The Press., 1899-02-09

Dy people from hartford and other cities,
just as you see them on the outskirts Of
other villages in Connecticut, not bit
more picturesquely situated than Stafford
Springs.
Is all this going to hurt the trade of
our merchants? Indeed, make bold to
predict that eventually trolley would
give big boom" Again, some of our
business men say, "Well, if we should
put our money into the building of a troll
ley between Rockville and Warren, the
chances are it wouldn't be paying in
vestment, for it would pass through an
~'sinho6tted country fully half the dis
tance." True, the country through which
the trolley is planned to go is, good
part of the way, lonesome district, and
possibly for the first year or so 1t would
barely pay expenses. But "bide wee!"
Any one who knows anything about the
trolley knows.that it always builds up the
territory through which it passes. Ger
tain1y the route which has been planned
for our trolley is not, as a whole, even as
it stands, lonesome one. For between
Warren and Rockville there are no less
than nine villages, some of them of con-
siderable size. But even allowing that
there are long stretches Of uninhabited
country here and there, put the trolley
through and mark the result Within six
months after the first car is run you will
see first one and then another new house
springing up along the line of the road,
from the edge of each city or village to a
point to or three miles beyond, till In the
course OF two years or SO there won't be
twelve miles of uninhabited country, all
told, throughout the whole thirty-eight
miles or more between Warren and Rock
vile. And what does this mean but div
idends for the stockholders of the road
AS many of your readers perhaps know,
the Legislature at their last session grant
ed such an extension of time to the char
ter OF the road as will make it unnecces-
sary for any action to be taken during it's
present session. 1t only remains for
those who claim to be interested in the
scheme, and have the necessary funds to
put into it, to do something about it a; and
the sooner something is done the better
1t will be for the comfort and convenience
OF us poor travellers, who have to spend
precious time and money in making trips
that should cost much less time and mon
ey, and consequently the better it will be
for the prosperity of our borough, If not
OF our whole town.
One other thought suggests itself 10
me, as 1t probably has to others. Prom
inent business people of Somers and Haz-
ardville have just applied to the legisla-
ture for charter to build an electric road
| from the foot Of the mountain at Somers
Street to Thompsonville, connecting there
with the Enfield and Longmeadow road.
which in one direction connects at State
Line with the trolley to Springfield, and
will In the other direction connect with
the East Windsor line at Warehouse
Point, when the four miles of trolley be-
tween there and East Windsor Hill, for
which charter has been asked, shall
have been put through (Which it doubt
less will be by next summer), thus max
ing through connection with Hartford
1t will therefore be SEEN that II an electric
road were put through between here and
the eastern end of Somers Street, dis
| tance of not over nine miles, we would
have communication by trolley with both
Springfield and Hartford, the route to the
latter city being only about six miles
further than by the way of Rockville.
But 1t goes without saying that if such a
road is to be built within two years from
now, application for charter must be
made to the General Assembly at it's
session. The two roads, one to Somers
and the other to Rock Vile, wouldn't be a
bad thing for our borough. For one
thing, our merchants would have all the
more customers. am not alone in ex-
pressing the hope that, if the Worcester
capitalists who are interested in having
a trolley through this section, should come
down here before long to interview oul
merchants and other business men on the
subject, as it is thought they may, the
latter will be persuaded to consider II
from all sides, and so finally conclude to
give the plan their financial support.
Say our worthy Warden and Burgesses
in their last annual report, concerning
the condition Of our borough up to date
1T Is hoped and believed, by those hav
ing the uest interests of the place at heart
that the next quarter century will show
proportionately, as great advancement a.
has the one just passed" Very true, bu
that hope will be fulfilled, that belief yer
flied only by that one thing which is be-
coming more and more every year an ab
solute necessity to the growth and pros
perity of our beautiful village about th'
only thing, in fact, which is needed Il
keep 1t in the front rank of the enterpris
ing, up-to date villages OF New England
viz, an electric road.
Il Respectfully yours,
'' ' - I. D. MARTIN, JR.
Stafford Springs, Feb. 1, 1899.