The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-01-06

Maine Thought perhaps ~ was HeSulehs "
insert any such stipulation in the charter
, as he assured the people that his road die
not intend to cripple its competitor or L
/ annoy it. However, the people of Brat
: tlebor insisted that such provisions mus
go into the charter bill to be introduced
! by the Boston < Maine, and such pro
visions were made part of the bill. II Il
: because of this attitude toward the Cen
, trail Vermont and because of the intention
and purpose of the people OF this town t
protect the Central Nermont's interests
that the citizens believe that squar,
deal has been given to the Central Yer
mont and that today the situation Is sim
ply a fight against competition, in which
] Brattleboro Is entitled to recognition Of
i its claims for better railroad facilities.
! The story of the railroad development
through this part of New England, espe
cially to the south, dates back to 1875
when the Vermont legislature granted q
charter to the Connecticut X PassumpsiC
i River Railroad company. In 1913 this
i charter was revived by the granting of a
charter to the Brattleboro x Fitchburg
Il Railroad company to build a line from
| Bratteboro to the Massachusetts, line. In
/ 1919 this road was built by the Vermont
4 Massachusetts, Railroad company, which
acquired the rights granted under the pre-
] vious charters. In 1874 the Vermont x
j Massachusetts Railroad company was leas-
ed for 800 years TO the Fitchburg, and IN
| 1850 the Fitchburgs rights, together with
the property of the Vermont Il Massa-
chusetts Railroad company, were sold to
! the New London Northern. In December,
1891, the New London road was leased
to the Central Vermont, and 10 years ago
! the Central Vermont passed INTO the
! hands of receiver to become the property
of the Grand Trunk system under fore
closure of a blanket mortgage held by the
Canadian road. Thus is told briefly the
story of the 10 miles of road between
South Vernon and Brattleboro, which Is
today the battle-ground of two great raj
road systems the Grand Trunk and the
| New York, New Haven < Hartford.
President Mellen of the New Haven
system offers to build road from South
Vernon to Brattleboro, parallel with the
track of his competitor, the Central Yer
mont He offers not only to build such a
road. but TO elevate it II feet above the
grade of the present Boston x Maine and
| Central Vermont tracks, where they pass
| through this village These Improvements
as planned by Boston x Maine engineers
will entail the expenditure OF nearly a
| half million of dollars and will include a
| modern passenger station, costing S2o,uoO
or more. The Boston & Maine will give
| to Brattleboro these improvements at alb
| solutely no expense.
Last fall, after several hearings before
| the public service commission, following
over a wear of conferences between the OF
fcials OF the Central Vermont and a COM
mittee of Brattleboro's citizens, the Cen.
| trail Vermont acquiesced in the order of
the commission that the road should abol-
ish the dangerous Bridge street grade
crossing, that an oyerpass should be sub
stituted and that station to cost not
| less than $4,000 should be erected. These
1 improvements to cost approximately Soo,'
600, of which the town OF Bratteboro
was TO pay $4,000, and the state OF Yer
mont $40 800 After years of work to Sc
cure a change of conditions the citizens
congratulated themselves and the mem
bers of their committee, Z. .. Robbins,
L. +. Holden and c, X. Crosby, on the
outcome of the negotiations and the out
look for better railroad accommodations
| for Brattleboro.
A special town meeting of the voters OF
| Brattleboro ratified the order of the pub
lie service commission by voting to APP
propriate the $4,000 called for as the
| towns share of the estimated expense OF
the projected improvements. Then the
Boston & Maine came forward with its
offer. The Central Vermont's officials
quickly alleged that Brattleboro was
breaking faith with the Central Vermont
and with the public service commission by
listening to the proposition, but the Dusi,
ness men not only of Brattleboro but OF
proposed line of the Boston & Maine, sud
denly awoke to the possibilities offered.
Vice president Bryne and Engineer
George Tompson of the Boston & Maine
came to Brattleboro last fall and at a
meeting of citizens told exactly what
President Mellen wished to do in the
| furtherance of his plan for developing the
| New Haven system. The plan included
Brattleboro and would give the town rail
road facilities that it had never before
dreamed Of possessing. Attorney w. b;
G. Stickney of the Boston Maine stated
that his road would ask the Vermont leg
islature for charter to build me from
South Vernon to Brattleboro, and he ask.
ed for the moral support of the people OF
this town and vicinity. Before he was as
sured that such support was Forthcoming
he and Vice President Byrne publicly
pledged themselves that the interests OF
the Central Vermont should not be I'm,
| periled. A few days later the Central
| Vermont officials came to meet the peo-
pie of Bratteboro. They asked that Brat
| tleboro people give the same support. tor
the granting of a charter. for road from
Brattleboro to Windsor, to parallel the
lines of the Boston & Maine. Vice-Presi-
dent Fitzhugh of the Central Vermont
said that he would not oppose the grant
ing Of the charter asked for by his com.
petitor. He wanted square deal and
gave the people of Brattleboro to under
stand that they should have one at his
hands. This is, briefly, the story OF the
| negotiations and the result to date as
| Brattleboro business men tell it.
There are many partisans, who favoring
the plan of the Central Vermont, say. that
the plans projected by President Melen
and his engineers are only club to COM
pei the Grand Trunk to desist in its at
| tempt to get into Providence by the line
Massachusetts legislature a few months
ago. While this may be the honest belief
| of the Grand Trunk officials and the sup
porters of the policies of that road the
people of the Connecticut river valley are
| inclined to believe that President Mellen
is sincere in his statement that he will
| build his proposed road from South Yer
non to Brattleboro as quickly as money
and men can do it after he receives au'
| thority to do so from the Vermont legls'
lature. Those in a position, to know say
| that Vice-President Fitzhugh OF the zen.
trail Vermont road knows that President
Mellen of the New Haven means what he
saws. These same people say. that there
was no ambiguity about the letter which
Mr.. Fitzhugh received from President
Mellen when he wrote to the nead
of the New Haven system and offered
to build a double track road between
Bratleboro and South Vernon to be
used jointly by the Central Vermont
and the Boston & Maine. The exact
phraseology of that interesting document
IS not available for publication, but it was