Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-09-18

| the Grand Southern railroad of New bruns-
wick, which runs from Carleton. opposite 81.
John. New Brunswick. to ST. Stephen op-
posite Calais, Me When this line was built,
| shore line from Calais to Bangor was in
contemplation, as continuation OF the
! Southern. making this route the shortest rail
| line from ST. John to Boston. All the coli
| onel'. pngnacity was called for in his building
| of the Grand Southern He had to fight pri
vate interests and the Dominion parliament,
/ intrigues and law courts politicians and capi-
talists They loaded him with injanctions
and all sorts OF writs They tore up his rails
and ii up his engines. For two years. from
| 1877 till 1879 the railroad stood still Not
stroke was made on IT, During this time the
! colonel nearly died in the streets OF London,
/ where he was endesvorlng to get Trusted FOR
biz rails. He won y scratch a. billiard
/ ist would say. Prices were then away down.
/ He bought !. 900 tons OF rails At a very low
/ figure lust as the boom started. and made a
handsome thing on them This sci him on
bis feet He succeeded in securing and
holding, against all opposition, subsidy of
si76, 900 from the Dominion government.
The colonel thus finished part Of his scheme
ard soon after started his campaign in Maine
for its completion.
The Grand Southern is 50 miles long and
pd-Ffs tiiiDuEu bt"hs -ft"
wick, having good field at each terminus,
but poor local business. The extension, or
the proposed Shore Line. as the colonel
think will make it part of the great high
way to the United States for the people of the
maritime provinces. OF the proposed 1870
miles Of the Shore Line, 40 miles, from Ban
gor to Mt Desert Ferry. have been complet-
ed as is well known, and Is now one of the
best branches Of the Maine Central system.
From Mt. Desert Ferry, the line runs through
sullivan, East Sullivan, Stenben, Cherry
field, Harrington. Columbia, Columbia Falls,
Eimunds, Whitneyville, Machias, East
Nschias, Machiasport, Dennvsville,
Charlotte and Calais, and perhaps other
towns, with a branch to Pembroke and
Passport. This line" says the colonel ''not
only gives railroad to two counties with
50 900 population. which did not have foot
of rail before, but it will furnish the best
route from st. John to Boston. and will be
fed by a population of 237 900 people in
Nova Scotia. va the Windsor ard Annapo-
liz railroad and a swift steamer which we
propose to put on from annapolis to PASSPORT
and by our Shore Line connecting with the
Maine Central and western roads, man can
leave Halifax in the morning and reach Bos-
ton the next morning. BY the present route
over the circuitous Intercolonial, he would
leave Halifax one morning and have gone
only as far as Bangor on the next. Here Is
saving IF day for every one of these $780,,
600 people who may want to go to Boston.
Making due deduction for the percentage of
people who never travel, we estimate that we
have contributing population of a thousand
to the mile"
The colonel expects to secure from Maine
towns $500 900 in furtherance of his enter
prise. and the right of way. Eight towns
have voted him $50 000and ten miles right of
way. These are Machias, East Machias,
Dennysvile. Edmunds, Columbia Falls, Co.
lumba, Harrington, and Cherryfeld. There
are ten more towns, from which the colonel
hopes to get help In Calais there is some
opposition, due to quarrel as to the location
where the road shall cross the St. Croix
river; and in Eastport, because, while the
majority of citizens favor extending aid, there
is yet number of prominent business men
who think the necessary sum should be
raised by private subscription rather than by
a tax upon the town.
The colonel is not a trained orator. but
hires nobody to make his speeches for him
lie is so well loaded with his ideas ard
speaks with so much vigor and apparent con-
viction that he is a most efficient stump
speaker when arises to address town meet
ing on the subject of the Shore Line.
After the towns have taken hold the next
undertaking will be to lay the financial foun-
dation of the road, and to get the bonds taken.
What the towns contribute will be a small
part OF the funds needed The scheme. with
us absorption and reorganization of the
Grand Southern, contemplates a total capt.
tsizatlon of three million dollars. -Lewtston
journal