The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-05-23
Miles

Here Is total Of 1886 miles of line
divided among II independent operating
companies 1t Is further to be noted
/ that even then many well-kuown New
l England railroad companies of that day
fare not included the Boston aud Lowell
Boston and Providence, Connecticut
River Portland and 0gdensburp. New
4 York Providence and Boston, and 9th.
ers, none Of which operated SO much
as 100 miles Of road.
The total railroad mileage Of New
England at7 that time .Yasl about $500
and the II larger roads thus embraced
only "a per cent Of the total. To-day
! the New England mileage i about 1890
land the Boston and Maine and New
Haven systems alone embraces some9Ts
perseent of The total The railroad 0ci
topus Of 80 years ago for this part 81
the country was the Central Vermont
which now, with the loss OF the Rut.
| Hand. win survive but Is comparatively
lnorthbound and in control Of the Grand
Trunk OF Canada Then the Boston and
Albany. with much the same mileage as
today was one Of the principal systems
and in point Of traffic and financial
strength was the greatest Of the lot
One would not at that date have picked
out the New Haven and Boston and
Maine as the great consolidating forces
OF the future. They stand pretty well
down in the list and with only one miles
difference in the amount Of line operated
by each The aggressive companies 81
that time, aside from the Central Yer
mont with It's extensive system 81 free.
pass and other briberies Of newspapers
and lawyers and public officials, were the
Eastern, working northeast Of Boston
and the New ork and New England
or reorganized Boston, Hartford and Erit
which WAS gathering ia the Hartford
Providence and Fishkll aud other lines
round about New Haven road in south
ern New England,
4 If the New York and New England
HAD possessed financial strength OF
credit equal to its spirit Of expansion
spirit compelled By its location-it
would undoubtedly have effected that
consolidation Of southern New England
roads which has been brought about by
the New Haven that later became p0ss.
essed of the same absorbing temper. II
the Boston and Albany had had at that
time the aggressive spirit of the Eastern
railroad company Of Massachusetts it
would have become no doubt the consoli.
dating agency throughout New England
llf the Eastern company had been less
reckless in its fnaneiering which threw
the road under great burden Of debt
il instead Of the Boston aud Maine would
unquestionahly have become the consoli-
dating force for northeastern New Eng
| land.
But speculations Of this kind are 81
no consequence. The point to be brought
abont is that the extensive consolidation
was then inevitable all over New Eng
land. II was impossible that railroad
transportation should remain broken Up
into 10 many small sections and com.
panies. Prosperous little railroads
like the Boston and Providence and Bos-
ton and Lowell were sufficient as be.
tween the cities mentioned. But beyond
Providence towards New York were
other places wanting connecting trans.
portation, and beyond Lowell was Nash
Ina. Manchester and Concord 1t was In.
evitahle that these little connecting
\ lines should come together into one op.
Grating company, and az little oonsoli.
dated groups grew up close interconnec-