The Portland daily press., 1889-01-12

L
who fought for thu Union in the late war. A
provisional list of names has been printed,
and will be supplied by the college librarian
1t is requested that errors and omissions be
reported at once, that the list may pe fin
ished by January /, 1889. Nearly 800 names
are included in the list already made up.
The Portland & Rochester Extension.
To the Editor Of The Press:
AT the meeting of the Mayor and Alder
men on Tuesday evening last, on the extern
sion of the Rochester railroad, think it was
fully established by the friends of the scheme
that they were not ready to make the change
asked for, but only wished for authority to
do it when they wanted it. We all must
agree that it is most important step to the
city, and we should hesitate and weigh every
objection before making any decision. 1t is
fact that the Boston & Maine owns the
Rochester road, and the controlling interest
in the Maine Central, ,and when $5 is charged
for the transit of car Of merchandise from
Commercial street to Woodford's, and thence
to the Back Bay by the Rochester, who gets
this So? Is it not the Boston & Maine? And
why should S. be charged for that transit
| when the Maine Central, which is the Bos-
ton & Names will load car of Inerchan-
| disc at their freight depot In Portland for
| Brunswick and haul it to Brunswick and
| charge only 50? Why this discrepancy? If
the Rochester road, which is the Boston &
Names is so very anxious to build up manu-
factures on Back Bay, let them reduce it one
half and then they are well paid.
LOT ne look nj our MARGINAL yVav ao~~oo.
ing with the Grand Trunk at Fish Point,
| hundred thousand dollars. What does the
Rochester railroad charge for hauling a
car of merchandise from the Grand Trunk at
| Fish Point to Back Back? Two dollars and
| a half. Does the city receive anything for
| its improvements of the Marginal WAY?
| Not dollar. Then who gets this two dol
| lars and fifty cents? The Boston & Maine
| indirectly. Now say, and every business
man and manufacturer in the city of Port
| land will think confirm it, that our termi-
| nal facilities and railroad connections are
second to none in New England. But it is
everything put on the Back Bay by your rail-
roads. Let the Rochester road adopt as low
a rate as it paid for putting cars on to Com
mercial street and the wharves, and the
| Boston & Maine will accept it.
The citizens of Portland are looking for
ward to a time not far distant when the
| town of Deering will become, in territory. a
part of our city. The number of its inhabi-
tants who are engaged in business and man
ufactures in our city is large. The Back
Bay, which is now being improved by the
general government and our city, will make
great many acres of ground where now are
flats. Ii / understood Mr.. Wescott, by his
plan, the tracks of the Rochester are to be
moved below the streets on the Back Bay
some two hundred feet. When this is done.
the Rochester railroad can establish new
| line out Of our city, run line from their de-
| pot across the flats direct to Woodfords. The
Deering heirs, / am confident, would give
| them the right of way across their flats. By
| making this important change all road cross
| ings would be dispensed with till the road
reaches Woodfords. The present location of
| the Rochester through the Deering farm was
| conceived in sin and born in iniQuity by a
man who had no respect for anyone's rights.
| In making this change, the present location
| would be abandoned, and would naturally
| revert to the Deering heirs and the Deering
Land. Company. Remove the tracks and
| you have not out of the city of Portland
| so pleasant drive as the shell road. Let
| this be done and the improvements made to
| the city property and | will guarantee that
your taxable property west of the Park will
| increase 25 per cent.
This, future generations will call an ad-
| vance in the right direction.
Mr.. WeScott talks about overhead bridges
Let our citizens look at an overhead bridge
| at Pitt street in Deering, which today has
| reduced the value of property on that street
large per centage. Who wants to cross an
overhead bridge with horse and carriage at
that point, or any other point, within our
| city? The trains on the Rochester road
| come down from Woodford's Corner down
| grade at very rapid rate and il they are be-
| hind time they go little faster. The re-
| suit is danger to life and property on the
| she'll road as at any crossing of the Deering
| Land Company. This change of road bed
| can add but very little time to travel going
| West for at Woodford's they could take the
Maine Central tracks to the Union Station.
| The expense would not be increased as the
| three corporations are one. When the Back
| Bay is completed and the Rochester tracks
| moved out 1t will be readily seen that the ex-
| pense of building the road on the shore to
| Woodford's will be very light. All danger
will be avoided by crossings at grade or
| overhead and the improvements that will
follow West of Green street to the Union
| Station will Increase rapidly.
Mr.. Wescott says they don't want the i'm
| proyement today, but they want to arrange
| for it in the future. AS was fully establish
ed on Tuesday evening last the property that
Mr.. Wescott asks for Is too valuable. as he
admitted himself in his article in the PRESS
| of Monday that If the city could get $780,
| 600 he would abundon on his project. Now
| | say after examining the territory bordering
| on his project In Portland and Deering that
| In ten years the assessed value Of the proper
| ty embraced between Green street taking in
| the city property going West of Libby's
| Corner and returning, taking in the Deering
| property to our starting point, Green street,
| will have an increased assessors value of
| over million of dollars. And this whole
| territory should be held sacred to improve
ments for residences by our citizens and
those who are to fill our places when we are
| gone Ii this be done the next generation
Will say that those who opposed the Roches-