The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-02-09
PENNINGTON TO AUGUSTA.
Electric Road Will Probably BE Bull
In Near Future.

granted work upon the line will be
gin during the present year. Boston
Gardiner. Augusta. Pennington and
5aeo capital are interested in the en-
terprise and rights are also given t.
the corporation TO furnish light ane
power 10 the communities througf
which it passes.
The distance covered ny the pro
posed railroad is a little over j.
miles. passing through the rich farm
ing communities Of New Sharon, II
emma, At Vernon. Readfeld and Man
chester New Sharon. Nj Vernon
and Vienna have no railroad commu-
nieation with the outlying world and
are only reached by stage lines
making them practically inaccessible
&c that the giving OF direct railroad
connection with Pennington and Au
grsta would mean great develop
ment of the farming interest and at
tract summer visitors TO this section
of kennebec and Franklin county
Much of the business interests 0.
Readfield are with Augusta. but hith-
erto it has been necessary for the
residents of that town when they
wished TO come to Augusta to first
come to Winthrop either by boat OF
train and take the electric line from
the latter town. The new line would
afford direct connection with Angus
ia through Manchester.
The proposed road will touch sew
eral of the larger lakes of the Bel
grade chain and will probably giye
an hourly service. II will probably
come into Augusta over the Bond
brook road and it is said that since
Representative Greenwood's bill has
been introduced the price of real es-
tate in that section has gone up no
ticeably Part of the territory through
which the railroad proposes TO pass
has already been surveyed some i
or 20 years ago in connection with d
proposition OF the old Wiscasset Va
tervile & Pennington road to cross
the river at Augusta instead of Va
terville.
But this is by no means the end OF
the possibilities of the proposed road.
Pennington is the terminus Of the
Sandy River & Rangeley lakes rail
road with lines to Rangeley and Bige
low in the Dead river region as well
as to the prosperous towns of King
field and Strong. 1t is also proposed
to extend the old Wiscassst, Water
vile & Pennington road from Win
slow through Wateryille, Oakland
Smithfeld, Mercer. New Sharon and
Pennington as provided by the orig
inal surveys.
Weston Lewis of Gardiner member
of Governor Plaisteds council. who
Is named as one OF the incorporators
of the proposed Augusta & Farming
ton Railway Co. is the president of
the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes
railroad This system. which is a
narrow guage railroad. is understood
to be a very paying proposition, but
is believed by many that il could be
more SO if it were standardized and
made an electric road. Should this
be done Augusta would be given di-
rect connection with the Rangeley
lake region as we'll as the towns of
Pennington. Kingield and Strong.
Dr. Heber Bishop of Boston. another
of the promoters of the proposed
road, has a summer camp in the
Rangeley region and his name sug-
gests that among the possibilities
contemplated by this new road may be
the further development of this great
sportsmen's paradise and summer
outing region by atfording more di-
rect and frequent communication with
the outside world.
1t is also a singular coincidence
that on the same day that the bill
was introduced by Representative
Greenwood of Pennington for the in
corporation of the Augusta & Farm
ington Railroad Co.. Representative
Austin of Phillips introduced bill
for the incorporation of the Sandy
Pond Development Co This act gives
the new corporation authority to sell
electricity for lighting and power in
the Franklin county towns of Phil
lips, Rangeley. Strong, Madrid and
Avon and ii is understood that the
company if granted the charter ask
ed for will build a large dam at the
foot of Sandy River pond, which is
situated about midway between Phil
lips and Rangeley river. which winds
down between the mountains OF the
noted gameland past Phillips and
Pennington and finally empties into
the kennebec at The Forks
Ii is believed that in case of the
standardizng of the guage of the
Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Rail
road and equippng it with electricity