Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-12-28
BRATTLEBORO d BENNKNGTON
ATLROAD.


WEST HALIFAX, Vt, Dec 10TH 1888.
lion. BdUdrd Cr0sjy: Dear Sr-
Seeing by the newspapers that the que5-
tion of the legality Of Bratlloboro's bonding
for the Brattleboro & Bennington railroad is
to be tested before tho supreme court, to be
holden at Burlington Jan. "a next, revives in
this section the strong interest felt for the
success of the enterprise upon which depends
so much the prosperity of this section Of the
county. A large majority Of the voters of
Wilmington and Halifax have spoken for the
towns in manner not to be misunderstood
and a section Of Whitingham has also done
her duty and the great drawback now seems
to be, and has been, the uncertainty Of Brat
tleboro, without which the action Of the 9th
er towns amounts to nothing Should Brat
tleboro prove to be legally bonded, then
comes the question Of raising the money with
which to build the road, and the location of
the road. The estimated cost of the road, rs
understand it, made by competent engin.
GERS, with proper equipments, is about S12,-
600 per mile. Now supposing the road from
Brattleboro TO Wilmington by way of Hall
fax and Jacksonville to be 2S miles, then the
entire cost of the road would be S336, 600.
Two hundred thousand of this must be capi.
tai stock of the company, the other Sl3G, 600,
if so much should be needed, can be obtain
ed by bonding the road. In 1881 there were
in operation in this state, s3G G.1OO miles of
main line, with 129 37-1OO miles Of side track.
etc, the cost, including equipments, being
S3l $50, ,52l. The earnings of these roads
above all expenses amounted TO S79S, 1856 /;
thus paying about a per cent. on the entire
expense of the roads, and the cost of these
roads was over S4l 900 per mile or about "a
times the estimated expense of this road !;
aud should the running expenses be proper
tionally small, it would make this road stock
a valuable investment provided it did bust
ness to average with the other roads and in
order to pay running expenses it is easy to
see from the foregoing figures that it is not
necessary for this road to do but a small frac.
tion of the average business OF the roads of
the state.
Aud now let US consider the resources of
the country through which the road will pass,
and the benefits to be derived from it, Will
mington, the western proposed terminus for
the present, is good smart farming town,
and, with a railroad, the natural market for
the greatest lumber region in southern Yer
mont The quantities of lumber and bark to
be shipped from Wilmington / think will
equal or exceed that of any station on any
line in Vermont, while the Deerfield river
and its tributaries will furnish abundant wa
ter power for any manufacturing which may
be started there. Coming southeast few
miles, the road will strike the village of Jack
sonville with its numerous manufactures for
using up lumber and which would furnish a
large amount Of freight Passing down North
river to the vicinity of E. Stones shops for
the manufacture of chair stock, the road
will naturally turn northeast, passing near
the village of West Halifax with its lumber
mill and large tannery, in which are used
about 600 cords OF hemlock bark year, a
large share OF which now comes from Will
mington; and with railroad facilities much
more would be brought here for market. The
road would run east from here, crossing
Green river, accommodating several large
mills for the manufacture OF lumber, chair
stock, etc, to Brattleboro. On this route,
which from good acquaintance believe to
be the most desirable, the immense water
power, at present undeveloped on the North
and Green rivers in Halifax will be accommo.
dated as well as those of the Deerheld and
its tributaries in Wilmington and Whiting
ham and with a few years OF ordinarily pros
porous times the manufacturing interests on
the line will furnish the road with all the bus
iness it can do. The farming region OF this
section will furnish considerable freight in
the farm products, especially in sheep and
dairy products, potatoes, maple sugar and
fruit while the advantages to be derived by
Bratteboro from being the market for this
entire section cannot help but be considera-
BILE. As this section increases in wealth and
population, Brattleboro cannot help increase
even more in proportion than the other
towns on the line, which will by this road
become its tributaries. Can Brattleboro af.
ford to throw away this business and give it
Shelburne Falls and North Adams, as she has
done and now is doing? Can the towns Of
Wilmington, Whitingham and Halifax, stu
atcd as they are many miles from railroads,
let this opportunity of bringing a market to
their very doors slip by? The decrease in
the grand list of Halifax from 1870 to 1886
was about one third the decrease in popula
tion in the same time was about one-fourth
The other towns on the line, though moi
showing SO large loss as Halifax, yet show
plainly the effect of being of a line of rail
road in the decline of business and prosper
ty. With these towns the question of a rail
road is a question of life and death and nov
comes the question, shall we make one grea
effort and live, or shall we give up and lei
these hills return again to wilderness Con
slider it well ere you give it up.
Yours truly, GEo. L. CLARKE.