Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-04
THE.FIRST TRAIN.
Washington County Railroad
Now Doing Business.
The History Of the Building Of
This Railway System.
Charles Russell & Co. sell Their Ice Plant to
The Consolidated Ice Co.

the history of Washington county, and
all Eastern Maine: as we'll. On that
\ day the first regular passenger train
y was run over the new Washington
County Railroad from Washington
Junction to Calais, distance of 10
miles.
| AS one looks upon the completed roai
he is apt to forget the great labor and
overcoming of numerous difficulties
necessary to its completion. A brief
sketch of the trials of the early pro-
jectors of the Shore Line" as it was
then called, may be of interest to read
ers of the Journal. Calais being the
largest and most distant of the eastern
towns, naturally was the first to make
u move for a railroad to connect it with
the outside world. st. Andrews. near
Calais, was to be the western terminus
and Quebec the other. Owing to lack
of money the road was built only to
Chamcook five miles out.
This first five miles of the road was
built in the early 40's. About 20 years
II later, the road was extended to Can
i terbury. N. e., then to Debec, and
] finally to Richmond. Branches We're
Fbuit to Woodstock and Houlton
j When the road was constructed it was
thought st. Stephens would become the
outlet for Canadian exports. But st
IS Andrews was not to have things all her
own way. In 1864. William Todd. j.. H.
Todd. Il. Chapman. James Murchie. F.
q. Pike. Robert Watson. and John Boil
/ ION organized the st. Stephens branch
" load. The Provincial Parliament
j. Granted them 4 charter and bonus
- lf $4,000 per mile to encourage them.
he new road was 10 miles long and
~ pnnected st. Stephens with the other
ID lad at Watts Junction.
ID The first train was run over the new
. lad just % years from the date of the
inning of the first Washington Coun-
ttrain. Jan. ,, 1867. In 1868. the road
Us leased to the st. Andrews &
. debec. BY an act of Parliament.
tese two roads passed to the control
dthe New Brunswick & Canada Co
I1sS2, the New Brunswick Railway
C leased the road and built the
b,nch to Vanceboro. S4 miles in
lesth
he European & North American
Raroad which was soon built from
BSgor to Nanceboro. furnished the
cotecting link in the chain. The
oplnS of this line was of great mo-
md not only to Eastern Maine but to
Nel England and the country at large
Gepal Grant was present at the cere-
so mots at Vanceboro, such was the i'm
pornce of the event. Extensions
Wen built at intervals for several
yea Finally the Canadian Pacific
seclfd a lease and now controls the
road May i, 1897. the st. Stephen d
IN MillNn Road. connecting the Cana
m dianPacific with the st. Croix & Pc
nobsF at Midtown. was leased to the
Canaan Pacific for long term.
Far in the sos, the caldron of Do
nini4 railroad schemes was boiling
merrl and every wild project was
sure tfind those who believed in its
tabiity 1t was during the
height this excitement that a man
came the scene whose name Will
ever Aconnected with the history of
Washiiton county. His plan was not
SO villas some chose to believe. He
. propos, to organize q company and
81 build railroad to connect the Maine
= shore tens with St. John, n. B. This
j. man va the now famous Col. Greene
j. of Bana. but at that time New
y Yorker.
Y Hardly a resident of an eastern
X Maine TIN whose memory goes back
X 20 yearSut remembers Col. Greene
X and his Shore Line" Railroad. One
X section dthe Shore Line was built
X however. nd is in operation. today
X 1t conncdSt. Stephen with st. John.
X Col. Greeth had little cash to back up
X his projed He was, however, bless
* | ed with ;toodly share of that great
* American oduct grit" He won all
* those who he approached with his
X scheme. Invent across to England
X and there interested capitalists to
X such an cjnt that they furnished
X him with atlrgo of .stils for the new
X road. The rgo, it tnkid, was worth
X $50 900. Bye aid of the bonus grant
X ed by the minion government, Col
X Greene buihis road to st. John, SO
X miles. 1t VI herculean task and
* needed just eh man as Col. Greene
. to successful carry it out. The COM
III pletion of thoad called the attention
n of some of N York's leading railroad
magnates to-
The fioatirbonds of the new road
E II were gatherdn by Russell Sage anG
other capitals who soon foreclosed
= i on the stock bl Greene brought suit
against Sagarhe Dominion lawyers
>, were kept bufor a considerable time
> as the casefent through several
courts. Finalit was taken in HAND
by the EngliSPrivy council. Gritty
Col. Greene CD off with flying colors.
the Privy coil awarding him be-
| tween S40,000nd $4,000 damages.
Thus ended Thing legal struggle be-
e. tween GreeneRd Sage, the great
Wall street rah I'D magnate.
Only few 3ths since the Wash
ington CountyEilroad purchased the
80 old ST. Croix Senobscot Road and RS
;oht outfit. Amonge other requirements
s3ss, by this purch, were two very ola
engines, the he and the Joseph
= Porter The oEagle enjoys the dis
= tiuction of beiIthe first engine used
- on a Maine raid. She isn't inclin-