The Portland daily press., 1879-11-14
THE PORTLAND g. ROCHESTER, RAIL
ROAD.
The Road Bought by the Hon. Geo. P.
Wescott in the Interest Of the Boston g.
Maine and Eastern Roads.

The Concord correspondent of the Boston
Journal says: The purchase of controlling
power in the Portland & Rochester Railroad
by the Boston & Maine and Eastern corpora
lions is an important matter, not only to the
interested parties, but as concerning railway
affairs to considerable extent in Eastern
New Hampshire 1t breaks up the through
route from Portland to Boston and New York
via Rochester and Nashua. AS is well known to
the public, passengers and freight have been re-
Gently carried between Portland and Boston
over the Rochester and Nashua route at almost
runously low rates. This sharp competition was
very annoying to the Boston & Maine and
Eastern roads, and the managers of those lines
have been patiently waiting for an opportuni-
ty to circumvent this rival route. The pur-
chase of controlling interest in the Rochester
Road was very shrewd railway maneuvre. 1t
was engineered, according to common report
by Superintendent Furber of the Maine, and
his friends credit him with doing very bril-
liant thing. At the sale, which took place in
Portland, Mr.. Furber, of course, was present;
but when he stopped bidding, the representa-
tives of the rival lines supposed they had MOTH
ing more to fear; but the final bid OF MIR.
Wescott was in fact in the interest OF the
Maine and Eastern. Under the new manage
ment the Nashua & Rochester road has re-
ceived pretty severe blow, and it is now in
effect only local line. The through passen-
gers and freight from the Portland & Roches-
ter road, are, at the latter place turned into
the Maine line and carried via Dover and
Lawrence to Boston. Close connections are
made at Rochester and thu through trains are
run on quick time. A change has been made
in the freight service between Pennington,
Rochester and Boston, which will be of great
convenience to business men. A fast mer'
chandise train now leaves Pennington Tor
Boston at about seven in the evening, thus
giving parties the privilege of loading freight
up to six o'clock What the future OF the
Nashua & Rochester road will be, it is difficult
to foretell, but its present prospects seem TO
be a little dubious. That line, as 1t IS well
known, is now operated by the Worcester q
Nashua road, but it is an elephant on the hands
of the latter. This is matter which directly
concerns the city of Nashua, which owns 2,0O0
shares of the Rochester stock. The interest
been recently cut down from to per cent
After the controlling purchase was made in
the Portland & Rochester road, Superinter-
dent Furber promptly drew check for S135,-
600 to meet the half-payment of the Maine road
and then remarked that another check OF an
equal amount would be forwarded by the
Treasurer of the Eastern road. 1t is stated
that the money used in this matter by the
Boston & Maine was ready in the treasury and
that it has surplus which has accrued above
its expenses, interest and dividends during the
past two years. In regard to the business
which comes from the new avenue out OF Port
land. the Maine and the Eastern roads have a
pooling arrangement, the line doing the work
having SO per cent. of the earnings, and the
balance going into common fund, to be dl-
vided equally between the roads. This new
negotiation solidifies the business arrangements
between the Boston & Maine and Eastern
lines and looks toward still closer union OF
those routes at no distant day. There is al
ready a large accession of freight to the Bos-
ton & Maine from the Portland & Rochester
and the former corporation is greatly pressed
for cars with which to do its merchandise bust
ness.
Mr. Furber, Superintendent of the Boston
g. Maine Railroad, takes exceptions to the
above announcement, and has written the fol-
lowing letter in reply to the above which will
appear in the Journal to-day:
To the Editor Of the Boston Journal.
notice in your paper last evening an article
from correspondent at Concord, N. H., UNI
der the head of Important RdiTodd Trans
action" which is so erroneous in its statements
that think it requires some notice. When
the city of Portland advertised for proposals
for its interest in the P. and r. Road l sent
in proposal for myself and associates, but L
did not bid high enough, and as there was
some dispute between parties who bid more
than did, the city decided not to accept any
of the proposals. but to sell at auction. L was
present at the sale but did not buy, neither is
it true that 1 drew check for S135,000 or any
other sum for the payment of anyinterest what
ever in any railroad or made any remarks what
ever in regard to what the Eastern Railroad
would do. Mr. Wescott did purchase the city's
-uI terest in the stock and bonds of the z.
and R. Road, and if he has since disposed
of it ne certainly has not sold 1T to me.
1t is not true that the through passenger and
freight business of the P. & R. road has been
turned upon the Boston & Maine road, or any
other one road at Rochester. There has been
no new arrangement or change in the 1relght
service between Pennington, Rochester and
Boston, other than the adoption OF the regular
winter time table, by which 1 have succeeded
in accommodating the people of the Dover q
Winnipisseogee railroad by running about 30
miles per day less than I did last year on the
same line.
It is not true that the line through Worces-
ter and Nashua to the east is broken up, or a
very difficnlt matter to tell what the future OF
the Nashua & Rochester road will be; The
Nashua 81 Rochester, like all other railroads.
| will nav whenever the business Of the country
through which it runs becomes sufficiently de-
| veloped as to give the line little more busl-
ness.
seems to be operating the road in the interest
| of the bondholders, for he is getting his local
| rates out of all business that comes to or goes
| from his road, whether it goes to or comes
! from the Boston & Maine, the Eastern or the
| Worcester and Nashua. The Worcester ana
| Nashua has made bargain with the Boston u
| Maine and Eastern, whereby rates are MAN.
| tanned at a reasonable and proper charge 1of
| doing the business, which is very much better
| for the business men than continued oreah-
| ing of rates and the giving of special rates to
| favored individuals This arrangement is GER
tainIy favorable for the Worcester & Nashua
Railroad. am stakeholder in the Worcester
& Nashua Railroad and not a believer in the
statement that the Nashua q Rochester is an
elephant on our hands / expect to see the
Nashua & Rochester earn all the interest that
the Worcester & Nashua has agreed to pay for
| it, and the Worcester & Nashua stock placed
| on the list at its par value, which L think
| 1,o, han,, 1onn no w OropSter
Nashua refused to have made traffic arrange
| 1nents with the Boston & Maine and Eastern