Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-08-04
HISTORICAL.

HISTORICAL.
1.-THE following historical sketch of the
Brattleboro & Whitehall railroad is re-
printed from The Phoenix of Friday
Nov. 90, 1851
Curiously enough, the project of a rail-
road up the valley Of the West river was
associated with the original movement
toward the connection of the Connecticut
valley with Lake Champlain by rail. The
first charter granted by our Vermont leg
islature looking toward such connection
was for the "Champlain and Connecticut
river railroad" the object of which was
the construction of a railroad from some
point on the Connecticut river, in Wind
ham or Windsor counties, to Burlington.
At that time, 1S43, the Fitchburg railroad
had been built from Boston to F'itchburg,
and the purpose was to get a connection
with that road either through south
western New Hampshire or southeastern
Vermont. For some time the legislature
Of New Hampshire refused to grant rail-
road charters and 1t not being possible,
for this reason, to build through New
Hampshire, the idea was to build a road
from Fitchburg to the Vermont line.
thence to Brattleboro and from Brattle-
boro up the West river to its headwaters
and over the summit or divide to East
Wallingford, striking what is the present
line Of the Rutland and Burlington road.
A survey for this road was actually made,
tradition relating that the engineer ran
his line straight up the valley, turning,
figuratively speaking, neither to the right
nor left, and crossing the river at many
places. This survey also contemplated
the boring Of a tunnel a half-mile long
through the mountain at Weston. Be
fore this project took definite shape, how
ever, the Cheshire railroad was chartered
through New Hampshire and the Rutland
and Burlington road was built, putting an
he hafy 20, Of
railroad up the West River valley.
The next step, and the first really
definite one towards such a project, was
the granting by the legislature of 1851
of a charter for the "Wantastiquet rail-
road company" This road was to run
from Brattleboro up through the West
river valley to Londonderry and thence
through Landgrove, Peru and Mt. Tabor.
to connect with the Western Vermont
railroad in the towns OF Dandy or Wal
lingford, or from Londonderry through
Weston to connect with the Rutland and
Burlington railroad in Mt. Holly. or from
! Weston through Andover to connect with
said Rutland and Burlington railroad in
Ludlow" The bill for this charter was
drawn and introduced by the late Charles
X. Field, then member of the House
from Newfane. Under this charter, how
ever no corporate action was ever taken.
In 1867 the Legislature granted a char
ter for the West River railroad" the bill
for the charter being drawn and intro
duced by Judge H. H. Wheeler, who then
represented the town Of Jamaica in the
legislature. This charter contemplated
the construction of a standard gauge road
from Brattleboro to Jamaica. The legis-
lature of 1867 refused to pass an act
enabling towns to bond in aid of this
road; but in 1868 an enabling act was
passed, and under this act the towns OF
Jamaica, Townshend and Newfane very
soon bonded in aid of the road to the
amount of eight times their respective
grand lists. On Feb. 5, 1870 a formal
| organization OF the West River railroad
| corporation was effected at Jamaica, but
| owing to the estimated high cost of the
| road and the lack of sufficient funds, the
| enterprise still remained in embryo, al
| though various attempts were made to
put 1t on its feet In connection with one
of these efforts, in 1873, Robert L. Harris
made a survey Of the line. 1t should also
be said that in 1868. under this charter
Julius Fem, a well-known civil engineer
made a survey of the line. In 1869 an act
was passed authorizing the company to
extend its road through the town of YER
non to the Massachusetts line, on condi-
ton that the whole of the road should
be built. In 1872 an act was passed ex-
tending for ten years the prescribed time
for the beginning and completion of the
road. But in spite of the efforts here
referred to to give it life, the project lay
in a practically dormant condition in the
| years from 1870 to 1876, apparently in
surmountable obstacles standing in the
way because of the estimated high cost
| of the road. During these years, how
! ever, the narrow gauge system OF rail-
roads had begun to come into prominence,
and in the last-named year several friends
! of the enterprise conceived the idea that
by adopting the three-foot gauge and
securing the right to build through to
| Whitehall, n. Y, the cost might be lessen
ed, and, at the same time, such an in
| creased amount of pecunary help might
be secured that it would be possible to
| secure the construction of the road. With
these ideas in view, an amendment OF
the charter was secured from the legisla-
| ture OF 1876, changing the name of the
| West River railroad company to the
| Brattleboro & Whitehall railroad com
pany, extending all acts and provisions
| relating to the company for term of
six years, and authorizing the company
to extend its railroad through the towns
| of Londonderry, Winhall, Landgrove,
| Peru, etc, to Whitehall Towns were
authorized to aid in the construction Of
this road under the general railroad law
and the towns of Jamaica, Townshend
and Newfane were authorized by the act
to transfer to the Brattleboro & White
hall railroad company the aid voted by
| them to the West River railroad company
After the passage of these amendments
the construction of the road through to
| Whitehall, and for a time everything
| promised we'll On Feb. l, 1877, at
meeting held in Brattleboro under the
auspices of the board of commissioners
named in the charter of 1867, a board Of
directors of the Brattleboro & Whitehall
railroad company was elected, and at a
subsequent meeting, held at Fayetteville
this board organized by the choice of c.
F. Thompson as president, and j. A. But
Ter as clerk. c. F. Thompson, F. Good
hue. and j. l.. Martin were made an execu-
tive committee, and the general manage
ment of the enterprise was vested in their
hands. Whitehall capitalists professed
| great anxiety to have the road built, and
there were abundant promises of help
from Vermont towns on the other side Of
the mountain This side the mountain
in the West river valley, the towns took
hold of the work energetically and by the
early spring Of 1877 Brattleboro and Lon
donderry had voted liberal aid to the
enterprise, and Jamaica, Townshend and
Newfane had transferred to 1t a generous
portion of the aid originally voted to the
West River railroad. Here, however, the
project again came to a standstill, for
none of the towns on the other side Of
the mountain, either in Vermont or New
York, fulfilled their promises OF aid, and
during the summer and fall OF 1877 the
hopes OF the friends Of the enterprise
seemed as far as aver from fulflment