Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-08-20

thus far, that We have. almost forgotten,
and. indeed, il is difcult to recall fully TO
mind, the scorn and iscredulity with
which the whole attempt was regarded in
its inception. There is not q project on
foot for railroad. in this state. however
wild aud chimericsl, which does not stand
better chance Of success, than did this
four years ago in the minds Of those not
Immediately Interested in or working for
it. Our neighbors in the state did not
oppose us largely by argument in the pub
lie press-rhat would be investing moon
shine with too much reality, still it would
be interesting reading to us now, if we
could have all that was given to the world
in this way, to refresh us during the dog
days. Ii was in Portland that the ne VS.
paper battle was fought, and | am about
to give you specimen of the arguments
u,ed against us, BY making cOpious ex-
tracts from communication published in
the Portland Adreriiser Of Novembe l6,
1869. You will doubtless enjoy it now
better than ysu would have dsne when it
was written. Ii was written by an able
man-few mere so-who had any quanti-
ty of statistics at his fingers ends, with
which to clinch his arguments. Poor"
man he is now dead and his fayoritc
Rutland project has probably died with
him. ] wish he was alive to read over his
article in the light of living facts and to
ride over the road which he tried so
hard to kill.
The first extract give you is rather
mixed, but the animus is apparent enough,
to persuade Portland that if the, build
their part of the road they will have no
thing to connect with in Vermont.
"As soon as the Passumpsic Railroad Compa-
ny secs that n line can come from Montpelier,
the point to which they now aim from st. Johns
bury to IIardwick, the Passumpsic Company
will make terms with the Fairbankses and put
an end to the silly quarrel that has stirred up
the 0gdensburg project. The wrath of Achil-
les brought on the Trojan war, so history tells
us, and the wrath of the Fairbankses, to my
knowledge brought about tho Ogdensburg folly"
As specimen of tall statistics take
the following. Having first demonstrated,
as aJore, that Portland would obtain no
Oguensburg connection ria the Notch and
St. Johnsburv he shows what they mag
have, at much less cost
at is now known that from Portland to o.
wego favorable line can be obtained and the
distance from Oswego to Portland will but
| little, il any, exceed the actual distance from
Ogdcnsburg to Portland by way of st. Johns
bury and the Notch, while we are now able to
say that if the two lines are built, one direct
from Portland to Oswego, the other through
the Notch by the way of st. Johnsbury TO 0g-
densburg, that freigh. can be brought from Os-
wego to Portland, all the way by rail, at one
half the cost, or at any rate not to exceed two
thirds the cost, of bringing freight by the 0g-
densburg route to Portland. Why then carry
the line l30 miles farther to reach Oswego
You can reach that point by shorter line,
with more favorable grades" [This is rather
laughable to us who know what the line through
Wo dstock as to grades, but the Portland peo-
pie didn't know1 "with onc-halft the rise and
fall, and less than onc-half the cost of constr uct-
ion, with good local business all along the
line Rutland has three times the population
of St, Johnsbury and furnishes five times as
much railway business, to say nothing Of
Woo olstock and other rich towns in Vermont,
and the populous country for long distance
beyond Rutland as well as at the 0swego end Of
the line. Oswego is great business point in
every way, especially in the manufacture of
-four and other articles of export; Ogdensburs
has comparatively little of it, or Of local busi-
ness"
But the figures of this writer and Of
the engineers do not agree. l, must be
shown that his figures are more to be trust
ed than theirs. So before introducing
them he pays his respects to engineers as
follows:
"We may remark in passing, that railroad
estimates are like the ancient oracles of Delphi
very uncertain When the Portland and
Rochester railroad wanted city bonds, John f.
Anderson, Esq.,, chief engineer of that compa-
ny made and published an estimate Of the cost of
the line from Buxton to Alfred ON which bonds
were issued. Every one knows its incorrectness
was soon discovered and more city bonds asked
for and granted to the company to enable it to
get to A!frcd.''
Having thus disposed of him, and ac-
copted Gen. Anderson's statement Of the
cost of the line through Maine, presuma-
bly, because it was near home and the peo-
pie for whom ho Was writing knew some-
thing of the country, he addresses himself
to New Hampshire, as follows:
"From the line of Maine across New Hamp-
shire to Vermont, you call the distance 55 miles
through the Notch. 1t is nearly that on an air
line and the actual distance by railway will
probably be nearer 65 than IS miles. But call
ing it 55 miles, keeping the line in the valley Of
the Saco, as recommended by Messrs. Anderson
and Noyes, the cost is variously estimated at
from $4,000 to $3.50, 900 per mile. Taking
the lowest estimate and the shortest line,
it will give $4,400,000, as the cost Of the
line across New Hampshire" fAnd to
show that he is entirely within bounds and
granting all the indulgence possible, he
adds y The Western railroad, with single
truck, cost at the rate of $67.7 TOT per mile for
the III miles from Worcester to the state line,
while the 63 miles from the Connecticut river tt
the state line, cost at the rate Of over 100000
per mile"
And now your humble servant comes il
for his share as follows:
"Your readers will observe in this connection
thnt we hear nothing of late from Messrs. Lin