The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-10-28
SOME RAILROAD RUMoRs
5rattIeboro People Dreaming of Road
to Wilmington.

Within a short time there will bt
introduced in the state legislature
two railroad bills in which Windhan
| county will have a particular interest
One of these will ask for a charter
for the Brattleboro and Wilmington
railroad company with authority to
build a line between the towns men.
toned; the other will ask for the
Deerfeld River railroad the right TO
extend its present line southwark to
the state line and northeasterly TO
some point on the Rutland system,
presumably Manchester. Dispatches
from Montpelier seem to indicate
fear on the part of some legislators
that these measures will engender a
controversy similar to that which de-
veloped over the Brattleboro railroad
situation two years ago, but this is a
remote contingency. In fact, il is I'M
derstood that the interests behind the
Deerfield railroad bill are not anxious
to 90 into the railroad business if
there is a likelihood that direct line
from Brattleboro to Wilmington will
be constructed.
Naturally enough Brattleboro peo-
pie are extremely DESTROYS that a
road from this town to Wilmington
be constructed, and special COM
mittee from the Brattleboro board of
trade was appointed several months
ago to keep watch of developments
and assist in the project in any way
possible. Local people feel that an
extension of the Deerfield River rail-
road-at present merely a lumber
road into Somerset and Stratton-
would tend to drive the business of
the Deerfield valley out OF the state
whereas a road from Wilmington to
Brattleboro would divert it in this d.
rection and in many ways bring about
a solidifcation of Windham county's
interests.
The plan of those behind the Deer
field railroad proposition is said to be
the construction of a road from VIII
mington southwark through Whiting
ham and one corner of Halifax to the
state line and thence through Colrain
to Greenfield. Surveys of this route
have already been made according to
reports that have appeared in Green
Htlu papers. ne OBJECT OF SuCn
road would be to furnish a better out
let for the business of the Deerfield
Valley than is at present afforded by
the Hoosac Tunnel e. Wilmington
route.
The claim of those interested I'm
Observation-Disclosures charter is
that exactly the same purpose can
be served by a direct road from the
Deerfield valley TO this town, and
that Brattleboro would be a much
more advantageous distributing point
than Greenfield because of the fact
that two competing railway lines can
be reached at this town. In fact, Il
is only reasonable to suppose that
Brattleboro influence will be against
the granting of a charter for a road
from Wilmington TO Greenfield until
it has been demonstrated that it is a
physical impOssibility to construct an
adequate line in this direction.
A despatch from Montpelier to the
Burlington Free Press says Il is IN
derstOOd that the owners Of the Hoo
sac Tunnel & Wilmington road will
build line to Brattleboro. IL given a
charter, without calling for any fin
ancial assistance. and the line follow
ed by their survey, wholly In Vermont
would touch and accommodate more