Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-12-15
5OTH ANNIVERSARY.
THE RUTLAND RAILROAD HALF A GEN.
TURY OLD.

Review of the big Fight Between the
Central Vermont Projectors and the Yeo-
men of Western Vermont, in Which Mid
dlebury Took an Active Part.
Monday next, Dec. IS, will mark the
expiration of so years since the formal
opening Of the Rutland Railway. 1t Is
an interestIng'circumsta that the semi
centennial year of the road should wit
ness its expansion into trunk line
which promises to add much to the
prosperity of all Vermont, and especially
that section through which the line
passes. With direct connection with the
great west, the Canadian seaports and
possibly New York and Boston, this
part of Vermont should receive an in.
dustrial impetus which in a few years
will place it in the front ranks of pros
porous communities.
TO rehearse the events which led up to
the building of the Rutland road will in
terest the few who recall the stirring
times and instruct the many who since
have appeared upon the scene.
In the early thirties transportation was
very largely by canals, and it is not sur
prising that the sturdy, pushing citizens
of the Addison and Rutland counties of
those days, anxious to have an outlet for
their farm products, should discuss the
expediency of canal building. mass
meeting of the citizens of the two coun-
ties was held in Brandon on Sept. %,
1898, for the purpose of considering the
practicability of constructing a canal to
Join the Otter creek with Lake Cham
plain, by way of Whiting and Shoreham.
Champlain was then the great highway
of commerce for the interior farming re-
gions of northern New England, carry
ing produce for the New York market.
A committee was appointed at the Bran
don meeting, with the object of securing
from the legislature a charter for the
undertaking under discussion. The com.
mittee was successful and the charter
was granted on Nov. of the same year.
Before active work on the canal could
be begun, the railroad building fever had
spread to this region. Talk bad been in
the air of railway to connect Vermont
and New Hampshire with the Boston
market, but it was left to Middlebury to
take the first active steps which later led
to the building of the Rutland in the face
of the greatest opposition any such cor
pOratiOn ever had.
On Aug. 3, 1885, meeting of the In.
habltants of Middlebury was called to
inaugurate some plan for facilitating
communication with the southern mar
ke.s. William Slade was made chair
man of the meeting and Charles Iinsley
secretary. 1t was determined to 90
about the matter in a thorough manner.
Committees were appointed for every
town IN Addison county, and Brandon
and Sudbury in Rutland. These com
mittees were instructed carefully to as
certain the tonnage of all export produce
shipped from the valley of the Otter.
They reported at an adjourned meeting.
and another committee reported the ex-
pedlency of asking the legislature to
charter a railway from Rutland to White
hall, n. Y.
On Sept. 4 convention of citizens
was called to order at Brandon. The
object of this meeting was to discuss the
most practicable route for a railway to
connect Mddebury with Rutland and
the latter city with Whitehall.
Matters had so far progressed that the
legislature of the same year was asked to
grant a charter for a railway from Mid.
dlebury to Whitehall, by way of Rut.
land. Other counties, however, had
irons In the fire, it appears, for the ap.
plication was tabled to be called up at
the next meeting of the assembly. In
1886 the legislature granted charter for
railway to run from Bennington
through Rutland and Addison counties
to the Canadian border.
The fever for speculation in western
lands, which at this time was rapidly
leading to the crash of 1887, when all
banks in the country with one exception
suspended specie payments, probably
frightened the projectors of the railway,
for the matter of building lay dormant
for seven years. In the mean time rail-
ways were being projected all over the
country. The Boston and Fitchburg
was chartered, and in 1S43 was nearing
completion. Its owners were looking
for connections with Burlington and
Montreal. They had two routes open to
them-west and east of the Green
mountains. When this knowledge