The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-01-26
THE RAILROAD MEETING.
Large Attendance and an Interesting Talk
by Judge Stearns.


by Judge stearns.
The railroad meeting in the court room
last Thursday evening was a success in
both attendance and interest. Every seat
in the room outside the bar was occupied
and many remained standing. The I'm
provement Society was represented by .
delegation of ladies and the audience in
cluded the leading business and profess
sional men of the city. Mayor Shales
called the meeting to order and introduced
Judge Stearns, who with George NJ.
HoughtOn, General Manager of the Ban
gor & Aroostook Railroad, has been visit
ing the towns on the proposed route of the
Northern Maine Seaport Railway and con-
ferring with the leading citizens.
Judge Stearns said that he had been re-
quested by President Cram of the Bangor
& Aroostook to go to Belfast and talk over
the proposed road informally. He had ex-
pected to meet perhaps a dozen citizens,
and was surprised to find such gathering.
Mr.. Cram regretted that he could not come
himself, but his duties as president of the
road and in connection with the proposed
extension were such that it was impossible
for him to do SO. But Mr.. Houghton, gen.
. eral Manager of the road, was present and
would answer any questions. Continuing
Judge Stearns said that his remarks would
be informal, and in giving history of the
B. & A. they would necessarily be some
what personal as he had been in way con-
nected with the road from its inception.
He was member of the judiciary COM
mittee of the Maine Legislature which con-
sidered the bill allowing Aroostook County
to issue bonds to the amount of 100000 in
aid of the road, and had since been its legal
| advisor.
Judge Stearns said that when he went
to the village of Caribou twenty years ago
the only railroad running into Aroostook
county was the New Brunswick railroad.
1t took two days to get there from Bangor,
and they had one train, mixed train, a
day. Mr.. Cram was then general manager
of the New Brunswick railway, which had
branches to Calais, Frederickton and St.
Stephens, and which later acquired part
of the old European and North American
railway, having over 400 miles of road. Mr..
Cram had greatly improved this system
when in 1890, it was leased to the Canadian
Pacific and passed under foreign control.
| Mr.. Cram then turned to what has been the
dream OF his life, railroad into Aroostook
to be owned and controlled by Maine men.
AS a nucleus he and his associates had Sc
cured the Bangor & PiscataQuis, first by
I! lease and later by purchase, and the first
move was to extend this road from Brown
! vile to Houlton. The county of Aroostook
, had voted to aid the enterprise to the ex-
tend of 100000; but fnanciers did not con-
slider that a sufficient backing. Then Mr..
Cram went among the people of Aroostook,
from house to house and from store to store,
and asked for subscriptions to preferred
stock, and in this way succeeded in raising
$500 GOO more and the road to Houlton was
built. Neither the people of the county
! who voted the 100000 nor those who sub
scribed for like amount in preferred stock
ever expected to receive dollar in return.
| They gave it willingly, realizing the bene-
fit such an enterprise would be to ArooS-
| took county, and to the State. But further
extensions We're called for and were begun
in the days of financial depression that at
| tended President Clevelands second term
and the fnanciers of New York could not
| be induced to aid the enterprise Mr. Cram
! spent year in New York going from bank
ing house to banking house only to be re-
fused the necessary financial assistance.
| Meanwhile the work of construction was
suspended Mr.. Cram came home, and fin
ally the Burleighs, including our present
Congressman, staked their all in the enter
prise, Bangor lent her aid, and the work
went on. When Mr. Cram left the New
Brunswick system its earnings, which
| greatly increased under his management,
were about $S00,OO0 per annum the earn
ings of the Bangor & Aroostook are now
two millions of dollars year. With over
5000 freight cars it is unable to handle the
| freight offered, and some two millions of
bushels of potatoes are now in the store
houses and cellars in Aroostook awaiting
shipment, while vast quantities of lumber
are piled up at the mills. The B. & A. cars
are scattered all over the country and it is
difficult to get them back. Yet with all this
business now offered Aroostook county has
! only been tapped There are miles of virgin
| forests as yet untouched by the lumber
mans axe because there are no streams by
which to float the logs to market. They
can only be reached by a railway. There
are hardwood ridges affording fine land for
tillage where the industrious Swedes or
other pioneers can make their homes. In
this connection Judge Stearns referred to
the wonderful growth and prosperity of
New Sweden after it had been given rail
road facilities. He also gave some statjs-
tics of the industries of Caribou, wonder
fully built up since the advent Of the B. &
| A. Now the town has IS trains day and
while formerly it took two days to get to or
from Bangor the express trains now make
| it in six hours.
| In referring to the need for the proposed
deep water terminus Judge Stearns spoke
of the growing consumption of coal in
Aroostook. Land worth 800 an acre for
farming purposes is too valuable for wood
lots or even for raising potatoes He spoke
of the poor facilities for handling coal at
Bangor, port closed to navigation during
the winter months. AS we know here YES
sells often have to lay in Fort Point Cove
1