Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1896-01-15
Springfield Electric Road.
SHALL 1T 90 TO CHARLESTOWN OR COME
TO BELLOWS FALLS.

A Question Of Dollars and Cents Bellows
Falls Can Have the Road by Talking the
Right Way--Interviews With Leading Citi-
zens of Springfield - Some Interesting
Reading.
The following appeared in the last issue
of the Springfield Reporter:
The Bellows Falls TINES publishes a
half column this week on Springfeld's
proposed electric railway, giving interviews
with prominent business men of that town,
and as might be expected all are in favor
of our making the Falls the terminus in
stead of Charlestown.
The TINES "bclieves Springfield will
make serious error if the road is con-
structed to any other point than Bellows
Falls" and the reasons advanced
are competition in freight rates and
that the road can be built to Bellows Falls
about as cheap as to Charlestown.
Now these arguments are rather diapha-
nous and can be answered as follows
In regard to competitive freight rates
with the road built to Charestown, it
would be feeder to the Boston & Maine
and as such, are entitled to all the rights
and privileges due to the alliance, and it is
natural to expect it would be given every
legitimate advantage possible as regards
rates. Furthermore, freight rates could
not be put any higher than goods could be
delivered via Gassetts as now, and we get
our freights delivered to our door now as
cheaply as in Bellows Falls when you take
carriage into consideration, while the per-
son who lives twenty years more will see
all the New England lines Of steam roads
under one management, so that even the
question Of competition in freight rates
''will cut no ice."
AS to the cost Of construction, there is
on the one hand, five miles as against four
teen. The great bugbear for the Charles
town line is the bridge across the Connect
icut. Thus far the estimates for either
route are guess work and the apparent
cost can only be determined by thorough
surveys. There is expensive bridging on
the Bellows Falls route in addition to the
nine miles extra track construction, while
on the Charlestown route, we are given tc
understand that the iron for the entire line
and three fourths of mile of completed
track will be furnished provided connection
is made at Charlestown with the Boston &
Maine This will reduce the construction
cost by $4,000.
The Charlestown route is the natural
line for the road and would accommodate
to better advantage all north bound travel,
while giving equal accommodation to
travel south.
Springfield has always been the architect
Of its own fortune and while we admire the
enterprise Of our "cityn contemporary ir
booming things for Bellows Falls, we think
we voice the sentiments of our constituents
when we say that they will decline to fur
nish the tail for the Bellows Falls kite ever
though the desire for railroad communities
ton with us is masked with the thin veil o.
good wishes for our future prosperity
while the real animus is the prospect O
trade that would equal all that comes te
their ''cityn over the Central Vermont anc
Boston & Maine lines at present. Elimi
nate this factor and the road might be bull
to the moon so far as Bellows Falls is con
ceined.
1t is supposed that this article was
! drafted as expressive of the sentiments o
the merchants Of Springfield on this sub
iect. AT any rate it was drawn up ano
brought to the Reporter office for publica
ton. Even a superficial reading Of thu
article shows that it contains no real sole
reasoning, and was written mainly for
thrust at Bellows Falls.
a representative of the TINES was ii
Springfield for a short time Monday after
noon and obtained interviews with severa
Of the leading citizens Of that enterprisin,
village; had time permitted others woul
have been included in the list. These in
terviews are given below without comment
w. H. H. Slack of Slack Bros, manu-
facturers. "This project hasn't yet take
very definite shape; two surveys have bee
made to Charlestown, both at private ex
pense. The proposed line runs along tn
highway as far as Gould's Mills and Their
are two ways to reach Charlestown; one t.
cross the river near the Cheshire bridg
which would require a bridge 512 feet long
the other to cross on the island lower dow
requiring a bridge 1000 feet long. ] thinl
a line could easily be built to Bellows Fall
for $4,000 and personally am in favor o
going there. / think more money could be
raised than for the other. If no better entr,
could be had into Bellows Falls we coult
90 to Williams rock and 60 in on the Cen
trail Vermont The contention of the mcr
chants that they would lose trade by con
nection with Bellows Falls is, in my opinion
without reasonable foundation. We hav'
just as good stores as you have, and man!
lines of goods are sold cheaper
| F. w. Stiles, publisher of the Reporter
81 am in favor of Charlestown because
is a shorter line and would cost less t.
build and operate. ! believe mercantile
interests here would suffer by connection
with Bellows Falls. One man aptly illus
trated the situation when he said '1o'
connect little pond and large one an'
let the connection be down grade and thu
little pond is pretty sure to be drained.
understand that the estimated cost of build
ing the road to Charlestown is $4,000