Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-01-20

HEARING BEFORE RAILROAD COM
MIssIoNERs AT MECHANIC FALLS.

A hearing was held at Mechanic Fall
Tuesday on the petition of the Auburn
Mechanic Falls and Norway Street Raj
way for approval of its location and pei
mission to build. Two of the com
missioners, B. F. Chadbourne of Bidde
ford and Parker Spofford of Bucksport
drove over the proposed location from
Auburn to Mechanic Falls in the morn
ing before the hearing. Col. j. B. Peak
of Dover, chairman of the board, wa
detained in Auburn until afternoon.
Col. Peaks did not arrive until the "a
P. NJ. train, and on that account, although
the hearing had been advertised for al
earlier hour, it was nearly 8 o'clock whel
it opened. At that time there wer,
present in Perkins Hall, where the hear
ing was held, besides the commissioner.
and parties directly interested. an au
dience of $50 or more people, who view
ed the proceedings with much interest
The petitioners who propose to build
the road were represented by their at
torney, Hon. II. NJ. Heath of Augusta
and E. B. Hart, Jr., of New York, who
is the principal stakeholder, was present
The petition is opposed by the Grand
| Trunk Railway and the Portland ano
Rumford Falls Railway. The Grand
Trunk was represented by c. A. and L.
l.. Hight of Portland, attorneys, and N.
Is. Blackjack, superintendent of the
eastern division. Hon. George d. Bisbee
of Rumford Falls was attorney for the
Rumford Falls road. and there were also
present Waldo Pettengill, general
manager, r. C. Bradford, treasurer and
general ticket agent, and E. l.. Lovejoy,
superintendent. Others connected with
the several railroads were present as
witnesses.
In opening for the petitioners, Mr..
Heath presented the plans of the pro-
posed road, and briefly described the
location. The road starts from june
ton with the Lewiston, Brunswick and
| Bath road in Auburn, thence over the
generally travelled road, through the set
Elements at Minot Corner and Hackett's
Mills, to Mechanic Falls. For all of this
diatance it runs in the highway. At
Mechanic Falls it crosses the Rumford
Falls road on Pleasant Street, near the
station, and this would necessarily be a
grade crossing. 1t crosses the Grand
Trunk about mile farther north. and
here it is practicable to put in an under
pass. The road runs through Welchville
and about half mile east of Oxford
village, and thence to Norway, going up
Main Street to junction with the Nor
way and Paris Street Railway. 1t fol-
lows the highway except for a portion of
the distance through Oxford, where it
keeps on the west side of the Grand
Trunk track instead of crossing and re-
crossing. The length of the road is APP
proximately 81 miles.
Mr.. Heath then called quite string
of witnesses. +. C. Farr, who is general
manager of the Lewiston, Brunswick
and Bath electric road, and has been in
the electric road business ten years, was
examined at some length. He had ex-
amined the route quite carefully, and
said that he should anticipate a good
business on this road, both from the
present travel and the natural increase
that would follow the building of the
road. Reference was made to the travel
between Lewiston and Lisbon, which
has largely increased since the building
of the electric road. He was questioned
quite closely by the opposing lawyers
regarding the speed of cars and other
details of operation, and the cost of con-
struction, the object of this line of cross
examination being to show that the eI-
pense would be more than the pros
pective business of the road would pay.
Z. b. Hart, Jr, of New York, principal
owner and protector of the road, was
in the building of number of roads,
and is now a director of the Lewiston,
Brunswick and Bath road, and his ready
answers showed that he is entirely
familiar with the subject. He had stud
led this route for three years while living
at Poland Spring in the summer. He
considered that not over twenty per cent
of the travel would be through travel,
the remaining eighty per cent being
legitimate street railway travel.
On cross-examination Mr.. G. A. Hight
questioned Mr.. Hart about his previous
connection with street railways and the
financing of this one. When one of the
commissioners interposed with an in
quiry as to how that was pertinent to
this hearing, Mr.. Hight stated that his
object was to show up the scheme on
which the road was to be built; that it
was to be done as many other electric
roads are built, not because there is
demand for them or because they will
paw, but to make money for their pro-
mOters, who subsequently get out of
them. Such method was contrary to
the public good, and he thought the
commissioners should consider that.
The commissioners replied that they had
considered that matter in previous cases,
and had decided that it was not their
province to question the financing OF
road, provided the law was complied
with. That line of inquiry was there
fore discontinued, Mr.. Heath stating
that he had no objection to it, and that
if it was gone into he would show up Mr..
Harris record and convince them that he
was fully responsible.
Quite a number of witnesses were
called from different points along the
line, to make statements regarding the
benefits which the people would gain
from the road, and the sentiment of the
people in their respective places regard
ing it. The list of witnesses included j.
r. Little, Lewiston, Randall Dresser,
Lewiston, Herman l.. Horne, Norway,
A. W. Walker, South Paris, F. o. Pur-
ington, Mechanic Falls, Mr.. bennett,
Hackett's Mills, F. II. Cobb, Mechanic
Falls, George Hazen, John B. Robinson
and C. F. Durell, Oxford, Walter Beals,
Auburn, d. S. Sanborn, Norway, Homer
n. Chase, Auburn, E. o. league, Me-
chanic Falls, and others. These wit
nesses pointed out the benefits of the SER
vice which would be given to places now
having no railroad facilities, and the
advantages which would come from
more frequent service and reduced fares
all along the line and with the exception
of Mr.. Sanborn of Norway, who reported
a divided sentiment, all stated that the
people of their respective sections were
desirous of seeing the road built. The
witnesses from Oxford village, which is
about two miles from the Grand Trunk
station, seemed particularly DESTROYS,
though they admitted that they thought
the road ought to come nearer to them
than the half mile as now laid out, and
the matter of this location was discussed
at some length.
The attorneys for the opposing roads
put on no testimony regarding the matter
of public convenience, but satisfied
themselves with cross-examination of the
petitioners witnesses along this line.
They produced evidence to show the
amount of passenger business now done
along the line of the new road. Mr..
Blackjack of the Grand Trunk stated
that the Lewiston branch had always
been operated at loss, and that, while
he had no figures worked out, it was
reckoned in a general way that the local
&c ~ th;, ,,nrtinn nf Tho