Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-01-17
ELECTRIC ROAD MERGER.
The New Haven Rond Controls vnIu-
abIe Line in Southern Vermont.


able Line in Southern Vermont.
bennington, Jar. 1o.-The absorption Of |
the Bennington e. Hoosac Valley electric |
road by the Bennington & North Adams |
Street Railway company. gives the New |
York. New Haven g. Hartford railroad a |
line direct to Troy, N. Y. and line from
Eagle Bridge. N. Y, to Cambridge ard
Greenwich. with these franchises the
New York, New Haven & Hartford Is In |
a position to begin work at any minute
on an extension from Hoosick Falls to
Troy without waiting for an act Of legis-
lation or any other OF the numerous de-
| lays that mark the beginning Of trolley
line construction.
The capital OF the bennington h North
Adams Street Railway company. accord
| ing to the papers filed with the secretary
of state. is $650.OtO. The company was
| authorized by an act Of the recent Ieg,s-
| lature to issue share for share in OK
change for the shares OF the Remington
& Hoosac Valley Railway company, ard
is further authorized to issue as many
shares of preferred stock as are neces-
snry to take care of the preferred stock
| of the merged company and the bonds
The Consolidated Railway company sub
l
North Adams company, and II. NJ. Hoch-
erspreyer of New Haven. Conn. is the
other principal subscriber.
| The board of directors is composed
of Charles s. Mellen, president of the
New York. New Haven & Hartford;
Calvert Townley, A. S. May. ]. G. Par
ker and II. NJ. Hocherspreyer of New
| Haven, Conn; George Y. Green of
| Hoosick Falls. n Y: A. r. Gardner OF
Pownal, Vt; l. e, Gibson of Renning-
ton, Vt, and II. w. Ely Of Westfield
| Mass, I. r. Gibson and George L. Green
were treasurer and president respec-
| lively, of the Bennington & Hoosick
Valley road. The officers are: Presi-
dent, Charles S Mellen OF New Haven:
vice president, calvert Towniey Of
/ New Haven; clerk and treasurer, O. M.
Barber of Remington; assistant clerk.
]. q. Parker of New Haven; assistant
treasurer, A. S. May Of New Haven.
DESC RIPTION or THE PROPERTY.
The Bennington & Hoosac Valley line
between Bennington and Hoosick Falls.
y. Y. a distance of 16 IL miles, as the
road runs, was completed eight years
ago last summer charter for the
Bennington & North Adams Street Rail
way company to build an electric road
from the Massachusetts limo through the
town of Pownal to bennington was
secured from the Vermont Legislature
in 1902. During the two years that fol-
lowed rumors were periodically in circ ula-
ton to the effect that the road was
going TO be built but nothing in the line
of construction was bcEon until early
last summer, when the franchise was
reported to have nasscd into the hands
Of the consolidated the subsidiary COM
pany OF the New York New Haven e.
Hartford system. A corps of engineers
IA charge Of IL : pur-ce established
headquarters here and in June actual
work on the road was begun.
From the time that the first shovelful
of dirt was lifted the work has been
rushed. Two contracting drns-J W.
Daley at the Pownal end and f. Blakes-
ley & Son at Bennipg ton-have hurried
the construction along rs rapidly as
POSSIBLE While the work has been
rushed il has not been sighted, and
good material has been used. Men who
are in a position to judge have stated
that when the line is omen for traffic
in the spring it will he second to ro
other road in New England or, for that
matter. In the East,
WORKED IN COLI WEATHER.
| During the latter part or the sum
mer, ano even after cold weather oe'
gan TO set in. It was noticeable that the
work was being rushed. II was known
that the comrany's charter would eX-
pire December !, but II looked lmpos-
sible to finish the road before that
date, and there appeared TO be no rea-
son why the work should he completed
under forced drauEht, for an extension
of the charter could be easily secured
from the Legislature, which went into
session October J. bill was intro
J duced in the Legislature asking for this
extension, but still the engineer in
charge H. s Durkee. and the two con-
tractors kept putting on additional
worlsmcn and hurrying on the build
ing OF the road.
The bill granting the extension of
time passed the Legislature, and was
signed by the governor. AS soon az
GOV. +. d. Proctor had signed the act
the fact was wired to the office OF the
New York, New Haven e. Hartford al
New Haven by Engineer Durkee, who
Mt once received a letter from the en-
ginecrs' department to complete the
road by December /, regardless OF the
charter extension. AT this time, In
GLIDING the pole gangs, there were
nearly 900 men at work on the road
severe cold snap late in November
. drove many of the italian woramer
from the work and forced headquarter:
TO abandon the idea Of completing the
road this winter practically an impos
. sible task, anyway.
WORKING ON TWO CUTS.
: At the present time there are severa
a gangs OF graders al work at dfferen
q points along the line and the building
of a large portion of the road is practic
aTly done There is a rock cut three AM
one-half miles south of this village ant
a dirt cut at Pownal Center that will re
| ouire two more months of hard worl
z to finish BY the time way has bee
3 made through these two points the grad
y ing and ballasting of the remainder O
70 the road will be completed. A stear
d shovel and gravel train are rapidly bal
x lasting the first three miles out of mi
k village and another steam shovel and tw
l. trains are at work in the clay cut at Pow
l. raj Center
n he yIin no npl