The Press., 1886-02-04
STAFFORD SPRINGS CONN. FEBRUARY 4, 1886
LoCaL rOpICs-pENN,p ANp sCIssoRED


 LOCAL TOPICS-PENND AND SCIsSORED.
 Stafford Springs, with about one- third as many inhabitants as Rockville 1ottGnd County Leader.
 W-h-e-w
 The scheme of narrow guagc rail- road from Boston to the Pacific coast is claimed to be ill the interest of New Eng land industries, and an effort is being made to interest New England in the same. John Gilman of Boston and Wor- cester is working the matter up. The plan and object Is thus stated ill circular printed in the U. s. Farm Register Beginning at Boston (on the Back Bay so called1 westerly of tho state house ; thence r1nnl-4s >.5terly through Water town, N yIand, Marlboro, Northboro and Shrewsbury to Worcester Union statioD) 1; thence northerly to Lincoln Square !; thence westerly (near the fair grounD to New Worcester, Cherry Valley, Leicester, Wire Village {R Su2dcn mills), Spencer to East Brookfield, at the junction of the B. &. A. and N. B. At this place two lines are proposed, one from East Brook field running northwesterly through the prosperous town of North Brookfeld (one of the largest boot manufacturing towns Ill the world.) E. < A. H. Batcheller t& Co.'S boot and shoe shop is located here, employing over 2000 persons. Thence the line continues northwest through New Bfaintree, one of the best farming towns in New England-NeW Braintree butter and cheese stands at the head in the Bos- ton markets thence to Hardwick, another large dairy and manufacturing town. George H. Gilbert & O., famous woolen manufacturers, are located here; this com pany is well known as representing mil lions of dollars and one of the most pros porous manufac uring companies ill Amer ica, owning and running to the full capac- ity four large mills. The line from Hard wick is proposed to follow few miles of the abandoned line known as the Massa- chusetts Central to Southworths mills, Greenwich village, and onward through a great lumber and farming section to Orange on the Great Hoosac Tunnel line. This town is remarkable for its gaowth, large manufactures made up of various kinds, chars and furniture, woolen mills, foundries, saw mills, Hunt tG Co.'S large water wheel manufactory, one of the largest sewing machine manufactories, several large hotels, very enterprising people, it might in fact be called small city of it's owD, the connection at this place with the great Hoosac Tunnel line making it the shortest and best line to the west thrrugh the famous Hoosac Tunhel This route connects with the new and first class line now opened to the public, the New York West Shore and Buffalo line and Grand Trunk to Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Detroit to Chicago.
 This new line is the grandest route for scenery on the continent 1t has the most diversified scenery through the valleys and gorges of the we'll known Green Mountain range the beautiful cities and farming lands in N. Y The falls of Mag. ara (the wonder and grandeur of the world), the lake scenery, the great forests, beautiful towns and prairies to Chicago, the great centre and metropolis of the west.
 At East Brookfeld, Mass, the other proposed line crosses the Boston 6 Albany railroad aud continuing in southwesterly direction to Sturbridge, Fiskdale, East Brimfeld, Wales, Stafford Springs, (Conn. ) Rockville, Hartford thence to Pough- keepsie Bridge (on the Hudson), Port Jervis, continuing on to Pittsburg Pa. ], the largest iron working place in America. This line will bring New England into the hears of the iron, coal and oil regions, and 
 1 50 miles nearer than today. (An Inde- pendent line all the way), bringing the coal at least to New England $1 per ton cheaper than by other lines. That item alone will be seen at glance as being a great saving, and enough to warrant the building of the road, gay nothing about the convenience and the local advantages 1 in the prosperous towns on the line, and most of the towns have large manufactor | ies of various kinds, and have not the railroad facilities they desire to connect with the large cities, Boston, Worcester, l Hartford and Pittsburg, and it is truth l fully said in all parts of the country that unless the New England people take some action that will bring the iron and coal cheaper, and return the manufactured articles at better rates than they have at 1 this time, the New England factories will be obliged to move their business west and especially a new company starting business (under this high pressure) would well consider the advantages ill the west before engaging in the east. Of course, | New England claims more wealth and skill in that way, but these are fast nov ing westerly, and 1t is a matter that needs looking after before 1t is too late. If not attended to, the great iron works about | bOSbOll, GI0 RF0dL WHSQDufu Wlf0 WOFkH at Worcester, Washburn rolling mills, the car works and the Spencer wire works, and all others will not be able to compete with western manufaotories, under the high pressure and inconvenience of many large factories not having the best of rail road facilities.
 This line, westerly from Pittsburg could cooperate with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago railroad, and give g new line to Chicago, then cooperate with the Chicago and Northwestern to Sioux City (a short link to be built from Lake City to complete the line to Sioux City, | * * * * *
 It will be said it is not convenient tc exchange freight from the narrow to the wide gauge. This would seem to some as & great drawback to the enterprise, but cars can be made to take the marrow gauge cars on to wide lines if necessary and even if the cars were obliged to be reloaded, the expense saved in building 6 line for about one half the wide line costs and the interest on the money saved ir I that way would more than ten fold pay for the reloading, and thinly settled sec tions can have branch lines to connect with this line when they could not raise money to build the wide and expensive lines. But the question to be considered is whether this enterprise is great benefit to the people, and especially to the New IEnolond manufacturers real estate own.