcott behind our course
lies up the valley Of the Wild Branch,
through North Wolcott towards Craftsbury,
and soon We reach the water shed between
the valley of the Lamoile and that Of the
Black River. To our left lie the mountains
of Eden. | don't refer to the allegorical
Hills of Paradise, but to heavily timbered
| L -
county, Vermont, and which can be associa.
ted with tho original region of that name only
by the most active play of the Imagination.
AT any rate, like the towns through which we
have just passed, it affords us constant in
come by its lumber traffic, and must continue
to do so for years. Descending quickly from
the summit, we are soon in the valley of the
Black River. The wealth of these thrifty