St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-06-26
Vermont Affairs.
Caspian Lakes Lesson.

Caspian Lakes Lesson.
When entrenchment becomes the watch
word in our legislative sessions the bu-
collie politicians find the appropriation
for the fish and game commission an
easy mark. There was strong DISPOSE
ton at the last session to let the fish
hatchery 60 to rack and ruin by with
holding an appropriation for its main
tenance. thus blocking the development
of our fisheries and at the same time
losing the value of what had already
been expended. By compromise, how
ever, an appropriation was secured
| $3000-suficient to continue the work
at the hatchery, but not sufficient to de-
velop our fisheries to the extent hoped
for by the men who believe that the
stocking of our lakes and streams will
inure to the pecuniary advantage of the
state.
The fishing at Caspian lake, Green's
| boro, this season has surpassed any
sport the piscatorians have known in
Vermont in years. On the first two
days of the open season 1900 to 100
pounds of lake trout, brook trout and
| land,locked salmon were caught, and
good catches since then have brought
the total weight of fish taken up to sew
eral tons. Probably no lake of equal
size in Maine q the country can show
a record for the season surprising that
OF Caspian. 1t is we'll for Vermonters to
know that Caspian lake is the body of
water to which our fish commissioners
have given their particular attention,
and which they have stocked more
| thoroughly than any other water.
Twenty per cent of all the fish taken in
Caspian this season have been salmon,
the king of fish to furnish sport to the
angler, and unsurpassed in edible quail
ties. The salmon were put into Caspian
only four or five years ago, the species
being unknown there up to that time
but fngerlings of five years ago have
been caught within a few weeks trans
formed into handsome specimens weigh
ing 5 to pounds. What has been done
at Caspian by the fish culturists can be
repeated at Willoughby Averill, Seymour
and other lakes in the state if the fish
commissioners are given a comparative
" small amount to carry on their work
of development. There is nothing into
which the state can put money which
will bring such speedy, sure and steady
returns as in stocking thoroughly with
trout and salmon our best ponds and
lakes in which the coarser fish like bass,
pike and perch are not found. Thous-
ands of dollars are spent each year by
anglers who 90 to Maine and New
Hampshire, and thousands more would
be spent in Vermont if the men who love
the sport of catching trout and salmon
on light rod could come to this state
with any certainty of getting taste of
their favorite sport Brattleboro Phe-
nix.
Vermont Railroads.
There was time when Vermont was
gridironed with dozen or more petty
railroads. They ran aimessly about the
state, operated trains in good weather,
tied up when the snow was deep and
neighbored harmlessly about crossroads
and country post offices with much ap-
parent enjoyment. They paid some
dividends, but then stockholders were
not so exacting as they are today. They
were not listed on the New York and
Boston stock exchanges, and the phrase
Vermont rairoading" was possessed of
a flavor much similar to that of frontier,
backwoods or pioneer service.
That age passed. The Central YER
mont consolidated group of outlying |
lines into a system. The Rutland, YER
mont Central, Vermont and Montreal |
Junction, Ogdensburg and Lake Cham
plain, Mississippi valley and Others be-
came part of the powerful Central YER
mont railroad system. This also paid
dividends ftfully. Finally, at the de-
mand of interested parties, receivers
were appointed and the bankrupt prop
erty bid in by Grand Trunk capital.
Today, under the strictly common
sense methods inaugurated by Chas. M.
HAYES, the Central Vermont is paying
road. There are no ornamental appen-
dages and every dollar goes into actual
expenses. Meanwhile the Rutland and
Ogdensburg roads, after pulling separ-
ately for a time, got together by |
means of the Standardization and they |
now constitute, with the lately acquired |
Bennington and Rutland and Chatham
and Lebanon Valley roads, trunk line
between New York and Ogdensburg with |
possible Montreal line forking at AL
burg.
The Wells River road has stood out
against all pressure for consolidation.
The st. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain
is operated at yearly loss by the Bos-
ton and Maine, largely for the reason
that the expensive machinery of the lat
ter is applied to road that has not yet
outlived its pioneer stage. These are
practically the only roads of notable |
mileage that stand aloue. They seem to
suffer for consolidation with some
thing.
The lesson of the story is very much |
against the antitrust notion. These
railroads have never prospered, save
when under the sharp, business,like pol |
icies, of corporations of large means and
extensive mileage. Clearly the railroads
of Vermont are a standing refutatlon of
the so-called evils of consolidation
[Vergennes Enterprise.