The Portland daily press., 1874-07-13
The Portland & Rochester Railroad.

Saturday the special committee of the city
government to inquire into the condition and
prospects of the Portland & Rochester Rail
road, with President Lynch, Superintendent
Turner, Directors Shurtleff and Robe with,
other officers and gentlemen having experience
in railroad matters took a trip to Rochester for
the purpose of noting the condition of the
road.
The car in which the party made its trip first
run over the we'll known Marginal Way Rail
road, which is completed So as to form juno
ton with the track of the Grand Trunk, except
few rails at the point of connection, which
can be laid in a few hours, when the Grand
Trunk is narrowed so as to make the gauge
uniform. The Marginal Way seems to be firm,
and those building it are confident that it will
stand.
So far as the Rochester Railroad is concerned,
the city terminus with its buildings do it injus
tice, for along the line the depots are in good
condition, the bridges well built and the track
in good condition. The opinion of the railroad
men seemed to be that the road was in excel
lent condition for business, but at present It's
capacity in that direction is not tested Wheth-
er or not it will be when the Rochester & Nash
va 10 Colupl6tcu So DIS W Dldke d through line 10
New York and with the West by the lines using
the 'red. white and blue through cars. we
cannot tell. The management of the road are
very sanguine that it will secure lar5e and re-
muneratiye business. Along the line of the
road there are several flourishing towns and
some of the most beautiful villages in the state.
No more fourIshing enterprises are to be found
than at Cumberland Mills, Springvale East
Rochester and Rochester, and no more pictur-
esque and lovely villages than Gorham, Saccar-
appa, Alfred and Rochester. However the rail-
road may prove for Portland, there is no ques-
ton but that it has proved and is proving to be
of vast advantage to towns along the line, as
their increased business and new growth indi
cate. There is, also, an abundance of water
power, easily and cheaply utilized, along the
road or within few miles of it, not yet devel-
oped, which in time may be made to produce
railroad business.
There is quite important lumber trade from
the Saco and other points, and the revival of
ship building makes renewed draft upon the
oak forests of the towns along the line. Seve-
raj yards of an acre or more extent each, COW
cred with oak for ship-building and other pur-
poses, may be seen at several points along the
road. A large amount of this timber has al
ready been shipped to this city, Bath and other
points To bring this heavy timber to market,
just at a time when it is in great demand, the
Portland K Rochester will be very useful and
aid our reviving commerce as well as the own
ers of the forests.
In the village of Rochester may be found an
illustration of what varied manufacturing en-
terprises can accomplish. Besides many minor
enterprises, the village has cotton factory a
wooden mill. and the extensive shoe shops of
the Wallaces. This enterprising concern not
only makes shoes, but on the same premises
tans the leather, makes the boxes and is COM
plete in all its departments The village has
has many elegant residences, the grounds of
which are beautifully adorned. Everything be-
tokens thrift and enterprise. Its two hotels are
said to be excellent The Dodge Hotel is one of
the best to be found outside of the larger cities.
In every respect it is model which can be com
mended to those who insist in attempting, but
don't know how to keep hotel" Mrs. Dodge,
widow lady, IS undoubtedly the lskillful head
of the hotel, and if woman can succeed in
this most difficult business so admirably, it is
to be hoped that more win try it. Rochester
bas an abundance of railroad advantages, for
the Eastern the Boston & Maine, the Portland
& Rochester and the almost completed Nashua
& Rochester afford her people variety of mar
kets and ways to it, which many cities cannot
boast.
The managers and projectors oe the Roches-
ter & Nashua Railroad are said to be very san
guine of its success. They are largely the man
ayers of the Nashua 81 Worcester-a strong
corporation-and have undertaken the Roches
ter & Nashua road, 48 miles, in order to have a
through road to the seaboard. This they get to
Portland by the Portland & Rochester, SO that
the success of the line is of more importance to
them than it is to Portland
The session of the New Hampshire Legisla-
ture, which has just close. granted charter for
a road from Windham, N. H., to Lowell, Mass,
eleven miles, which gives the Portland, Roch-
ester 81 Nashua road a competing line to Bos-
ton In connection with the Boston & Lowell.
OUT Two miles longer than the Eastern line from
Portland to Boston, The friends of the pro-
posed line are of the opinion that the through
trains can be run quicker and cheaper over
this route than any existing one, because of the
less number of stations in the vicinity of Bos
ton.
IT,.