The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-05-24
RAILWAY MATTERS.
THE MAINE CENTRAL SHOPS

THE MAINE CENTRAL SHOPS.
Last Monday President Arthur Sewall Of
Bath, in company with committee of direc-
tors of the Maine Central railroad, visited
Wateryille and inspected the grounds on
which it was proposed to erect the new rail-
road shops. When the directors voted to
erect the shops at Waterville, they had in
mind only the erection of locomotive repair
shops. Afterwards it was decided also to
erect car repair shops. 1t was supposed that
the land at Waterville, owned by the rail-
road was sufficient for the shops. But when
an engineer was sent to Waterville from Port
land to apply plans to the land on which the
shops would be built it was ascertained fol
the first time that it was far from being
large enough for such shops as were to be
constructed, and for the necessary yard room
required for storing cars, wheels, etc.
On Wednesday .last a committee OF the
directors again visited the grounds. On
their way they were met by deputation
from Brunswick, who offered forty acres of
land, well suited to the purpose of the rail
road, and twenty-five thousand dollars. In
Portland the company has ample land for the
accommodation of the shops, and many OF
ILt directors were OriAtldlN III ldNOI VI
erecting the shops here.
This committee which visited Waterville
on Wednesday, in view of the fact that some
OF the directors favored Portland and that
Brunswick had made generous offer did
not think that it would be an object for the
railroad to go to the necessary additional eX-
pense to purchase such land as they must
have to erect the shops at Waterville. They
did decide however, to erect the shops at
Waterville if sufficient land could be pro-
cured, free from expense to the railroad !;
otherwise to build the shops elsewhere.
When these facts become known the peo-
pie of Wateryille lost no time in taking
measures to satisfy the company Friday
a subscription paper was circulated upon the
streets and twenty-five hundred dollars were
readily procured, a good proportion of which
was subscribed by the owners OF the desired
land The estimated cost of the additional
land desired by the railroad is eight thousand
and seventy dollars
Friday evening town meeting was held.
The sityation was explained by Messrs.
Ware, Webb, Phillips and Waldron. The
meeting then voted to appropriate $4,000, the
understanding being that so much of it
should be used as might be necessary to
make up the difference between $500 al
ready subscribed and the price of the land.
As this town meeting had been called with
out the proper notice bond was signed by
voters to make good the amount should a
regular meeting fail to ratify the action of
Friday night The bond was very generally
signed by wealthy and influential citizens
MINOR NOTES.
The Boston & Maine group of stocks Satur-
day was strong at 1909 for Boston & Maine,
94a to 933 for Eastern, 1891 to 129 for Maine
Central, 126 to 1861 for Worcester, Nashua &
Rochester and Eastern 6s at 12S to 1881. A
paper is said to be in circulation requesting
Eastern boridholders to exchange their first
mortgage 6s for second mortgage As under
the law asked of the Legislature. The basis
of exchange talked is 125 for 6s and 100 for
As. The latter would be accounted cheap at
par with the Boston & Maine guarantee at
tached.
Hartland Saturday voted unanimously to
subscribe $4,000 toward the proposed rail
road to Pittsfeld. There is a good chance of
its ultimate extension northward to con-
nection with the Canadian Pacific line at
Moosehead lake. The depth of the interest
in the project may be realized from the fact
that 201 votes were thrown, and, as has been
said, every one in the affirmative. 1t is
thought that this action of the town insures
the construction of the road to Pittsfeld on
the Maine Central.