The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-12-09
That Railroad to Rutland and
Newport.

Editor Of Vdtchmdn:-Many people were
glad to read in the WATCHMAN your ed
itorial in regard to railroad from Mont
pelier via Mad River valley and through the
mountains of Granville, Rochester, Pitts.
field, Stockbridge, Sherburne and Mendon,
to that grand old town of Rutland. That
project, that has been having Rip Van
Wrinkle sleep since the panic of 1878, ought
to be revived and pushed through There
seems to be just now sort of reflex wave
of enterprise and capital coming to Yer
mont. 1t is good time to take hold of pub
lie improvements when the people have
time and money Enough capital has been
lost to Vermont in Southern schemes and
Western loans in the last five years. TO
build and equip this line. But never mind
that; we are going to make more money
and have some left now. Nobody disputes
the necessity for or the desirablcness of
such "A road The state itself is interested
as it would save at least IS on the mileage
of every member of the legislature that
came through Rutland to the capital at
each session, and as much more from the
north end of the state. Then the opening
up of a large agricultural and numbering
region would be a benefit to the whole state
AZ well as the section through which the
road would pass.
This line, when extended north via Wor-
cester, Hardwick, Craftsbury, Irasburgh to
Newport, would give just what the state
needs-a north and south line through the
state; line aiming towards New York in
stead of Boston; for, while Boston may be
| the " Hub" of the universe intellectually,
and while Washington may be the center
politically, New York is the great CONNER
cal and financial metropolis, the best
market on the western continent. With
| three millions of consumers in its imme-
| date vicinity, and lines of distribution by
sea and land in every direction it is high
| time that central and northeastern Vermont
| had at least one road leading that way.
| Then new line through the mountains and
valleys of central Vermont would attract
! thousands of visitors who may have tired
! of the old routes up the Champlain and
| Connecticut river. 1t would shorten the
distance from Montpelier to Rutland about
! forty miles, and from Newport nearly as
much-it may be more. There may be some
difficulty in that part of the line from Rut-
| land to Warren as to grades, cuts and fills,
but nothing more than has been met on
other roads. From Warren down the Mad
river, up the Winooski and North branch
to Worcester thence by the "Gulf" route
to Hardwick then up Alder brook to Crafts
bury and down Black river to Newport, Ma
ture seems to have made the country iol
cheap railroad construction.
OF course, the terminal towns, Rutland
and Newport, and the central town, Mont
peier, are the ones mainly interested, but
every community along the line should helI
according 10 ltS dDllJy or dement, received
| Washington county was never found he
hind when good works We're to be done
Fifty years ago, when the first eifectua
move for a railroad in Vermont was started
her Paines, Langdons, Jewetts, Waltons
Reeds, Badwins, Howes and others stooC
at the front-a band of patriots, of whom
"a glorious remnant fingers yet" Is the
spirit and enterprise of 1913 to 1913 all gone
Nay, verify. You never know men unit
you try them. One plain farmer, on pOol
farm, offers to give 81 900 towards this road
Are there not a thousand farmers who car
do as much? If 40, il makes million dol
lars Then let the business men and cap
italists put in two millions more, and W,
can borrow the rest of the capital needed
and pay it, too, without letting the road e
on any mortgage. Railroad building ant
managing is better-lInown science to-da
than it was fifty or thirty years ago. AM
it is not necessarily the science of rascaity
either. We need this road and we are abb
TO build it. Let as more torecdrd all aLong tn
line W. c.
Washington County, December 7, 1871.