Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-01
a GRATIFYING GROWTH.
Figures Shswias Increase Of Business, on
.. "a. Railroad.
Bangor Wing,

4 "s>Ae"e Willis arrangements he
tween the european 4 North American
stairway and the Maine Central Rai,roa,
| companies were first put into effect q,
January l. 1877. The record shows tina
the weight OF freights exchanged betwee,
al points east, and all points west O
bangor mot including that originating o.
terminating at Bangor) for the month o
January. 1872. was less than 3OO.O0
| pounds; for the entire year C1S12) abou
900 pounds.
| Inc weight of westward bound freish
alone ON one day. Saturday last. from tn.
1 Bangor d Aroostook to the Maine Contra
| exceeded 100000 pounds. 1t bids fair Il
| exceed oO,OOV,OOU pounds for the month OF
January. The interchange of tonnag.
porn ways between the Bangor & Aroos
look ana the Maine Central for the cur.
rent month must be nearly or quite five
times as great as that between the Main,
Central and the European 4 Norm
| American. the New brunswick. the Ran.
gor 4 Piscataauis and the Fredericton
Railroads for the entire year of 1872
The output of Aroostook potatoes in 1S..
was about $1,000 bushels In 1896 only
about 2o0o0O. and probably less than 15p
tons OF starch were made in rhe county.
The output from the crop of 1898 will come
wen up to 100000 bushels. 1t is es;mat-
ed that so" tons of starch were mad.
irom portion of the 1898 crop
The population of Aroostook in $50 WA .
about 5000. II the ratio of populatio tn
polls Was in the spring of 1898 the same
as in 1880, when the last census was TAX
en-. there We're about 1900 residents. I,
viii not be surprising, since the growth
continues, IL the census of 1890 shows
something in excess of 5000.
The county contains about 400. 0sn
acres. OF this less probably than 800 .Os
acres are cleared.
During the Civil War "A special rate for
hay was made from Bangor to Boston
all rail. of Twelve dollars per ton. the tar
if being aDout fifteen. The first hay from
Honlton TO Boston. 1872 was billed at
sl2.5o per ton.
Thirty-two or three years ago warm
freight cars Were not much in use for
winter transport. Potatoes from Burn
NAM Pittsheid. Newport. ETC.. for the
boston market were shipped in the fall.
me route was Maine Central to Bangor
al five To eight cents per bushel. thence
py schooner. The water freight charge
was usually eight cents per bushel one Or
tWo cents per DuShel additional being Daid
Tor 30. ~ and sometimes ~ LAY days IN
Boston harbor. The 1872 rate for potu-
toes from Houlton to Boston, all rail-
was o2l2 cents per bushei. Hay is nov
taken from -\roostook points to Boston al
an average of about $3.50 per ton: pota-
toes at an average rate of not far from,
llte cents per bushel.
since meaSre territory in the north
ern part of the county was served by
ran the rate for long lumber has been as
niSh as 1910 per car shingles - cents pc,
N. cedar railroad ties Il cents each: All
KINGS OF coarse freight in proportion
Long iumoer is now taken at an average
rate OF $5S.U per car; shingles about >,
cents per NJ; cedar ties about II cents
each.
The whole story is not told in the fore
going comparison of railroad rates. The
most difficult, and in many cases the most
expensive problem was the teaminS
Many potatoes used to be hauled from ~
al an expense. when roads were bad. III
excess of the gross cost of now getting
them from cellar to market. Much lum-
Der is now dropped from the mill to the
car.
Throughout the i,rotracted business de-
preston from which the country as Il
whole appears to be emerging. Aroostook
mas forged aheau in population, and has
no; failed i'll any year 10 add to her man.
ufacturing plants Her business men.
times. have been plucky. if not always
wholly happy. If the population and the
volume of traffic could grow through
period of such universal business depres-
sion. amounting almost to stagnation
elsewhere, what may We look for upon
prosperity of which there appear 10 be
growing signs?