The Republican journal., 1907-01-03
The New Maine Railroads.
Commissioners Grant the B. & A. Permis-
sion to Build the Allegash Branch.

Commissioners Grant the B. & A. Permis
sion to Build the Allegash Branch.
The state board of railroad commits
sioners held hearing at the Bangor
House Thursday forenoon on the petit
ton of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad
company, filed with the commissioners
on Dec. Is, asking for permission to
build branch road connecting with
the main line of the B. & A. near West
Sebois and extending drought Penob.
scot, Piscataquis, and Aroostook coun.
ties along the Allegash river for its
greater part, to the town of St. Francis
near the junction of the Allegash river
with the st. John, distance of about
145 miles. The commissioners granted
the petition of the railroad company,
2, empowering the company to begin, at
any time it sees fit, the surveys for the
actual location of this branch.
All the members of the board, Hon.
J. B. Peakes of Dover, Hon. B. F.
Chadbourne of Biddeford. and Hon.
Parker Spofford of Bucksport, were in
attendance. The B. & A. was repre-
sented by Hugh r. Chaplin, of Appleton
& Chaplin, counsel of the road, and by
President Cram. Besides these there
were in attendance Charles ". Mullen,
Charles H. Bartlett, Mellen c. Pierce,
and F. W. Hill, representing timber
land interests along the route planned
for the new branch, Fred 7. Dow and
G. c. Garland of Debsconeag. Nobody
appeared in remonstrance to the grant
ing of the petition of the railroad COM
pany.
President Cram explained the need
of railroad into that section of the
State into which the B. & A. proposes
to build, of the endless opportunities
for the development of that country
and the need of a railroad to make this
development possible. He said the
timber in that section of the State is at
the present time being lost to the
State except in the direct money value
which the stumpage brings to the
owners of the timberlands. The tim
Der is going to Canadian mills and be-
ing brought into American markets in
Canadian vessels or being shipped to
foreign countries. An immense
amount of this lumber is being wasted
, merely because Of the impracticable
means OF getting it to market Many
large logs are left because they cannot
be driven down the rivers to the Cana
dian mills. There are numberless
Water-poWers along the route of the
new branch, all of which will be opened
to development by the building of this
branch, unlimited power to run saw
mills to manufacture the lumber, which
now cannot be reached or taken out
with profit to the State, and pulp mills
to manufacture the waste of the mills
into pulp and paper
None OF the representatives of the
cumberland interests present had any
objection to the granting of the petit
ton. Mr.. Mullen, large holder of
tlmberlands in the country reached by
the new roads, said he should be very
glad to see the road built.
This action of the commissioners is
merely preliminary, but necessary be-
tore the company can proceed with the
surveys for the actual location of the
road. When those surveys have been
made the location of the line will then
have to be approved before construc-
ton can be begun. The surveys I'M
doubleday will be begun as soon as it is
practicable to carry on the work of lay
ing out the route OF a railroad through
the woods.
| The SOMERSET RAILROAD.
Hon. William T. Haines of Water
vile when in Bangor last week was
asked by Commercial man concerning
the development of the Somerset
railroad in the ownership of which he
is associated with Ex-Gov John F.
Hill OF Augusta, and Col. w. NJ Aver
of Oakland.
''Why there isn't a great deal to be
said about the road" said MI Haines.
eve have petitioned the legislature, or
will, for charter to extend the road to
the Canada line. This extension is
only a matter of course. We already
! have a charter to build to the head of
, the lake and there is business enough to
be had in northern Maine to warrant
building to the boundary. 1t would be
a nice thing if we could get a connec-
there with the Quebec Central. They
; are within 20 miles of the boundary
now and are extending their road every
year. If we get the charter to build
we probably will begin work just as
soon as possible.
"The extension to Birch Point is now
in operation all the way to the lake, but
we are not doing much there yet but
will as soon as we have turn-tabe in
at Birch Point and few other things.
1t may take US the month of January
to get all those things going but we'll
4 be ready to do business in good shape
next spring. We expect a good pas
senger business over the extension, as
it will be short and picturesque route
to Moosehead. We have a connection
with the Canadian Pacific near West
Outlet but don't interchange any
traffic with that road yet, though the
c. p. stops all its trains there.
''There will be lots of business on
the Birch Point extension this winter.
We expect to haul out about 20, OOO, 900
feet of logs this winter. I've got 49,
600, 900 feet of my own logs to haul out
over the road. These logs will be land
ed for mills at various points along the
river. Besides these logs there is lot
of short wood, such as white birch, to
be brought out. Just because we're
going to petition the legislature for an
extension, and for power to sell, don't
mean that we're going to sell. We've
always had the right to sell, but we
found that nobody had a right to buy
us out. No, it's just natural develop
ment and there's a chance for lots of it
in Northern Maine. "A few more rail
roads in the State wouldn't hurt any
body and | think would do lots of good"