The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-11-06

at a cost of several thousand dollars. for
the accommodation of the public, and
spur track for the several manufactures
on the west side of the river. A score
or more of new houses have recently
been built on the flat below the village
Z. J. Bullock has nearly completed
handsome new block which he with
others will occupy for stores and offices,
while pretty hall has been provided on
the third floor.
About two years ago the agitation
began in earnest for the extension of the
Hoosac Tunnel and Readsboro railroad
to Wilmington. In April, 1889, Moses
Newton addressed the citizens of the
town on the subject and outlined the
proposition of the capitalists he repre-
sented. 1t was thought desirable to bond
the town to raise the money needed to
aid in constructing the road. That
aroused opposition and the scheme slept
again.
Nearly year ago some young men in
in Wilmington concluded to make last
desperate effort to get the town into the
swim. Among them were Hosea Mann,
Jr., Speaker of the Vermont House of
Representatives, E. A. Willard, Jr.,
Treasurer of the Wilmington savings
bank, Elmer Wheeler, President of the
Wilmington grain and lumber company,
E. H. Porter, G. d. Spencer and G. H.
Parmelee. They mapped out the town
into districts, made a house-to-house
canvass and carried Che town meeting on
the proposition to negotiate loan of
49,, 900 by means of town bonds. Then
they Invaded Nottingham, which hasn't
nearly so many inhabitants as Whining
ton, and Wilmington has only about
1900. Whitingham was pretty near
Readsboro and didn't want to run into
debt just to please Wilmington. But
finally the Nottingham farmers con-
sented to bond themselves for $4,000.
that made $4,000 and Newton Bros,
said they must have S50,00O before turn
ing the sod. These young men now ap-
pealed to the old Wilmington boys in
New York and Brooklyn and they got
$210O; North Adams merchants sub
scribed $4,000; the r. Bliss manufactur-
ing company, $500; Elmer Wheeler,
$1,000 and the Forest and Stream club of
Wilmington, S40O. The rest was made
up in small subscriptions ranging from
$40 to 800 by the residents of Whining
ton
Some gave money outright while
others took stock. The route was finally
located on the south and east side of the
river and work begun.
The most difficult turn was encount-
cred just out of ReadsbOro where it was
necessary to make a curve of IS degrees,
the sharpest by two degrees on the road.
The town of Nottingham decided to sell
the roadway to the railroad which
skirted the river bank from the Graves
place in Wilmington to ReadsborO,
which afforded much better and cheap
er grade than could otherwise have been
secured. This cost the company it is
said $4,000. Prof. Hazen of Dartmouth
College was the principal engineer in
laying out the route.
The first station after leaving Reads
boro for Wilmington is located at the
Davis bridge, where notable changes
have been made. The school house has
been boosted" bodily to high land north
of its former location, and the work of a
steam shovel has transformed the play
grounds of former generations into
level plot for the comfortable depot and
possible side tracks. Just below is the
brick plant of A. J. Hull, which, to-
gether with the product of the Whiting
ham chair factory of Sawyer, Hull &
Wheeler, the wool carding industry of
Calvin Baker, and the Whitingham Shoe
Co., owned by Moses Newton and others,
will be likely to furnish large portion
of the freight from this station; while
those who will be drawn by Whiting
hams summer attractions, including the
floating island on Sadawga Lake, are ex-
pected to contribute to the passenger
traffic. Jacksonville people and those of
the east part of the town are given a sta
ton, four miles from the village at the