St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-11-25
THE WOODSyILLE BRIDGE.
Interesting "Reminiscences of an Old
Landmarks.

Valley, will soon give place to a MOI
modern structure. Some facts in it's hi
tory are worth preserving.
Er. Chamberlin was, about ITO. tt
first settler in what is now the village
Wells River, and his first dwelling wa
on the river bank where the stream
which bears the same name as the vi
lage, joins the Connecticut. On or nea
the site of his cabin was erected in 70.
a rude block house, the first structur
built by white men in this part of tn
country of which we have any knowledge
A few years later he began to keep {
ferry to what is now WoodsviIle, which
was kept up by himself and his sons unit
the building of the first bridge in 1905
This bridge, the first of FIVE across the
Connecticut at this place, was a few rods
below the present one. 1t was an open
structure, and was built partly upon
wooden horses" as the supports under
meath were called. In the spring freshet
OF 1907 1t was carried away, and new
one built in the same year. This second
bridge stood but FIVE years and was
washed away in 1912. The proprietors
OF the bridge seem to have become dis
couraged by these successive disasters,
and it was not till 1920 that a third
bridge was constructed This was also
an open bridge, and was below the
mouth OF Wells river. 1t was carried
away in the freshet of 1850, and a new
one built, which stood till the present
bridge was constructed, when it was
taken down. 1t was demolished as a
consequence of the railroad war" a
great event in its time, but which is
pretty much forgotten now.
When the, old Boston, Concord and
Montreal railroad was conceived it was
the intention of its projectors to follow
up the Pemigewasset and Bakers river
valleys, through the Oliverian notch.
thence down the bank OF that stream to
It's junction with the Connecticut, cross
ing the latter at South Newbury and
up the valley of Halls brook
to South Ryegate, and thence to Mont
peLer. The Vermont portion of the road |
was to be built under charter from the |
legislature authorizing the construction
of railroad from Montpelier to some
point on the Connecticut river in the
town OF Newbury. But when the sur
Seying party from Concord reached what |
IS now Pike Station, in Haverhill, thev
came to a standstill, Tor the descent OF
The Oliverian valley was so rapid and
The tall OF the stream north OF Haverhill |
corner SO great, as to make it impossi.
Die to descend to the level of the Connec-
ticut there. After much deliberation and
examination of the country, the directors
decided to strike to the north, to the
mouth OF the Ammonoosuc, and form a
Junction there with the White Mountain
Railroad, which was being constructed to
Littleton, also crossing the Connecticut,
making a junction with the Connect.
cut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad at
Wells River. But this new move was |
strongly resisted by the latter corpora
ton, which intended to erect bridge
there tor its own use and form junction
with the White Mountain road. thus
getting possession OF the White Noun
tain travel then beginning to be con-
AS part of their program
they laid out the spur track from the
present passenger depot at Wells River
to the site OF the proposed bridge over
the Connecticut, intending to prevent
the B. c. & M from getting into YER
mont. But they were not able to secure
charter from the New Hampshire leeis-
lature, enabling them to build a bridge
there, yet were able to prevent the New
Hampshire road from securing charter
from the Vermont legislature, allowing
it to build short piece of track on the
Vermont side to connect with the Pas
sumpsie road. Thus the two parties
were at deadlock.
The late Hon. Charles B. Leslie of
Wells River was then the attorney for
the b. {. & M. people, and he advised
the purchase OF stri p OF land along the
river there, on the Vermont side and the
erection OF an abutment upon that land.
When this was done the Passumosic
people took another course, and endeav-
ored by means OF an Injunction to pre.
vent the building OF an abutment on the
Vermont side. Failing in this they tried
to eonhscate the land to the state ON the
ground that the B. c. & NJ. R. r. being
foreign corporation could not hold
and in this state. But the courts de-
,lded that it could.
By MIR. Leslie's advice the New Hamn.
shire road made trade with the Wells
River toll bridge corporation, whose
charter gave them the exclusive right m
build bridge within certain limits. to
erect a new structure, which should take
public travel through the bridge, while
The railroad track was laid along the
root. When the dump" at the west end
d the bridge was construct ed thare go.