Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-02-10
A RAILROAD DEAL RECALLED.

BOSTON Globe Correspondent Tells
How the Connecticut Rivev Road Lost
the Opportunity TO Get Control Of the
10 MILES Between south Vernon ana
BrattleborO.
Col. Francis Goodhue, for many years a
director of the old Vermont & Massa-
chusetts railroad corporation, which still
retains its organization, tell us of an OPP
portunity which the Connecticut River
railroad had to purchase or lease that por-
ton of the road running between Brattle-
boro and South Vernon, and which for
years and years was bone of contention
and constant friction between the River
road and the Central Vermont, and which
is practically the only portion of the road
used in its direct line by the River road
that il does not now control. Col Good
hue's story runs in substance like this: 'As
is well known, the Vermont & Massa-
chusetts road ran from Fitchburg to Brat
tleboro. via Millers Falls, then known as
CIRCUITS, and the corporation also owned
the road from Milers Falls to Greenfield.
"We leased that portion of the road
from Fitchburg to Greenfield to the Fitch
burg corporation for 900 years, and after
that our board of directors determined to
sell or lease the other part of the road run
ming from Mllers Falls to Brattleboro. A
it happened, ] was chosen one of the d.
rectors to sell or lease the road. We were
given authority to sell for 100000, and
that included the franchise, roadbed, sta
tions, land-eyerything in fact.
at seemed to us that our road would be
of value to the New London Northern.
the Connecticut River and the Valley road
running north of Brattleboro, and then
controlled by Gov Page. We notified the
three that our road was for sale and that
we would be at the fremont House i'll
Boston on certain day, ready to discuss
the matter. On the day in question the
New London Northern was not represent
ed but Gov. Page and the late Daniel L.
Harris, who represented the River road,
were on hand. l am satisfied that the
River road wished to control that portion
of the road, and l am also satisfied that
Mr.. Harris's lack of tact caused the lease
to 60 elsewhere.
ave gave Mr.. Harris a hearing first.
Ready to sell your road, are you| he said.
What do you want for it?'
"We said that we thought we should get
100000.
Just as l expected he replied. You
don't want TO sell. This is only boys play
ready to talk business; and out he went
"This kind of talk was not very pleas
ing TO us Gov. Page then had a confer
ence with us and before it was over we had
leased our road to him for - years.
after the transaction was over MI
Harris came in and was very much sur
prsed to learn that we had leased our road
and tried to have us make some new ar
| rangement with his road. OF course We
declined.
"Afterward S. NJ. Waite, then a director
of the River road, attempted to build
parallel road from South Vernon to Brat
tleboro, but was stopped by an injunction.
'Then an attempt was made to bridge
the Connecticut here at Brattleboro and
get to South Vernon by building to Hins-
dale and then going over the Ashuelot
road but Gov. Smith blocked that game
by getting possession of the charter grant
ed by New Hampshire to build the road to
Hinsdale''