Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-06-22
BETTER FACILITIES
For Travel Will Soon Be
Had in Somerset County.
Scheme to Have electrics In All
Directions from Skowhegan.
II Will All Surely MateriaIIze in al Least
Five Years from Now.


Five years ago. the Journal published
an article from this place. prophecy
ing that whiting 10 years Electric
railroads would run out of this town
in every direction. The article also
stated that it was easy to conceive of
continuous Electric car service from
the mouth of the Kennebec along the
bank of the river to Bingham, the
practicability of connecting the towns
of Skowhegan and Norridgewock by
electricity instead of steam as it was
then proposed; line to Hayden lake
and to Madison bridge; another to
Athens through Cornville and East
Madison, and the joining of the -Au-
gusta, Hallowell. & Gardiner and the
Waterville & Fairfield lines. with the
extension of the latter to this town.
The morning that the story appeared
some of the best-known business men
paid the Journal representative the
compliment Of saying that they be-
Iieved he was anything but bright
adding words that have a tendency to
emphasize their phraseology.
Today, the Skowhegan- Norridge-
wock link has been in operation for
many months; the Hayden lake line in
operation a week: by August l the
line. viii be completed to. Madison
bridge; a syndicate have Il charter foi
a line to Athens. and the Journals
silly idea of five years ago is being
rapidly realized. The dear people OF
this town have five years more in
which to connect with the down-riyel
towns and extend their electric hand
to North Arson, Scion and Bingham
Away to the westward Hes Farm
ington, town of no mean import
ance, tucked away among the hills OF
Franklin county. To that town many
business men and sportsmen so each
year. SkoWhegan sends her young
ladies to Little Blue" Skowhegar
lawyers have cases in court there
and Franklin county lawyers have
cases in court at Skowhegan. The
commercial traveller signs when h.
thinks of the mileage necessary to
reach Pennington from Somerset
county. TO reach Pennington from
Skowhegan. one must travel nearly
ton. thence northerlys to Pennington
How to overcome this amount of ira
vel is what is being discussed by Ger
tain capitalists who have decided
penchant for Electric railroads.
Across country to Pennington. the
nearest way is about % miles, but in
order to make an Electric line pay il
will be necessary to lay iron for a
greater distance than that in order to
touch the villages that lay between
the two principal points. Whether OF
not it would be best to connect Nor
ridgewock and Pennington by the
way of Mercer, New Sharon. Farming
ton Falls to Pennington. over a
course taken as. follows. from South
Norridgewock village, south of west to
East Mercer. westerly to Mercer.
southwest to New Sharon, continuing
thence Northwest to Harrington viii
lage, or, starting at Madison, termi-
nus of the Somerset Traction Co.'S
road, running west to Arson, nearly
due south to Stark. due west to Aliens
Mills, Industry, thence southwest, cut
ting through the northern point of
New Sharon to Pennington village. is
the question under consideration. The
Datter route would omit Mercer, New
Sharon and Pennington Falls. but the
instance between Pennington and
Skowhegan would be nearly the same
over both routes.
Amos F. Gerald of Fairfield, who
has more knowledge regarding such
matters than most men in Maine, was
seen by the Journal man, today, and
Mr.. Gerald gave it as his opinion that
such a line as proposed above could
be safely reckoned as among the pos
sibilities and probabilities of the near
future. Mr.. Gerald was inclined to
the belief that the continuous line
along the Kennebec river is sure to
come, and that within the time set by
the Journal, five years ago.
Will the Somerset Traction Co.
build line from it's terminus at Mad
ison to Pennington. or will another
syndicate build to connect from the
terminus of the Show
hegan- acknowledgements link? The Som
erset Traction Co. has a large freight
car, by means of which freight of any
weight and bulk whatever may be
to any point on the COM
pany's road. ItS-is. claimed that the
freight traffic alone along the route
from Skowhegan to Pennington would
nearly pay tbs running expenses Of
such road. i.
The matter Of power is easily set
tied by steam where water may fail
In conversation with well-known
citizen of North New Portland, today,
the Journal is informed that the peo-
pie in that section erfcompassed by
the three villages in the town of New
Portland and New Vineyard believe
that an Electric road through those
towns to Pennington. starting from
North Arson, four miles above the
present terminus of the Somerset
Traction Co., would pay. Any way
you look at it, Somerset county is
alive to the subject of Electric rail-
ways and something must surely de-
velop out of all this consideration.