Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-02-19
BELLOWS FALLS NEWS
New Site Favored for Proposed
Connecticut River Bridge
Total Cost Would Be About s45, ooo-De-
cded Advantages of the Location Close
to Present Railroad Bridge.

The principal topic of discussion at the
Tuesday evening smoke talk of the board
of trade was the proposed new bridge
to connect Bellows Falls and North Wal
pole About so members of the board and
other citizens including the committees of
the town of Walpole and the village of
North Wapole, who were the guests of the
board, gathered at O'Clock in Banquet
hall and the discussion was opened at
once by the introduction of the subject
by President ]. c. Day, who called upon
various speakers. More unanimity of feel
ing was manifest than had been expected
and only the most cordial feeling to-
ward assisting the enterprise was shown
upon any side. The Walpole representa-
tives stated that the towns of Alstead
Langdon and Acworth had ntimated that
those towns would probably vote an ag
gregate of about 40 per cent. of the
$4,000 needed to purchase the old toll
bridge property if it could be freed. They
would not feel that they should contri-
butte toward the erection and maintain
ance of the new bridge but were inter-
ested in the project.
A plan showing an entirely new loca-
ton was presented and met with much
favor and seemed to harmonic the two
interests which had called for the bridge
to be located above and below the Boston
& Maine bridge. The new location is
just north of the last named bridge,
with the east end within a few feet of it.
1t runs parallel, or nearly so, to the dam
from the New Hampshire end to the CEN
ter of the river where the pier is located
upon the same rock as that on which the
Boston q Maine pier rests, but nearly
100 feet above it, while the east end is
only about 40 feet above the end of the
railroad bridge On the centre pier is
an angle from which the bridge turns up
the river quite sharply in order to reach
In oil IT,lIu
nearly the intersection of Canal street,
passing over the Rutland main line at the
required height of 81 feet above the
rails. The advantage of this new loca-
ton is the rock on which the center pier
is placed making the cost of that pier
1-3 less than it would be in the mud
further up the stream, and being a Sc
cure foundation. The canal company APP
proves of this location as the river will be
no more obstructed than it is by the pres
ent pier of the railroad bridge, and the
bed of the river is not disturbed nor
the current thrown against the entrance
to their canal The total cost of bridge
in this location is estimated at SAC, 500,
including piers, with a 16 foot roadway
and 6-foot walk, but without additional
strength required for an electric road,
With the latter the additional expense is
stated at Is per cent. Little talk was had
relating to other locations and, at the
present time it seems as though the
bridge might be thus located, and built,
during the coming season. The owners
of the toll bridge still offer to accept
$780, 900 for the structure and all rights of
the charter if the bridge is freed but re-
fuse to sell at any price If it is to be used
in speculation and not made free.
a resolution was introduced and passed
unanimously that it was the sense of the
board that the town of Rockingham should
bear one-third of the cost of freeing the
old and building the new, with the under
standing that if the legislatures of the
two states arranged to pay the expense
of freeing all bridges, which is now eX-
pected, the town would receive its pro-