The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-11
4 NEW RAILROAD.
The Object Sought by the oxford
County Line,

County Line.
It's Articles of Association Approved But
There Is Promise of a Contest over the
Main Question Before the Railroad
Commissioners-The Washington Street
Bridge.
The railroad commissioners met in the
Aldermen's room at the City pullolhg,
Yesterday forenoon and considered Two
matters pending before them. one was
the question of the proportion OF the ex-
pense of the construction OF the new
bridge over the marginal way on wash
ington street to be borne by the city,
the Portland and Rochester and the
Portland and Portland and Yarmouth
electric railway companies.
q fter a conference with the counsel the
railroad commissioners made decree, in
substance as follows: The width of the
bridge as first planned, was "a feet road
way and 43 feet over all, the cost to be
s19, 900. The City of Portland has decided
to build bridge with forty feet roadway,
So feet wide over all, the cost to be s22,-
900. The Portland and Rochester road is
to pay one-quarter Of the $4,000, the
Portland & Railroad company one-eighth
of the $40, 900 the Portland and Yarmouth
Railroad company one-eighth of the &c.,,
600 and the City of Portland the rest, also
the $4,000 extra needed to make the 1922, 900
for the forty foot bridge. All the parties
have agreed to the provisions of this de-
cree the Yarmouth road however, with
the express understanding that this agree
other bridges on their line. The Washing
ton street bridge is to be completed July
81.
Then the commissioners took up the
articles of association of the Oxford
County Railroad Company. This COM
pany has been formed to build line of
steam railway from Bryant's Pond on the
Grand Trunk across to Rumford Falls
with branch line from point in Rum
ford between Rumford Point and Rum
ford Center to Andover. The distance by
the proposed route from Rumford Falls
to Bryant's Pond is about 10 or 16 miles.
With the Andover branch, the total length
of the road would be 80 miles. The in
corporators are Daniel F. Emery, Jr., Of
Portland, 400 shares; Garrett Schenck of
Rumford Falls, 900 shares; John T..
Eustis of Portland, five shares; Albert
D. Eustis of Cambridge, 50 shares; W. H.
Ames of North Easton, so shares; J. H.
r1,o
L1ttlefeld of Rockland, one share; James
Mitchell of Calais, 600 shares; Fred A.
Libby of Portland, one share; W. Cham
berlain of Portland, two shares. The
capital stock is $3.50, 900. The promoters
of this enterprise say that it will be of
great value by opening-a short route be-
tween Rumford Falls and the timber
lands on the Grand Trunk from which
,, the big Rumford pulp mills will receive
large quantities of lumber. Now the 1um
Der from this region must be hauled down
the Grand Trunk to Mechanic Falls and
then back over the Portland and Rumford
Falls railway. The new line would
effect saving Of 40 miles in the length
of the haul. Beside that it is claimed
that it would open up country now
without railroad facilities and capable of
giving its line good business.
On the other hand the Portland and
Rumford Falls road and the Rumford
Falls and Rangeley object to the new
road as not required by public necessity
and convenience. The new company is
organized under the general law and the
matter came before the commissioners
yesterday on the question of the approval
of the articles of association. The statute
provides that if the articles of association
are found to be in accordance with the
law the commissioners must approve
them. This approval extends only to the
organization of the corporation. It is
not an approval of e.location. 1t gives
the proposed corporation right to make
survey and present a permanent loca-
ton for the approval of the commission
ers. Then the commissioners order a
hearing to determine whether pub lie con-
venience and necessity require the build
ing and operating of the road. If they
do so find and also approve the location
hen the company is authori zed to proceed
with the construction of it's road after the
settlement of land damages. The first
articles filed were objected to at the hear
ing in Augusta as being defective The
commissioners found them defective and
they were dismissed. The new articles
which were presented to the commits
sioners yesterday were found to be in
form and no objection was made to their
approval and they were approved by the
commissioners. The company will now
make it's location and apply for it's ap-
prevail. On this question the hearing
will be held at Ru1nford Falls and then
the counsel for the existing roads will
present in detail their reasons for oppos-
ing the new line. Hon. Charles E. Little
field is counsel for the Oxford County
company. Hon. Henry B. Cleaves repre-
sents the Runford Falls and Rangeley
Lakes and Hon. George D. Bisbee, the
Portland and Rumford Falls.
Later in the day, thes commissioners
made trips of inspection over the new
track of both the electric roads.