The Newtown bee., 1889-07-12
Gossip About the New Road.

One of the Westport men pushing the Saugatuck Valley road is Frank NJ. Ray mond of the firm of Staples & Raymond. who is also secretary of the Westport Board of Trade. He is in position to become acquainted with the plans of the syndicate backing Moses W. Wilson in his efforts to obtain control of the She- paug and to build an extension.
 ssDo I think that the road will be builtg' he repeated. 1T do think so. I can find no reason for all this expense and labor, just now, when the Legisla- ture has adjourned, unless the road is to be, built. The conditions are, as have been repeatedly stated, that Westport shall take Sl00,000 stock and obtain the right of way for the entire line, from lIawleyville to Westport. Right here in the village, where land is valuable, nine- tenths of the land required will be given outright. They are welcome to my land along Riverside avenue. And if the will lagers can afford to give this land, why cannot those back in the country, who will also be benefited, donate strip of land? That required will not, in most cases, be valuable"
 "How much has already been sub scribed?''
 "Nearly $60,0o0, much of which is talk en in Saugatuck, though there have been no such large subscriptions as from Hor- ace Staples and Messrs Nash.n
 ''And how much do you expect New town to raise, supposing that the road is built and the spur track included?''
 "Well, $25, 1000 would be amply suffic- tent. We think that we can take care of $75, 1000 worth of stock and obtain the right of way, if Newtown will do that. This, of course, is for the main line the spur, of whose cost no estimate can be made, is another consideration"
 ''How about grade crossings here?''
 'sThere is only one, at the corner of State street and Riverside avenue, that will be difficult and we hope to be allow ed that at grade. The road will run be- tween Riverside avenue and the river uIl- til below the foundry, when it will cross the highway here and at the church be- ing carried over the tracks. An area ot flat land, near the Consolidated tracks can be used for yards and a Y, necessar. fly with a steep grade, constructed to | those tracks,"
 ''Now, who is back of all this? Is il not the Consolidated men?'
 q e l very friendly and would aid it, if neces sary; but have been personally assured that the Consolidated has no hand here. "But may not the men who have bought the Shepaug be identified, to {; ! certain extent, with the Consolidated 2 'sPossibly. I do not know. No one unless Lawyer Wilson, knows just wht | is backing himself and Chapman anl they tell no one. The Board of Trad, really has nothing to do with this mat ter, except as aiding all that will develop Westport. The project was first made public through Chapman, who appeared before us.''
 ''The sentiment in regard to the roat is''-
 Heartily in favor. If we obtail our $100,000 and I see no reason wh, we should not, the road will, in my opin ion, be built.''
 MT Raymond added that the Shepaus paid the Housatonic nearly $S0,000 fo transportation, last year, which woul, be kept at home, if the extension wa built, which would go a long ways tow ard paying the running expenses of tn new road. He concluded: stYou New town people would have good freight am passenger accommodations and your mel chants could get their supplies nor quickly and easily than any other way
 Coal, for instance, could be brought t
 Westport harbor and sent to Newtow
 cheaper than from Bridgeport, wher
 dockage is so expensive. Let the roa
 once be built and it will help you and ui
 Remember, not one dollar of stock wi be called in until trains are running"
 An interview with A. F. Bowler, til
 engineer under whose care the surve
 was made, was sought, but he and h
 men had been ordered away, without a : hours notice, to survey for a branc 5 from the Shepaug to Lake Waramau,
 the famous fishing and Summer resor
 This branch, leaving the main line
 Washington station, would be but thrt or four miles long and would afford raj
 road communication with this de1ightf
 spot. The old scheme of building 7 branch from the Housatonic at New M
 ford to the lake is also revived. Bovi a will finish his field work in few da, h and will probably survey the route f :. the Newtown spur in a short time. l. The Winsted Herald is authority s the statement that the Shepaug will q extended from Litchfeld to Winsted, ,gi 2 ing much better northern terminus.