Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-11-26
For the Freeman.
Central and Montpelier & Wells River
Railroad,

Z For the freeman.
Central and Montpelier & Wells River
Railroad.
The editor of the Argus, or some cores
pondent of his, makes some statements con-
corning the proposition of Gov. Smith tG
the Directors of the Montpelier and Wells
River road for running the cars of the
Barre Railroad over the Wells River road tt
the Coffee House The author of the arti
| Gle writes it in answer to an article appear
ing in the St. Adams Messenger, and goes or
to state what the facts are in the case hay
ing, he says, received his knowledge from
one of the Directors of the Montpelier and
Wells River Railroad Company.
The following is statement of Gov
Smiths propositions as understood by the
Directors of the NJ. & W. K. R. R. If mis-.
stated, Gcv. Smith or Hon. L. W. Park will
please point out the error. Gov. Smith
says:
i" We propose to build the Barre Railroad
and would like to run over your road to the
Coffee House, and we are now ready to make
you very liberal offer, we think:
" LIST. Will pay you ten cents running
mile for each train over your road.
I'D. Make connections of trains on
track between the passenger and freight de-
pots.
" Sd. The expense of alterations in pas
senger depot to reach the cars on said track
from it's rooms, by cutting arches through
the side wall of the depot and fitting up an
Office room if necessary Cup stalrs), to be
borne by the NJ. & w. R. R. R. Co.
18th. All expenses accruing from warm
ing, lighting, ticket and baggage masters,
and all other necessary expenses around and
about the passenger depot to be borne jointly,
or in a reasonable proportion to the amount
of business done by the Central Vermont
and Montpelier & Wells River Railroad.
60 5th. The side tracks of both companies
to be used in common to do all reasonable
shifting of cars from one road to the other
Goth, We will run one of the Nj. u w.
R. r. r. cars to and from Montpelier June
ton charging them three cents per mile for
each passenger, and the NJ. & ~. r. r. r.
can charge the passenger four cents.
Now, [ ask, what compensation is ten
cents mile for running train of cars over
railroad situated as those two are? The
NJ. & W R. Road to the Coffee House is two
miles and cost over seventy thousand dollars,
of which the double-track bridge and the
land damage exceeded twenty-six thousand.
Surprising that the Central gives Barre three
passenger and two freight trains per day, as
Gov. Smith said they should it would make
twenty miles run, amounting to two dollars.
Any one can see that this pittance is not one
per cent of the cost, allowing nothing for
wear and tear of iron, ties and road-bed, or
for fencing, care of section-mon and switch
men
That portion of the proposition designated
by Nos ,, 3, and affords no reasons. for
complaint.
But how is it about No. 4 ? Does this look
like free use of its baggage-room, its sitting
room, its lights and fires g the Governor
ioresaw," as the editor or correspondent rep,
resents it?
TIE question was asked the Governor
Would the Central allow the Wells River tC
run trains over their road TO the junction or
the same terms OF his offer for the Barre
road over the Wells River? His answer
was, {" Oh, no think you don't want to
do that 1t is wholly unnecessary. There i,
danger Of collision of trains, but the Central
would draw the Wells River car charging
three cents per mile for each passenger, and
the Wells River charging and collecting Of
the passenger four cents, (the distance to the
Junction being 52-l00 miles would max,
a profit of one and one-half cent to the Wells
River Company on each passenger.
And it was further asked, Does this col
lectins of fares apply to all passengers going
to and from the Junction? 1t was ans wered
it did not-Only to those who purchased
tickets from one road to some station on the
other-not otherwise. For instance, if pas
senger buys a ticket from .IidiIesex to
Montpelier, and then from Montpelier t.
Plainfield, the Wells River Road gets nothing
Does this look like an income Of seven cents
for each passenger, and that the Wells River
Company would receive on fifty plssen gers
PER day for year. an income of clever
hundred dollars? and is it a fact that the only
money to be paid over by one party to the
other, is to be paid by tue Central?
Let US apply little arithmetic: Suppcsine
that thew ellis RIVER Company have an income
of $ll00, there would have to be sold 10. 33;
tickets from one road on to the other in /
year, or 235 each day, Amount of fare tC
to be collected by the Wells River Company
is S4400, of which the Wells River Com
pany would have to pay to the Contra
$4,000, according to the terms of Gov
Smiths proposition.
Were the statements of the Argus correct
| have no hesitaEcy in saying that the D.
rectors of the Montpelier and Wells River
Railroad Company would have lost no time
in closing the contract.
JOEL FOSTER, JR.