New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-23
FROM BOSTON TO CHICAGO.

TIDE-wATER TO THE LAKES 200 MILES NEARER
THAN ANY oTHER-MEN WHO ARE INTERESTED
IPRoM An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRfBUNEl
BosToy. Feb. 2O.-lIaving finished the Hoosac
Tunnel and put in successful operation Massachusetts
is now questioning how to dispose OF to the best aVa-
tage Various schemes proposed, each one having
more or support in the present LEGISLATURE whch
has mower TO decide question II 1t WILL Special eSS-
laon must had before any hing can be DONE because
the State has full control of the Hoosac Tunnel ana the
Troy and Greenfield Railroad. special legislative com
mttee OH this subject is now taking evidence ana from
its very nature this evidence bears upon all the schemes
proposcd because is mainly devoted to showing inc
need and probable profit Of and independent line
from Boston to Lake ontario and Chicago.
The scheme first presented to the committee was that
Of Edward Crane OF Boston, who has reached the c0ncl-
sion that the state the proposed line and run
il much rs a common highway He therefore proposes
| company of 80 named III the bill Incorporating IT,
OF these 80 six shah go out OF Office annually ana their
be by the Legislature This company
is to $3J 100000 capital, whose bonds shall Dc
guaranteed by the state and shall have power TO lease or
hire any necessary order to make up its line In
Massachusetts, it IL proposed To take the Fitchburg
Massac Central Boston and Lowell Boston, Barre
aud Gardner and Troy and Greenfield roads, thus giving
twodiotnc and parallel lines from Boston to tie tunnel
West OF the State line it proposed the Hudson
at AIrchancsvilc, thence 20 Bason and Trenton Fails
From this latter point communication with the lakes
would he had by way the Utica aud Black River ROAD
! to Clayton, by new road To point near Puiashi
From Trenton Falls, also hnc would he opened along
the southern of Lake Ontario by leasing the present
] roads and putting in such connections "a might DE
thought best Through Canada 1t is proposed to follow
the Canada Southern and for the remainder OF the dis
lance such Of the several competing INES as can
be most simultaneously leased The projectors OF TINS
scheme believe that they will be able to carry freight so
cheapy between Chicago and Boston that VIII practl
cay give the proposed line monopoly OF the business
r will lac Y,
the road is to have only comparatively small capital on
which to pay dyilcnds and dividends ara to be limited
| To 2lg per cent snmi-annually.
The scheme OF Gen. Burt. cxPostmaster OF Boston Is
radi,alIy different from the above II IL well known
that neither the Erie Pennsylvania Central nor the
Delaware and Hudson roads has been able to secure
any of the immense carrying trade between the East and
West because the NewIOrk Central and Boston ana Al
oany controlled the railroad bridge at Albany, the only
point OF crossing the Hudson. Gcu brt has laDorcd Tor
some years to p rect arrangements by which these roads
west oi the Hudson m-ht be pat in connection with
some line OF general i,ibution east of that river The
completion OF the tunnel has fully opened the way: he
| ha, perfected his angemcnts and asks only trlinS
legislation from this state before he will begin active
! law Of Nrw-York last Jauu.Jy. or tie proposed
s3jOOpUOO stock Of the company. Sl0oUOoDO Is Ia pe
! taken M NcW-lork ana Ire REMAINDER IA hp>I" 'Il
,irult. Some Ot the more pronW nj Of those d,terI
interested g this scheme Oliver Amcs, President OF
the Union Pacific Railroad; william claim tAHoN,Ihot
AlHa-dcnus us john ". Ctuder, President OF tAe
| It~f e.
o the Little Rock aud Fort Smith Railroad; Elisha At
ku- and john y. Acy, strong business men Of Boston
Blncharl Vir-Prcsidcn Of the Irie Railroad ana us
cIIcf manager und receiver Jc"ctt George IusJ OF
Fair Haven, and largely interested III securing line to
O,wc4o Fair Haven where grain shall 6e a'd down
from vessels ON the lake" p = Guthrie o! buli,o " no
ia, control OF the arrangements Tor gram tFh,l"fd.u
upon the Lakes for tine proposed new me ahd Gtorge VI
Pullman of Chicago, resident oil the IGlinah Otr Ioi-
plnv. From th, 10 Will be- seen that the men VINO are
pr,hiug The scheme are men Of capital and Influence
cen Burt proposes the Hudson AZ Mechanics
Vtlir bllib the necessary dt' -
where be will strike the Ere Canal 2;S feet above tide
water ana thus be able to take freight on muTh more
advantageous tcI1n than he could at Albany Bt5dt>
by his line following the Fchbnrg Road east oil me Jun
mel Hectady is Il muca nearer ortoh Han l. - ~
the Boston and Albany. Al schenectady also ne W"iIl
make connection with me ALBANY a9 , 9iIl,rI anna
Railroad under lease 10 the Delaware ana Hudson oial
Company, and iis OF, n to them Ini eniI5' II,G t1
of This latter ROAD estimates tHai ne yohu lf ,"u
lUGuOOO ton, OF coal annually In the Mcrrlmdc valley
| vI"ic amount demanded through New England. Then
a. Biuslnou come ctlOn would be- mide win me E.le
son but which does business each year tln the
railroads Of Massachusetts combined. The Western CON
The benefit of the East they wupld ma,' lie shore,
and best al!-ra line from ClIa-o es,"'ttu 40 i1cn
YaIcvi II pra e' to the S@IYor CENTRAL as
end Of Oncdl Lake where would connect with lines
already constructed giving II coh'llca dts Win
can b. lad down at i to l. cents per puNhel more IMAM
at Buffalo which l. very much less ma e COS vi u'dS
porting il that distance by rail In Icl, Hls new INC
would 200 miles shorter thlu ANY 0lhcr from tc-
wafer Ia the deep OF the lakes. aud OF much less
grades present., Ol the immense aus ness done ny me
NcWNOrk Central full twOtErds j. Tor New -Lhstud as
| tribIton and Boston export. BY The scheme o. Gen
Burt "a large of tins business Ouid unaEoidaby
follow the line as boih shorter ana % Hlrh noto
favorable grades AGAIN, llHn oS'nSuS tIr ro W
Boston by the new HE would also DE- lhuth shorter ana
of much less grades than either DS the udHu lluHA vi
smc Is the confidence of Cen and his associates
that they ask the stop spending money on tue
tunnel to tix "A sliding scale q; tolls at fair rate, and
discriminating favor OF the road shipping Tie most
car, through H. and they promise If this Is done TO pay
the state per cent on IT'S whole investment q" Tlpuuo
600 less, in the tunnel even II they 40 no more
| business than Is done by the Boston ana Albany:
Iut they expect TO vastly increase the amount OF
business done by that road Indeed II Is dicut 10 COM
pIchcnd The probable benefit 10 NcWLhglahd from the
rarru out OF this PLAN OF the increase Of business
that would result the Eric Penn-y iNaha Central
Delaware aud hudson, and other roaas couptthS VITA
| the New-YoIk Central by thus putting In III more
! direct aud much more favorable communication WIN
all the business OF NcwEnglaud than that road
posSsse ",S No ~ = f. o65 06o worth Of bnsness an
| nuay from the Ncw-lOrk Central
| line chef objection to putting the tunnel into the
bands Of Gen. Burt, as his desired legislation would
really result viii be that the people have general ut
that the hole IN tie mountain must he hcpt as toIl-
| gate" They like 10 think that they control what may
peculiar yet powerful, Gen. Burt would have an excel
lent prospect of putting his line III operation az last rs
brains, capital and Labor can accomplish IT, No zone sup
pos Crane bid has chance Ii presuppucs
absolute and orlc,s official honesty aud int which
not To bc found even III MASSACHUSETTS, me New hoik
and New In land railroad influence, IN which GOV Rice
/, directly and indirectly Interested, VIII oppose any
scheme loohng to active competition WIN ne N',teh
trade Tho Boston and Albany iAIrOad influence Will
against Gen. Burt ds II or amy Otlcr sound
basis rather than VITA one bankrupt ANA compelled oy
To pay running expenses am, interest from ~ earnings
The New York aud New In gland influence will be thrown
against Gen. Burt also, because his line proposes To con
with the Erie at Blnghamol where the former also
Anotncr scheme somewhat talked Of but with little
prospect of success, Is merely TO make line through
Massachusetts, To point In Eastern NcW-N 1r the
demand, however, Is for through line TO Chicago rather
than for any such portion of a line.