Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-12-24

| Der all that wide and unshorn land,
| Till, weary Of its gorgeousness,
The aching and the dazzed eye
| Rests gladdencd, on the calm blue sky
SAUNDERS the mighty wilderness
The oak, upon the windy hill,
| Its dark green burthen upward heayes-
| The hemlock bfoods above its rill,
| Its cone-iikc foliage darker still,
! Against the birch's graceful stem,
! And the rough walnut bough receives
The sun upon its crowded leaves,
Each colored like topaz gem;
| And the tall maple wears with them
The coronal which autumn gives,
The brief, bright sign of ruin near,
| The hectic of a dying year
The Sandy liver joins the kennebec at this point,
and in the summer season the scenery is not only
beautiful, but extremely picturesque.
We soon cross Madison bridge, at that town.
| and pass over the river, to North Anson'
| the terminus of the road, at present, where
large crowd is waiting at the new depot
to greet the first heavily laden passenger tain that
| ever moved into their village. There Is music,
| and cheers, and waving Of handkerchicts, and
bright smiles from the ladies. Everybody is hap
| pv, and many in the crowd have come many miles
| to look upon the iron horse for the first time
Even the horses, unused to such sight, snort
hoarse welcome. The depot is about three-fourths
of mile from the business street Of the prosper
Gus town.
Bnnker's Hall was opened aud in the evening
meeting was improvsed as an escape or safety
valve for those feelings of joy which would be
most disastrous if kept long pent up. The meet
| ing was not large, but what there was Of it was
enthusiastic.
The meeting was called to order by Col. Asa W.
Moore, and Albert Moore, Esq, Of Arson, was
called to preside, who on taking the chair well
coined on the part of the people Of Anson the cit
liens OF Augusta and others to this congratulatory
| meeting. Great efforts have been put forward to
execute the work, and he was grateful that 1t had
at last been accomplished. There is probably no
point where the business of the locality could have
better centre then at North Arson. We are
able to tap the business Of the upper Kennebec
the Carabassett and Dead River valleys, fruitful
| in agricultural resources and in lumber.
| j. J. Parin, Esq, of North Arson, being called
upon, said that we had met to celebrate the adding
of another link in the great ntercolonial line from
Quebec and it was the happiest day in the history
| Of Anscn. Many here will live to see the IRON
rail connecting with the Lewis & Kennebec Rail-
| road or Lake Megantic road. 1t was glorious
| sight-seen for the first time last Saturday-the
| locomotive drawing full train of cars into the
village Of North Arson. He thanked the people
| of Augusta and the gentlemen Of the press for
| their interest in the upper kcnnebec. He felt as
though the line ought TO be extended now to Au-
gusta. The people there must put their hands
down deep into their pockets, and sacrifice as the
people OF this section have done, anu the foaa VIII
| be buil,.
| Vim. Atkinson, Esq, Of Emblem, was sincerely
| and profoundly happy to congratulate the people
of North Arson on the opening of the road: 1t
was significant, not only 10 Arson, but to all the
| country rs il is part of great highway from
| Ouebec to the sea coast of Maine and Boston. It
| has deeper significance from the fact that the
| Canada government has guaranteed to complete
| the road to the State line. The Province will
| build an iron tubular bridge over the ST. Law
renee enabling them TO send directly, without dis
| charging cargocs, across the St. Lawrence. lie
regarded the building of the link from Augusta to
Wscassot as an assured fact, after the building OF
| the road from West Watervlle to Augusta Keep
| this subject before the puhlic-that the Somerset
Railroad is but a link the great nercolonial
| line
| Cot Dewitt of Augusta, President Of the pro-
| posed railroad from Augusta to West Waterville,
said he had been agrecably surprised, in passing
over the road 10 find good line so thoroughly
| constructed, ard so well handled The route had
| been surveyed from West Waterville TO Augusta,
and the engineers report iayorably. The construc-
ton of the road is only question OF time Gen
t,emcn, the road aeiU be built We don't lack the
| courage but lust now We are a little short Of
|
| money.
Nj S. L. Boardman of the Maine Farmer "a
Somerset county boy) made neat little speech
claiming that pluck or the part of the people OF
that section and onposition from the outside were
! the .a2ia Instruments Ia sae construction oI the
| road.
| Col. Asa Moore rcjoiced in the completion Of
| this enterprise lie remembered clearly when the
| first railroad was built in the nied States. This
little link, now completed. will greatly affect the
business of this section. He hoped to live to see
railroad communication from Canada to the capt.
| tai Of the State If the people of Augusta don't
| move in this matter, the capital Will move.
! Col. j. Manchester Haynes of Augusta, was
called uron and made the speech OF the evening"
| lie thought it would be more appropriate for the
| speeches to come from those who have done the
work and built the road. The ride over the rail-
road had revived in his mind the fact that this part
of the country is associated with the early history
of his ancestors. One hundred years ago his great
grandfather had visited this region in search of hos
tile Indians. The country was then IN Its savage
| state. To-day he had come over the same tract Of
| country and the happy homes, cultivated fields
and the music of machinery propelled by water
power, indicated the progress OF civilization. He
knew The character of the men that had put
their shoulders 10 the wheel in the building of this
road, and from the first inception Of the project
he knew it would be carried forward. The next
year is the centennial year, and by happy coinc-
dence it will be pleasant centennial for the peo-
pie on the line of this road. lie was glad that the
| anxiety lS ltlt 10 connect Win lie Wouiu
congratulate them upon the fact that they had at
| last got their road. When a railroad is once
built, it becomes the possession of the people. No
matter into whose hands it may fall its bencfac-
tons cannot be wrested from the peeple-what-
ever the Quotations Of stocks and bonds, the peo-
pie cannot be deprived of the benefits of the road
lie closed in abiding 20 the mighty results that
have flowed from small beginnings. and of the
possibilities to trade and the prosperity of the
country on account of the extension Of the road
Levi l.. Lincoln, Esq, and Mr.. Hill, one Of the
Directors, joined in thei. congratulations, after
which the meeting closed with three rousng
| cheers for the Somerset Railroad grand ball
was given at the Carabassett Hall, in honor of the
event, at which one hundred and Thirty couples
participated.
Thus much for the suspicious opening and now
what the prospects for business Running only
10 Norridgewook, the road has more than paid its
running expenses; and what road in Maine has
done better than that the first two years of its
! i2,e2-e Opened LOW 10 North Arson, it taps the
wide valley Of the upper Kennebec, and the lum-
her rcgiel of the Caiabas sett and the Dead river
and furnishes outlet for the immense
freight business in the product of potatoes
ship timber, and the products as well of the manu-
featuring establishments whose wheels hum busily
hy the side of every mill stream. On the bosom