Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-02-05
g etsonntp a'rnlo,
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY ut
tn EBas H!lJ A'!li Association,
GUILDHALL. Vt, Feb. 8. 1876.


We are living in an age Of keen,
tireless research and bold experiment
in all the domain of every day praeti-
cal affairs. New questions, new pro-
iects and new theories are constantly
coming to the front and giving chal-
lenge to public attention, and the world
moves with accelerated motion from
year to year, in the way of adopting
one new improvement after aneth er.
until the inventive genius of men would
seem to have reached IFS eliminating
point, where it must of necessity rest,
for the reason that there is little, if
anything mere to lie invented lit
the whole realm Of science, or art, that
can be of practical benefit to mankind &.
And men are lost when contemplating
what arc to be the future developments !?
When railroads were invented, and the
iron horse began to move at will over
plains, through forests aud over noun
tains and rivers, it was thought that
the internal commerce of the country
had secured the most perfect system of
inland transp ortatiOn that could be de =
viscd by the ingenuity Of man. Every
part of the more densely populated
portions Of eur country has been liber-
ally provided with railroads running in
all desirable directions. And after
many years of study and practice, the
engineering skill of the country settled
npon 4 feet IL inches, as the uniform
width for the entire railway system of
the country, and as the matter became
permanently settled, another practical
innovation comes to the front, claiming
to upset the old system and adopting
3 feet or the narrow gauge width.
Two great and efectual arguments III
favor of it is, the cost of construc-
ton aid operation is less than one half
of the old system.
Nearly all the railways that make
up our great system have been built,
and equipped upon the most wildly ex-
trvagant principle. Many of the great
lines of the country are said to repre-
sent cost of from 100000 to $780,
600 per mile, in stock subscribed, bonds
issued, watered stock, &C., and the
whole aggregate Indebtedness of the
railway lines, and the towns and cities
that have aided them, and the sight is
simply appalling and it is becoming
more and more apparent that the sc
debts can never be liquidated in lc
climate way, and in this way through
the reckless extravaganza, and moral
turpitude of the men that operate these
swindling schemes, honest men loose
their money, 1t is said, and doubtless
truly, that these high priced roads cal
be duplicated for 100000 per mile
and that narrow gagged roads can b'
built from $4,000 to $4,000 per mile
There arc many narrow gauge road
chartered and in process of building
Strong efforts are being made to bulk
and equip a narrow gauge road running
almost the entire length Of our state
of course the towns through which i
passes are called upon to aid in the con
struction, and several have voted so tt
do. But the scheme is put to rest fo
the present, for some of the NOR,
wealthy towns on the line have voteC
not to aid. 1t seems very strnge t.
some people, that with all the careful
guards now put about towns in aiding
railroad corporations that they Shout,
not vote SO to do. Bat they hav,
doubtless learned that railroad stock il
merely name, and its worth less tha
vapor. They doubtless have heard tn
wall OF to many other towns in tn
state, that have paid honest money 70
nothing, and have learned wisdom. 0
The services Of Mrs. Abbie B. Bicl
fIrl Of Ennr.n n LII ,uiE. oR tLo L. 4