Norwich bulletin., 1914-04-15

When that little band of pioneers rom the Saybrook colony in 1859 stopped in their travels and founded the town of Norwich in the location that seemed so inviting to them along the banks of the 1antie river, they builded better than they could ever have ferseen. It had been their good fortune to select a spot which was the natural center for the surrounding territory for miles around, and in the more than 25o years that have fol- lowed up to the present time, there has been ever increasing proof and development of this fact.
 At the Meeting of the Rivers.
 Just as the two rivers, the Yantic and the Shetucket, flowing through the town bring their waters together to form the beautiful Thames with it's splendid harbor at the very gates 5t the city, the lines of travel from all the surrounding country converge t,- wards Norwich with a naturalness that is perfectly apparent Following this natural trend, ever increasing means of travel to the city. ry rat, by trolley and by well kept highways have been added with the years, Un- til Norwich stands today the focal point for many miles of railroad trolley and highway along which 9aa population of a hundred or more towns and villages grayitate to the center for business and pleasure.
 Two Railroads.
 To the territory to the soutA aud north and along each side of the Thames river run the lines of the Ne York. New Haven and Hartford R. R., and the Central Vermont Railroad, the former with it's station in the center Of the city, just off Main stree- and the latter with it's station on the West Side in what was formerly the Enirn Station before the New Havel! road extended its Norwich & Worcester branch number of years ago rom Allyn's Point all the way, to Groten along the east bank of the T names River The passenger and freig Ut service of the two roads are highly important factors in the business life of the city.
 By New Haven Road.
 Along the line of the New Haven road, stations to the south that act as feeders to the commercial life of the community are Allyn's Point, Stod- dard's Wharf, Poquetanuck Draw bridge, Gales Ferry, Breakwater and the Navy yard. while to the north along the same line uf railroad are the villages and towns all the --ay ro the Massachusetts state line. To a not unimportant extent their residents look upon Norwich as their natural supply point and swell it's volume of | trade n both retail and who -esale 1 lines. These include Taftvlle. Jewett City, Plainfeld, Central Village, l Wauregan, Danielson, Dayville, Put nam, Mechanicsville West Thompson l Grosvenordale. North Grosv enorda1e, Wilsonville, Perrys and Webster. There are seven south-bound and ! the same number of north bound pas Senser trains daily, with foJ~ trans l each way on Sunday. For freight service, through the Nor i wich Worcester division of .lae i New Haven Road there is connection | at Worcester with the Boston Ss A | 1t F1tchburS connection is made to all 1 points north and in Canada through | the Boston & Maine Railroad Going south it connects for freight service l with the great Pennsylvania railroad | system for all points. south =eard west, 1 and by steamer in New York for any 1 European ports te which Norwich l manufactured products may be con- signed.
 On the Central Vermont.
 Tapping another region and bring | Ing in its portion to the city's trade i is the line of the Central Vermont l railroad with it's terminal points for | this branch at New London and Brat i tleboro. Like the other Iine the Cen | tral Vermont also extends from tide | water at Long Island Sound clear through Eastern Connecticut and into 1 Massachusetts and beyond. In the | sengers from Montville, Massape4g l Yantic, Franklin, Lebanon, Soulb 1 Windham Willimantic, South Coven- try, Eagleville, Mansfield, Merrow ] Wilmington, Holland, ana Staffo1 l Springs. North bound and south bound on i the line there are four passenger 1 trains each day while through tnA l summer season there IS an additional 1 accommodation in the through trains | that run. one each way daily between New London and Montreal By the way of the Central Vermont | railway with it's northern connections 1 the freight shipping facilities of the 1! city reach out through Canada and the i far west, while in the opposite direc- | ton it delivers freight into New York 1 city and makes connection with coast wise and Atlantic steamers for all l sections of the world.
 Eastern Connecticut Trolley Center.
 But of paramount importance. es- | peciaIly to the retail trade Of the city 1 has been the development of Norwich l as the trolley center of Eastern Con- necticut.
 one or two business men from an | other New England city came here to | see why the retail business of Nor | wich was apparently keeping up to | ordinary volume while so many other | New England communities reported ] stagnauon in their retail trade.
 Busy Franklin Square.
 The visitors walked along the |
  of conditions, became somewhat ac- | qtasinted with the physical character | istics of the city and it's geographical | situation, and arrived at length at i Franklin square as the trolley cars were coming in As one car after an other arrived. apparently from all four points of the compass, many of them more than full 10 their seating apac- ity. one of the party paused to look. In the space of a few minutes Frank lin square was filled with d hllrrying bustling crowd Of humanity from the arriving cars. while still another group, these mostly packa ge-laden and bun d1e-caTrying. climbed aboard the enptying cars.
 That settles it." said the visitor There's your secret No wonder your business keeps alive when you have l this outside trade brought to your docrss'
 Norwich the Trolley Hub.
 Norwich is the trolley hub of this i egT1 of the state and Franklin square 1 is the center of the hub. From east l north. south and west tine tPolleys bring ! their daily contr1 r1butfon to the life of the i city
 Here center trolley lines that are not only inler-tuEban but are inter county and inter state in their reach and service. Massa ntlaIsetts and Rhode Island are penetrated by lines that thread their way through the towns of