Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-30
NttmnHt GARNER
Our Railroad.

The Portland and Ogdensburgh railroad,
or at least the Vermont division Of IL, is
most emphatically result Of st. Johnsbury
enterprise, and st. Johusbury people have a
right to feel a special pride in the road.
st. Johnsbury wanted better communication,
aud the idea Of a railroad to Montpelier was
received with much favor. This would sim
ply have given us access to the western part
of the state. In some way this project fell
through, but still st. Jobusbury enterprise
and capital was not satisfied with her trans
portation facilities, and from the failure Of
the project for road from st. Johnsbury
to Montpelier sprang the grand project OF a
road which should form link in an indie
pendent route from the West TO Portland and
Boston.
This grand scheme is we'll along toward
completion, Notwithstanding the many diff
culties it has had to encounter. The
amount of favor with which any road cross
ing the state is looked upon by the Central,
Passumpsic and Grand Trunk roads is illus.
trated by the refusal of the Passumpsic to
recognize the Montpelier and Wells River
road in shipping and receiving freights, the
latter road doing all their freight business,
where connection is sought with stations on
the Passumpsic, through the Boston, Con-
cord and Montreal Office at Woodsville.
Here we are, then, with our railroad, so
much of it as lies between Concord, VT,
and Johnson,--in running order, and the re-
mainder to Swanton on the west and the
Connecticut river on the east is to be pushed
forward to completion SO soon as the new
consolidated bonds-about SS,000,000 on
the whole line from Montpelier to Portland
can be exchanged for the needful cash to pay
help and buy material. Of course it is British
gold that is depended upon in this as in all
similar enterprises, and, the Concord and
Lexington celebrations being over, our ad-
miration for the "bloated British capitalist"
is great. Yes we love the British-when
we have railroads to build or other extensive
enterprises to float.
We have small doubts Of the success of
this scheme, for we see every reason to be-
lieve that this will be one of the most prof.
table railroads in New England, and Brit
ish capital has gone readily into many much
less promising enterprises in this country.
The z. Il o. road, when completed, will be
formidable competitor with these other
three great lines we have mentioned, espe-
cially as it stands pledged to hold aloof
from all combinations with other roads to
keep freights up. Freight for all points on
or near the new road, and all through freight
from Montreal and the West for Portland,
Boston, or Europe, win go by this road as
readily as by either of the others, and if
there is not tumble in freights, (which are
more oppressive here than in the West where
the farmers have made such stir,) when
the new road is opened, we shall be surpris-
cd.
But even if the road were not built to
Swauton as proposed this season, the COM
pletiou of the Burlington and Lamoille road,
which is now assured, and OF the few miles
Of the p. & o. necessary to complete the
connection at Cambridge, which is practical
ly certain, will give us communication with
Lake Champlain, and give us cheaper rates Of
freight from north, west, and south of there.
On the whole, we think st. Johnsbury, as
we'll as other points from Burlington to
Concord, can afford to look with good deal
Of complacency at the prospect, all the while
hoping. however, that the completion Of the
whole Vermont Division this season, which
looks quite probable, may be contaminated