Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1896-07-22
The Springfield Electric Road.

Work was ACTUALLY UcSuu on Ino electric
railroad last Thursday by gang of sixty
Italian graders about half way between
Cheshire bridge and the line of the Boston
& Maine railroad. Charlie Murphy is the
boss. Engineer Nash expects to have the
half mile stretch from the bridge to the
junction with theNB. & M, ready for the
ties by to-day, and if the rails are forth
coming by tomorrow or Friday cars can
be switched over the line as far as the
bridge so as to bring material for the
bridge.
The old Cheshire bridge is being stripped
and the boards used for the Golfer dam
around each pier and the work of grouting
or concreting the piers will soon begin.
Meantime the Bridge company are pushing
the work on the steel work of the bridge
and will soon begin to ship and erect it.
Contracts were made last week with the
Jackson & Sharp Co., Of Wilmington,
Del, for first class passenger coaches and
freight and motor car. To the Dimond
Truck & Car Gear Co., Of Kingston, N.
Y, for Dimond trucks to put under the
cars. A contract has been closed with
w. H. H. Slack & Bro, to furnish 200
horse power at all times to operate TIE
road with. This will give ample power
and good train service.
The Reporter says that the Italians are a
good looking, we'll behaved set of men. A
visit to the Italian camp near the new rail
road is interesting. A large shed, 2Ox4O,
has been erected with hunks in it for 12O
men if necessary. A portion of the shed is
boarded off for store and sleeping room
for Charlie Murphy and his partner, who
furnish the supplies of all kinds to the
laborers. Each man buys whatever he
wishes and cooks it himself. Little holes
in the ground with cobble each side on
which is laid broken railroad link or any
piece of iron that comes handy. The
forests near by are foraged for fuel. Some
of the most enterprising have fashioned
rude seats and tables with pieces of boards.
Each laborer is numbered and has a cor
responding brass tag, so that in drawing
his weekly stipend he can present his num-
Der and get the amount due him. The
food will consist of variety that is dear
to the race and embraces potatoes, veal,
salt pork and beef, maccaroni and bread
S. S. Washer having a contract for u
loaves day. Breakfast and supper are
the chief meals, as the time is too short to
prepare an elaborate spread for dinner
Sunday is the time that the laborer gets up
a good dinner for himself.
Charlestown people are getting pretty
well warmed up over the question whether
the road shall 60 down Main street or not
Those who pay the most taxes and are in.
terested in keeping Charlestown what il
now is, the most beautiful country village
in the whole Connecticut valley are op
posed to having the most beautiful stree
disfgured by trolley poles and wires. The
Reporter correspondent of course favor.
the Main street route as it claimed that i
would bring more business to the road
more people would take the cars if they
passed directly by their doors. 1t il
claimed that this summer business amounts
to very little to Cbarlestown anyway, etc.
etc. Perhaps the revenue derived from
transient summer boarders is small
but what about those, who attracted BY
the natural beauty Of the village have come
here and bought homes and help pay tn,
heavy taxes? Again how many of thu
laboring people who might work in Spring
field and live in Charlestown would b.
benefited more by going down Main stree
than down the railroad to the station
This is the class who will give the road tn
heaviest business. We know that yer,
many who have the future welfare o
Charlestown at heart and would like to Sc,
her have better days do not favor tn
Main street route.