Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-26
AUGUSTA. ME. WEDNESDAY MORNING FEBRUARY g. 1873
Remarks Of D. n. M0rtland, Esq, Of
ROckland.

bill an act additional to an act to incorporate
the Penobscot Bay and River Railroad.
Mr.. MoRrLASD said,
Nr. Speaker and Gentlemen Of the House
of representatives
All of us, think in our action here DUR
ing this session, have felt a deep interest in
the promotion and advancement of another
line OF railroad through our State. Though
none OF rs wish TO iniure any rights now ex-
isting, still, there is desire on the part of
the people on Penobscot Bay, and other sec.
tons OF the State to have railroad commun-
cation with Portland and the outer world, and
we have so far aided that enterprise, this win
ter, as to grant charter, which was asked,
for railroad between Bath to Portland.
In '6S, the legislature of this state granted
charter to what is called the Bay and River
Railroad Co., a road extending from the city
of Rockland along the shore towns to Ban
gor. At that time, you will reccollect, many
towns throughoutthe State had what was called
railroad fever"-a desire to build rail-
roads and to take stock in them, and to loan
their credit in their aid. Many of the cities
and towns which then INDUCED in that luxury,
after they had received their charters, found
the luxury too expensive, and so far ss the
building of chartered roads is concerned,
there has been a retrograde movement for the
last few years. The charter of this road was
granted, and its friends both in and out of the
state still feel deep interest in the success of
the enterprise. The President of the road
comes here to this legislature, and asks for
an extension of its charter. The railroad
committee assign him hearing upon his re.
quest, and he goes home. Soon after he
went to Boston, and there contracted the va
rioloid, and he has been prostrated on bee
of sickness from that day to this. The day
of the hearing came, but Mr.. Hichborn, the
President of that road was unable to be here
and he was shut out from the world, 90 thai
he could not at that time communicate With
any friends of the road; therefore the inter
ests of that road were entirely unrepresented
before that committee-very different from
what the gentleman (Mr. Boardman) stated
this forenoon; no friend Of the road knew
that the committee had voted TO extend the
time for the location of the road, and no one
knew, for a long time, that Mr.. Hitchborn
was sicl, at home and unable to communicate
in regard to the matter, because it is not
openly told that man in our immediate vi
cinity has the small pox. Therefore, the
first inlimation that there was to be an
obstruction put upon those in favor of build
ing that road, was few days ago when it
was published in the paper that such an
action had been taken by the committee.
A few certain individuals, to the number of
o5o, l am told by the gentleman from Bel
fast (Boardman) came up here with a petit
tition, requesting the Legislature to force
that road up, and above the existing bridge at
Belfast, and the committee, Clearing one
side of the question, not the other) decided
that they should 60 there.
Therefore, the charge that we were repre-
sented before that committee is not true, al
though do not charge upon the gentleman
from Belfast. that he wilfully misrepresented
the facts in that particular, but he was mis-
taken.
An attempt has been made here, to show
that this road is going to destroy the harbor
of Belfast, and you have been told this morn.
ing, that that harbor surpasses anything
in the State of Maine, excepting the harbor
of Portland. had the honor of being reared
very near the harbor of Belfast. Belfast has
almost always been my home, being there
frequently from my boyhood up to within
few years. In Belfast l received part Of
my education, and l pretend to know some
thing about it's harbor, and l say that that
road, as laid out by the engineer, does not in
terfere with the harbor of Belfast at all. The
road was located to Simpsons wharf in Bel
fast, and thence across, and above that point,
no vessel ever anchors except at high water,
and then only for few moments. When the
tide is out, above Simpsons wharf, no vessel
can anchor, unless it is in the channel, which
is not over ten rods wide any where along it,
I may be disputed upon this statement, and l
will read from the report of the engineer,
who. let me say, surveyed that road in 1870 ;
had his office in Belfast; made his plans in
Belfast, and stayed there three or four months
in the summer and fall of 1870. He drew his
plans of that road, made his report, and had
it printed in the printing Office at Belfast.
(Mr. NJ. here read from the report of the en-
gineer, in support of his statement.)
There has been certain plan brought in
here and paraded over the House and on eve
ry members desk. Where did that plan come
from? | will tell you. 1t came from certain
gentleman who had it made for contempla.
ted railroad. | never before heard of a rail-
road plan submitted to an intelligent body to
show them harbor. Yet the gentleman from
Belfast takes that railroad plan for plan of
Belfast harbor, and spreads it broa :ast over
this House; ana the plan no more correctly
represents Belfast harbor than plan of the
Kennebec river would correctly represent the
Pacific Ocean. What thens After describ-
ing the harbor of Belfast by this false plan,
he draws line across at the opening and
mouth of that harbor, and says, ''that is the
bridge" which is no nearer the
bridge across that harbor than
the upper bridge at the head Of the tide is to
where it was located.
came up from the city of Belfast a few day $
ago, and some of its most respectable citizens.
while | was there-men who pay some of the
highest taxes-men who feel an interest in the
city of Belfast, as much as any of these petit
tioners, and more too, told ME that the contem-
plated block to that road was an outrage. do
not believe there is a man of the Bay & River
road that wishes to injure the harbor of Bel
fast. Did they wish to injure it in 20? How
is it that from 'GS to ~, the city of Bel
fast never discovered that their harbor was to
be injured? That road was chartered in '6S,
and the road surveyed and plan made in 10
And now the city of Belfast in '73, five years
afterwards, has suddenly discovered that the
harbor was to be injured. Why so? will
tell you why. Since that survey they have
built branch road, called the Noosehead
Lake railroad-because that was the charter,
and it runs from Belfast to Burnham or Clin
ton Gore, connecting with the Maine Central
road As soon as they had their road COM
pleted what did they do? They leased it TO
the Maine Central for fifty years. Therefore
hope the gentleman (Boardman) will not
use the term "Moosehead Lake railroad" as
if it were any thing but branch to aid the