Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-04-17


eign trade in order TO their own develop
mont. For this purpose they are seeking to
attract the Western produce and build up
their commerce. and 50 far as they have
succeeded in this they have grown large
aud prosperous. Portland possesses some
unusual advantages as an eatrepot FOR this
transocoauic commerce Her unequalled
harbor, her greater proximity to Liver
pool, and her fine line Of European steamers,
would necessarily give her, other things be-
ing equal, peculiar advantage over any
other seaport.
Thus far, however, she has not been very
successful in developing her relations with
the distant interior Of the country, and with
the Pacific slope and coast The objective
point she aims al, to this end is ard must
be Chicago If she can successfully com.
pete with Boston or New York in land dis.
tance to Chicago, she can Of course far out.
strip them in ocean distance, and thus she
might be able to secure her fair proportion
Of the foreign trade, and ultimately, perhaps,
become the Eastern depot for large part
Of the Pacific commerce on its transit to
Europe.
Some Of her most sagacious men, few
years ago, saw the necessity for this shorter
route to Chicago in order to realize their am
bilious desires for Portland. The Atlantic
4 St. Lawrence road was, therefore, construct
ed and oferward consolidated with the Grand
Trunk But this was not a success, for two
reasons First, the distance from Portland
to Chicago by this route was las miles, four
miles further than by way of Boston & Al
bany and the Suspension Bridge Portland
could not compete with Boston when she could
90 through Boston to her desired destination
quicker and by a shorter distance than over
her own rival route So the Grand Trunk
road fell dead as a competing road. Second,
the expense Of operating the Grand Trunk
and the low condition it soon reached made it
still more hopeless as rival.
Having given this up, Portland is now
seeking more favorable route to the West
She has several routes 10 view. One by way
Of the Notch, st. Johnsbury, Ogdensburgh
aud Rome, 1909 miles one by way of Os-
wego, ll76 miles one by way Of Rutland
1858 miles and one by way of Groton
Junction, 100 miles. The first Of these, by
the Notch, is already in process of building.
The Maine section is built to Conway, the
Vermont Division from Concord to South
Hardwick About one hundred and forty
miles more must be built 10 order to connect
this with the Central line to Ogdensburgh
And it is not supposed by those who have
some knowledge Of affairs that any such con-
satisfactory to the Portland Il Ogdensburgh
directors, or divert from the Central any
considerable business to Portland Besides
this difficulty, there are other serious obsta-
cles in the way of this contemplated route
ever becoming very efficient or useful to Port
land The grades and curves on this road
will necessarily prohibit any extensive through
traffic. For thirteen consecutive miles he
tween St. Jobnsbury and Walden, there is
grade of eighty feet to the mie,-so we
have been informed, and this high grade
is combined with curves. The grades
through the Notch are equally forbidding
as there is a summit Of near two thousand feet
to overcome. The curves in Vermont are
very sharp, rendering necessary, in one case,
the use OF the Y in order to overcome it
with loaded trains. And during the present
winter il has been found impossible to run
the Vermont Division with any regularity
Trains have been delayed two weeks at
time by the snow embargo. These difficult
ties, in connection with the distance, ll76
miles to Chicago must make this route more
absolutely inefficient and useless even than
was the Grand Trunk as rival for Western
carriage.
The Portland people are now asked to con-
tribute s2,500,000 more toward completing
this road Some OF them are naturally re.
luctant to do SO, fearing that it will be an
absolute loss Of capital, and bring no return
even in traffic to the city Nor can we con
ceive how it could be Of any service whatever
to Portland as a means of Western trade.
Portland will be 6fIy-oue miles nearer Chicago
by way Of Boston than by this route. There
can be nothing more chmerical than the idea
of successfully reaching the West in this way,
or of competing with any other seaport for
any portion of the Western trade With
such policy as that, the warehouses of Port.
land will remain empty aud its capital will
not accomplish the thing whereto it is sent.
1t is now proposed that the directors of
this road drop this route, diverge from
Cornish and strike the Concord & Montreal
road at Plymouth, thence to Wells River,
and by the Montpelier 4 Wells River road to
the Central at Montpelier. The advantages
of this proposal are numerous. 1t will re.
quire the outlay of only one-ifth of the capt.
tai. There are but forty-three miles to be
built from Cornish to Plymouth, through
ine country, whose local business would sus-
tain the road. With the completion of that
short link, direct connection is made by Port.
land with Chicago by the shortest possible
line, The distance between these points by |
this line is $50 miles, or 96 miles less than |
by the Notch route and Rome, aud less by
eight miles than any other contemplated route
The grades are comparatively easy, being, as
rule Of the Montreal and Wells River
roads, on straight lines The curves are
none of them sharp, and the carrying capa.
city of the roads equal in all respects, to
the Vermont Central. A few years ago the
most favorable connection could have been
made with the Central at Montpelier, aud we
have no doubt eau now be made, for the