The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-04
WANT NEW LINE
New Haven Railroad Seeks Con-
troll of Historic Line.
Years Ago Scheme Was re-
garded as Important
ROAD DID NOT HELP
Portland's Commerce Not In
creased, Holland Says.
The Rutland viii Become Link
OF Trunk Line.

New York. Jan. An its appllS@
ton to the public service conf mission
whose authority extends over al u
New York state excepting the metro
politan district. for permission TO Sc
cure control OF the Rutland railroad
the New Haven Railroad company sets
forth in some detail what are pre-
suned to be its reasons for seeking
the ownership OF this much buI1eteu
and historically romantic railway sSS
TEN. .,-,.,rt,
President Mellen says that through
the ownership OF the Rutland RAJ
the New Haven system viii De aDle ~
maintain through routes under It's own
control between Boston, Portland, Ne,
and Montreal, and also. by means "
lake navigation, betW cen OgueHspul =
y y. and the great west.
Many years ago the conhectlolh y
Portland, Ne, with OguenSDurs' y :,
bv means of railroad was regarded
by merchants and railway managers OF
that time as one OF the most I'M poA-
tant Of the railway developments IN
the United States. For with the me
harbor at Ogdensburg, which Wou4u
become the eastern terminal Of Trans
portation carried through the Great
Lakes principally from the northwest
although to some extent from Chlcago
or Milwaukee, and with the almost
matchless ocean harbor al Forudhu,
Me. it was expected that there would
be a great development of Portland
and a very profitable business for the
railroad link between the deep waters
OF the lake and the deep waters OF the
ocean.
To some extent these expectations
were realized, but not fully. Highly
successful competition with other rail-
way and lake lines was impossible tof
several reasons Nor did the business
" hich was brought to Portland IN
crease her ocean commerce to any
marked extent
After many vicissitudes that portion
OF the old Portland and Ogdensburg
railroad which extends from Rouse's J
point on Lake Champlain to Ogdens- !
burg came into the possession Of the |
R.Stiand railroad. When Dr. W. Sew
ard Webb. son-in-law of William H. !
Vanderbilt, secured control of the Rut- /
land railroad he expected greatly to /
develop commerce and transportation
between Ogdensburg and Boston or /
Portland and TO maintain a success |
full lake transportation line with an /
eastern terminal at Ogdensburg.
But it was always evident that while |
the Rutland railroad might become a
very important link in some great
trunk line system, it never would be
BILE to develop itself exclusively into
q system of that kind. The Rutland I
= S"N 9Set NiA0A a SOA AAAtlAel ShA1u oL a
little hamlet just south of Bennington,
Vt. where it made connection with the
Boston & Maine. Could it have be-
come an integral part of the Boston &
AIaine system it would have created for
that system very great opportunities
These opportunities have now passed
over to the New Haven system through L
its practical control of and unification
with the Boston & Maine
An Outlet for the West.
OF course, ice in the Great Lakes for
some four or five months of the year
is 4 serious obstacle to steady devel-
opment of lake transportation between
the west and the east. But the New
Haven railroad control of the Boston !
& Maine gives il a trunk-line connec-
ton with the West Shore railroad BY