Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-04-09
KNOWS LAY OF THE LAND.
How President Of 3 "A Saves Thousands
10 the Road Aroostook's Railroad Plan.

4 Friday. Hon. Albert A. Burleigh. presi-
| dent of the Il. Il A. and his son. Preston
| n. returned to this village from their
| work on the Limestone branch pre-
! liminary survey says special dispatch
TO the Lewiston Journal. Their labors
1 are only partially completed. They were
| Obliged to discontinue work UNEXPECTEDLY
4 on account of an accident that broke
their engineering instruments. But they
will proceed with the work next week and
expect to have their profile completed be-
/ fore spring opens.
| President Burlegh informed the Jour
nal representative that he was already
| far enough along with the lines survey
4 TO Indicate to him that the road can be
] built at a very moderate cost over Il route
| feasible and offering little or no natural
| difficulties. The line. which is to extend
| from the Bangor & Aroostooh terminus
al Caribou to Limestone village will be
eleven miles in length.
! I'VE shall follow down the north bank
| of the Aroostook river to Gfimes's mills
| four miles from Caribou" says Mr., Bur
leigh. Here we shah have one station.
| There is a saw mill here that turns out
long and short lumber At Grimes's mill
we shall cross the Madawaska river over
a steel bridge $50 feet long and shall leave
the Aroostook river. The line will follow
| a brook and cross the northwestern cor
nor OF the Fort Fairfield upper township
/
| lage Near the Fort Fairfield line we
| shall establish n flag station and build
/ siding for loading freight cars.
| Il do not think the public has properly
| appreciated the Importance of this road
| as q feeder OF the b. 4 A. line. Lime
stone. it's area compared with the double
| townships Of Pressure Isle Fort Fairfield
| and Caribou. raises more potatoes than
| any other town in Aroostook. Further
! more its four starch mills, saw mills and
| other minor Industries and all its tillaSc
| lands are all developed and are well-pop-
ulated. Now practically all its freight
goes to the Canadian Pacific road, or, say
seventy-iiVc per cent. goes to that line.
| This practice is followed simply on the
ground of convenience. With our line in
there we can offer advantages that Will
practically shut the other road out from
competition. From Grmes's mill alone
we shall get two hundred carloads per
annum that have hitherto gone to the G.
p Mr. L. l.. Houghton will give US
about one hundred carloads from his big
farm near the Fort Fairfield line Then
from Pleasant Ridge township to the
north and from broad section of c0un
try through the middle Of which our lire
will run we shall draw the freight that
has hitherto been hauled to the 9. T..
Now the peculiar advantage 10 the u.
& A. road of this transference of the
traffic will consist in the fact that the
the long haul from Caribou to Oidtown.
General Manager Cram and myself have
very carefully figured the matter over
and our computations. making liberal
discount show that the new hEe Is bound
TO pay a profit TO itself and the trunk line
from the start. The business is all de
veloped and waiting for it. More than
that, the census shows Us that the road
win accommodate more people than the
Ashland branch that Is nearly four times
as long.
President Burleigh and his associates
will build the Limestone road as an indie
ne ndent line and will then lease II TO thu
b. X A. as the Maine Central now pos
sesses the Dexter branch and other aux
niary lines. Considering the above facts
rs to its possibilities as feeder II may
be seen what q valuable acquisition to
the big country road the new branch VIII
President Burleish says that the rails
have been contracted for and consider
able Of the other equipment The WORK
Of moving earth viii be continued as soon
as the ground is clear.
As in the case Of the Ashland ana rat
ten branches President Burleigh and his
son Preston viii make all the surveys.
The. tall head of the big Aroostook sys-
tenn Is one of the most interesting ran
read men in the country. In the hrs'
place few men have had SO varied an eX-
DO rience in the Wild regions Of Maine.
He has the science Of ''roughing il re-
6i:ced to a fine art. He has tramped tire
woods of Northern Maine from end 70
eI;d and in dozens of broad townships ne
knows every valley. ridge and water
course. Many towns he has lotied win
surveyors Instruments.
"A think ! have Skinned about as many
trees with climbing irons as man
ought to-" he remarked to the writer
with q smile. 'and what country
haven't walked over I've seen from
trtG-top.
For thirteen years Mr. Burleigh was
county commissioner of Aroostook ana
traversod the wild lands continuously IN
that capacity.
He is now Just as ready for tramp
over leagues OF snow-coNcred VIVA ldlo
MS ever and undertakes teats of cApiora-
tiou that would fatigue most young men
of pretty lusty build.
lie came in from his Limestone survey,
Friday with face hronzed by the Mar1h
winds The trip had been straight over
the bills and valleys heared with snow
a,d slippery with icc-coatng-a Journey
on foot with instruments and chain re-
aufring a heroic constitution but the
n,esitlent Of the 3. x a. says he enjoys
ii and Furthermore with the exception q
his SON Preston. his mainStaN ~ raiifN !"
OF crattouS. he would dcpute such rtSl"li-
s{i,l.. ur,.iiminarieS to no one else. ilrSi-
MT Burleigh Is considered by his assoc
.ef axes; as Il genius in railroad surveys.
'rhos, who have watched his work say
that he can save more coHStFuetloh
money by his preliminary work than amy
engineer in New ENGLAND. This WAS ct
f.stuaIly demonstrated in this eonstruc-
ti3n of The Ashland branch-thirty mics
of which lire WAS run straight through
tn woods The president put on ms oiu
clothes and took to the bush, traVerSlnS
ha region over and over until there was
l.. 49, 81 ty.fsr