Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-12-24

! CONSIDERATIONS.
The charter Of the Wiscasset & Quebec
Railroad Company and acts additional thereto
authorize the construction OF railroad from
| Wiscasset. Maine, to the boundary line
between the State Of Maine and the Province
Of Ooebec, either alone or in connection with
the Messalonskee & Kennebec Railroad
Company and the Somerset Railroad Com
pany. or with either of the two last-pamed
companies.
At the boundary line it will be met BY and
connect with the Point Lewis kenneoec
RaiIrav, which extends from the boundary
1 line to Point Lewis, on the southern oank OF
the ST. Lawrence River and Immediately
opposite Quebec, following for the greater
part Of the distance the course OF the Cnau-
diere River.
The entire distance from Qlebec to Wis
ca-set BY the proposed road is 24l miles
The length of the several sections IS as
follows: From Wiscasset to Augusta, 20
miles; Augusta to Oakland, IL miles; OAK
land to North Arson. 25 miles; North Ahson
10 Bingham. l6 miles; Bingham to the Forks,
22 miles; The Forks 10 crossing OF CANADIAN
| Pacific at Moose River. % miles; NJ Dose
River Junction to the Boundary, Is miles !;
The Boundary to st. Joseph, 40 miles; st.
Joseph to Quebec, As miles.
A norton of the Lewis & Kennebec Kali
road from Quebec to ST. Joseph, distance
| of forty eight miles has been completed and
ls now being operated by the Quebec Central
Rqilwsv Comtanv. The Somerset Railroad
| is completed and in operation from Oakland
TO North Arson, a distance of twenty-five
miles There remain therefore uncompiet"d
sections from Wiscasset to the Canadian
Pacific crossing, sggreeating one hundred
and nine miles, and section of finy-eight
miles from the crossing to ST. Joseph.
INITIAL STEPS
Although the value of this line had been
perceived and charters covering the route
had been obtained several wears before, no
action looking to the immediate execution OF
the undertaking, MS whole, appears TO have
been taken prior to the steps referred to at a
conference of the friends of the projected road
and representatives, of the several companies
composing it. held AZ Augusta, Maine, on the
Goth of January, 1876
Henry Ingalls,, E.q.. of Wiscasset, Presi-
dent of the Wi.ca.set & Kennebec Railroad,
informed the conference that a survey OF the
road from Wiscasset 10 Augusta was made
by Col. A. w. Wildes, in 1872; that the line
starting from the deep tide waters at Wi'cas
set would pass through the town of Alma,
the village of Kings Mills IN Whitehed, the
National Military ASYLUM At Togns, to the
City uf Augusta, Il distance OF 20 miles; that
the route WAS feasible and the road could be
built for $4,000 per mile.
Col. A. w. Wildes. who was present, con-
frmed the statement of Mr. Ingalls, as to the
feasibility of the route.
Col. II. A. Dewitt of Augusta. President
of the Messalon. kee & Kennebec Railroad,
presented the preliminary survey of the route
between Augusta AID West Wsterville NOW
O,kland) by Thomas Appleton, Esq of Bos-
ton, showing the distance to be 10 6 miles,
estimated cost SIT 900 per mile, reckoning
the iron at S54 per ton. Col. Dewitt ex-
pressed his belief that an accurate survey
would shoy a considerable reduction of this
estimate of cost
A letter was read bv the Secretary from +.
Hemers, Secretary of the Lewis & kennebec
Railway, expressing regret that the road
would be unrepresented at the conference on
account of the preparations for the annual
meeting of the company on the first of Feb
ruarv. He would say that they would join
the people of Maine both heart and soul in
the grand project.
William Atkinson, Esq Of Embden, At
the request of the Chairman, read an inter-
e,ting paper presenting very fully the i'm
portance of the PROF ,ct aud urging the con
sderations which give the foremost value TO
the road rs a link in a new international
highway.
The meeting was addressed by several other
gentlemen, ali of whom spoke in earnest
terms of the desrabiliry of the road and
urging that the enterprise be pushed to
speedy consummstion
In March following the conference, party
ct Cansdian gentlemen consisting of His
Worship Owen Murphy, Mayor of Quebec
r. r Dobeil, A. X. Anglers, AIT rney Gen
eral; +. Beaudet, President of the Lewis &
Kennebec Railroad; Jas. Patton, Chss. A.
Scott. MIR Larochelle, F. X. Lemieux, J. W.
Cunningham. L II Demer., Gen. Seymour,
visited the valley of the Kennebec in order to
promote the railway connection of Qaebec
with the ocean at Wiscasset.
On the 30th of March a largely attended
public meeting was held at Granite Hall. Au-
gusta An address of welcome was made by
Mayor Nash OF Augusta, and the meeting was
addressed by the presiding officer, Gov Con
nor, Henry Ingalls, Esq, Col. Dewitt, Will
liam Atkinson, George b. Sawyer, Capt Jos
eph Tucker, Ira d. Sturgis, Hon John L
Stevens. aud BY His Worship Mayor Murphy,
MIR James Patton. Wee President of the
Lewis & kennebec Railway, Attorney General
Anglers, aud others.
In the course of his interesting speech
Mavor Murphy said
nYou tap one of the finest sections in the Province
of Quebec bringing you in close contact with six OF
the best and richest counties in the state They con.
tain 25 900 inhabitants according lie the census OF
o. and or aduce annually g. 90 0O0 bushels Of grain
and 2 900 600 of the various classes OF vegetables
10000 IONS of hay. 100000 pounds OF BIZ ter 1000
600 pounds o. maple sugar. they have live stock val
ued at 100000, aud have six hundred thousand
acres under cultivation
THIS ROAD FROM QUEBEc TO THE SEA
as a means of aforiing that city an unsurpas-
sable winter harbor and bringing the valley
of the Kennebec into closer business rela
tious with the valley IF the Chaudere and the
city and province of Quebec. seems more
than ever desirable to its projectors and
friends. They fully believe that viewed in
this comparatively local light the road would
richly repay its cost and be of great benefit to
| both the State of Maine and the Province OF
Quebec Apart from the mutual prosperity
resulting from this direct intercourse, the
combined interests of all the sections and
communities affected by the road would be OF
sufficient magnitude to secure direct com
munication with Boston and New York BY
lines of steamers plying between Wiscassei
and those ports. As a line of pleasure travel
a route by steamer from New York to Wis.
casset and thence by rail up the picturesque
valley of the Kennehec and along the Chau.
diere to the city of Quebec, which in its own
uuaintness and the grandeur and beauty Of
its natural surroundings is so attractive to
tourists, would undoubtedly be well patron