Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-10-20
PETITION.

10 the HonoraJie, the Board Of Railroad
Commissioners Of the State of Vermont,
in tie Meter Of Reasonable Accommo
dotion Of Passengers Troreling on the
central Vermont RaHrodd'
Section 1891 of the law comforting your
powers. provides that IN case of a failure
Of proper connection between railroads in
this state, or ii proper and reasonable
accommodations are not furnished for the
transportation of passengers or freight
the commissioners shall inquire into the
cause of the samc...and make such
recommendations in respect thereto as
they deem just and. forthwith make
public their conclusions together with a
brief statement of their reasons for the
same, and the recommendation If any,
made by them in respect thereto"
The undersigned respectfully petition
YOu to exercise these powers in regard
to "a failure of proper connection which
IS also a case where proper and rea-
sonablo accommodations are not furnished
for the transportation of passengers
The defective situation is so extreme
and so long continued that not only has
it, been fraucht with serious Inconvenience
90 most Of the people of Vermont and OF
the stranger travelling, sojournng or
/ seeking summer homes among them, with
/ Nucn loss OF Utdllll anu property anu
! with great hiudrance to the states devel-
| opment in wealth and the educating and
| C.evating influences which depend upon
/ tho prosperity of cities; but 1t has also
/ become notorious throughout the country
| and beyond the country, and has even
/ found its way into permanent literature
all to the discredit of the good name of
! the state.
| These evil conditions are not necessary,
but they have now been endured for nearly
two generations, and during all that time.
the first visible opportunity to rid the
state of them has been the appointment
of your honorable Board with the powers
whose expression we have cited
Wherefore we, the undersigned, petit
ton that you devise and recommend some
means for relieving passengers from the
loss OF time and risks to property and
health, needlessly imposed by shifts and
delays at Essex junction; and for relieV-
ing the state from the disgrace of such
conditions.
These evils have undoubtedly been amply
realized in your own experience, but we
! beg leave to call your special attention 70
the fact that all the railroad travel
/ helWecn the capital of the state ana its
largest city Glot to speak of a vast amount
1 of other traVeD, must pass through Essex
Junction, and that although spasmOdiC
attempts have been made especially dur
ing the sessions Of the legislature and the
White Mouutain season, to avoid the
/ evils 10y running without change at ESSEX
Junction. such trains have been infre-
quent, and it seems 10 have proved imprac
tcablc, even on Thorn. to avoid serious
delays for shifting of baggage, remakine
of trains and other difficulties that infes
every junction."
we submit that such shifts OF baggage
and cars should be made in Burlington
itself, where outgoing passengers need
not reach the train. or incoming one:
4 y zl.IF
We do not suggest that to accomplish
this, the through passenger trains SHOULD
be run into burlington and back to ESSEX
Junction. For although many roads
VIGOROUSLY the Pennsylvania at Philadel
phia-do run all trains back and forth
on such side lines. for the sake OF making
functions AT places where the bulk of pas
scngers start or stop. the distance between
Essex Junction and Burlington is greater
than that in most similar situations
there being few roads laid out like tn.
Central Vermont with the distinct inteu
ton of side-tracking both the capital anC
metropolis Of state. The obvious rem
edy, SO far as concerns the vast ma jort,
Of travellers, is to build a connection from
burlington to Colchester. and make tn
line from Essex Junction to burlington
and from Burlington to Colchester tn
main passenger line. This connection
could leave the present track near tn
northerly mouth of the Burlington tunnel
the length Of track to be traversed twic
between there and the station, would b
lvss than the similar track of the Penn
sylvana road at Philadelphia Such
new connection would slightly increase tn
distance Travelled by the through passen
gers, but would reduce by at least a hall
that Of the vastly larger number Of way
passengers between Burlington and tn
North
} such road would naturally go nea
! a.. Loo.
plcasure-traVel TO that beautiful spot wit
a profitable picnic, recreation, boatin
and bathing establishment, such as enter
prising railroads generally are no'
developing.
, Whether the connection with Colcheste
so pitifully needed, should be built by tn
Central Vermont Company as n matte
of business is one point for your wlsdor
10 consider Like other follies and crime:
Essex Junction has certainly brougl
! many evil consequences on Its perpetrt
! tors and their worcestershire shuttl
trains ana the duplication OF service, an
, other wastes mot TO speak of the compt
tition of the new route between Burlingto
and Montreal WITHOUT an Essex juno
p tom must be heavy burdens on the Ger
> trail Vermont road. If on investigation
! your wisdom determines that relief fror
, those burdens. increase of travel cause
Y by vastly improved facilities, and wha
: direct profit might come from road
V Colchester. would justify the Centr;
! Vermont Company in building such
a connection then we earnestly petition thi
you recommend the Company to build 1t.
I If your wisdom determines that II
4 Central Vermont Company cannot JUST
be recommended to build that connectio
at its own risk. then we earnestly pettio
that you Will devise and recommend
scheme by which persons affected sha
y give the Company reasonable aid, by the
y credit or the credit Of their towns; and thu
. You viii use your influence and abilit,
I with such other influence and abillt
= as you may care TO enlist for the carryin
out Of such a scheme. The capital of ii
u state its largest city, and every town o
n the entire line of the Central Vernon
I Road suffer seriously from the lack
c that connection; and the persons atfecte
a are not merely all who travel to an
8 from Burlington by that road, and mo!
I of those who travel to and from the cal
r italj for although these include Il