Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-06-05
NARROW GAUGE FIGHT ON.
ROAD BRINGS BILL IN CHANCERY AP-
PLYING FOR A RECEIvERsHIP.
Case Will Come Before Judge Watson Of the
Supreme Court on Saturday Week-Gross
Mismanagement and Neglect Alleged in the
Complaint-M Interest in the Case.

Evidently the days of the hazardous
Marrow Gauge" railroad, under its
present management, are waning. A
determined and united effort will be
made II week from tomorrow to take
the road out of the conf troll of the Yer
mont Central, break the year lease
now in force, put the property in the
hands of a receiver and re-establish
and reorganize the whole thing on a
businesslke and profitable basis. This
is good news indeed for everybody up
and down the valley. Let us hope
that the efforts Of the petitioners may
be rewarded.
The official statement of the COM
pany's position 10 the matter is given
as follows:
The Brattleboro & Whitehall X. X. Co. have
brought bill in chancery against the New Lon
don Northern X. r. Co; and the Central Yer.
mont Railway Co, praying to have the lease of
the Narrow Gauge road abrogated and a receiv
er appointed to take immediate possession of
the road and operate IL.
The bill sets forth, as breaches OF the lease, the
failure of the Central Vermont to properly ope-
rate the road; stating that the road d-bed is in
extremely bad condition, and unsafe for travel,
the locomotives and cars are worn, old, out of
repair, and UNFIT for service and the business on
the line is suffering great injury in consequence
1t is charged that the Central Vermont man
ageInent has been repeatedly urged to put
things in shape, but has wholly neglected to
do so.
The case is returnable at the September term
of court The prayer for receivership is to be
heard before Judge Watson Of the Supreme
court at Montpelier. June 18th.
Counsel for the Brattleboro * Whitehall X.
r. Co.
WATERMAN Il MARTIN,
CLARKE G. Fits.
The Marrow Gauge" completed in
1880, has been fiat failure from the
very start. 1t has never paid divi
dend out of it's own earnings, although |
three dividends of one per cent have |
been declared during the past % years,
by scraping around and robbing Peter !
TO pay Paul.
The story of the roads public ca
reer and public service tsave the
mark y would fill public library. I
Today it is the most uncertain, the
most dangerous piece of pub
there is nothing so poorly tackled to-
gether anywhere around. How it
holds together is a daily mystery, a
never-ending wonder; what holds it
together is beyond the guess of any
engineer, unless it be the simple force
Of attraction. How many thousand
good, sound ties. and how many tons
IF new bolts it would take to put the
IS miles in safe condition is one of
he prize conundrums of the day and
still unsolved.
Folks won't ride on it. won't trust
heir lives to its tender mercies-that
IS. sensible people, those in the know.
)ne of the most prominent men in
own said yesterday; II wouldn't t ride
IN those cars for money! / wouldn't
iare to. The whole business ought to
rave been condemned by the state
abroad commissioners long ago. There
S danger in every inch of it. drive
o Townshend rather than risk ride
N those wobbly rails"
No need here, in this brief sketch,
o try to tell how inadequate the train
ervice has been Passengers have been
leld up hours at a time: trees have
,een felled to feed the engine: snow
cooped into the tanks, which leak like
carts. And not COW in sight ,
o milk Now and then tip-over in I
snow bank, but everything crawl =,
ng so slow that it was only a joke. ,,
folks have been killed, of course. as :
hey are on any railroad, but nobody 4,
as been run down, nor has anybody :
yer been accused of failing to CATCH !
train on this road. The meanest
hing passenger could do was to drag 6
is feet, for that brought halt, and !
tops were avoided if possible because !,
the uncertainty of the start. The
ime- table reads like cook book.
1t would take half page to express
D dashes long and short the opinions !;
f the men along the line who have !
cen trying these years to build up =
nd increase their business, and who =
, do this have been forced to depend q
pom the freight facilities of the Mar
,w Gauge. " Tons of granite held up ;,
ere and there, thousands of dollars :
st through inability to fill orders; g
he lumber men at the end of the line :,
ave suffered even more. They will r
all with delight this fine plan now in y
igurated to snap the tie that binds :,
bout the only one in the roads con- ~
rnot,o,, noun holds Tbar hana