Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-15

Vermont and l was perfectly willing
to take in exchange similar joint use
between White River junction and
Windsor and between South Vernon
and Brattleboro; between Montpelier
and Burlington and between Swanton
and Altburg.
Kept Posted
ITO the best of my ability l was on
the lookout all the time to keep posted
regarding what was being done; no
construction had been engaged in and
no expenses had been incurred other
than the purchase of few pieces of
real estate and the expense incident to
securing the charter rights by the
GraEd Trunk in connection with the
proposed extension into Providence,
until after the death of Mr.. Hays
through the laundering of the steam
| ship Titanic, and l was convinced,
and am still, that had Mr.. Hays lived
and had there not have been an inter
regnum in the affairs of the Grand
Trunk, no money would have been ex-
pended in any serious construction of
the Providence line.
II had careful estimates of all the
traffic tributary to the proposed ex-
tension from Palmer to Providence
made, and assuming that the Grand
/ Trunk could have carried so per cent.
| of all the traffic in all directions orig
! mating at stations on the proposed
line, including the traffic of the city
! of Providence, | never could convince
! myself that the line would ever pay
more than its operating expenses and
| that IL should be financial success
was impossible from any reasoning l
could give to the situation myself, or
could gain through the investigation
of my subordinates.
Grand Trunk Extension
"The serious feature of the Grand
/ Trunks extension from Paomer to
! Providence was not in the business II
might take away from the New Ha-
! ven railroads nor its effect upon the
| New Ravens revenues but rather IN
/ the fact that it was the inauguration
I of a policy by the Grand Trunk that
would have necessitated an enormous
amount of unnecessary railroad con-
struction in New England through the
in-feeling, hostility and the railroad
flight that was inevitable as result.
This was later appreciated by Mr..
HAYS himself for he started to build
an inconsequential line from Palmer
to Providence and before he had ex-
pended any considerable money on that
line he found himself obliged to Sc
cure charters for the construction OF
several hundred miles of line in other
sections of New England, which, II
they had been seriously undertaken,
would have cost more money than mas
cost his whole extension of the Grand
Trunk to the Pacific coast. The re-
suit of his construction, had the Grand
! Trunk been financially able to nave
completed it, would have been to force
the construction of a vast amount Oh
mileage by the New Haven and ooth
companies would have been worse on
seriously encountered and probably
/ bankrupt with the attendant assess
ments upon the public for several I'M
| necessary lines to be maintained.
"This. in a word, was the situation
at the time of the laundering OF the
Titanic and the death of Mr.. hays
THAT this situation would ever have
been allowed to materialize is some.
thing that my knowledge of Mr.. hays
! as a result of an acquaintance OF 20
wears will not permit me to believe
/
Watched Construction
Every shortly after the death OF MI
Havs | learned of the letting OF the
contracts for the construction or the
line. I kept careful watch on the pro-
e,ress of construction and 1T began TO
assume such proportions that was
in doubt whether my previous conciu
sions were correct, but | still adhered
firmly to the belief that there could
not be a proper understanding of what
was going on on the part of the
| Grand Trunk officials at Montreal and
London. The project was so wild ana
the returns of so little moment and the
! estimates of expense such, for l had
the route estimated by my subordi-
1 mates. and in no instance did l get any
estimate that was not at least double
the estimates that were publicly made
bv the Grand Trunk in their efforts
to get their charter rights, that
| could not believe the construction 10
be seriously considered or possible.
Letter to Chamberlain
'When the knowledge reached me
that Mr.. Chamberlin had been select
ed as president of the Grand Trunh
to succeed Mr.. Hays, 1 wrote him
personal autograph letter of congrat'
ulation and suggested that although
we were apparently bound to disagree
it ought not to interrupt the acqualnt'
ance we had had for many years past
and that / hoped when he as coming
nv way he would sit down with me
and discuss the respective shortcom'
ings of our respective companies new
ertheless. / cannot recall just tn'
terms or language expressed IN my
letter because I kept no copy 1t was
; hasty, personal, friendly note sucf
as man would write to another WITT
whom he had been well acquainted II
years gone by but hose business re-
Iations had kept them apart Tor
period of fully 20 years. To that let
ter l received a very cordial reply
and as a result of that we later me
and had more or less negotiations o.
conference regarding the difhcultle'
the two companies were laboring un
der and discussed in a general way
the possibilities of arriving at a bet
aVidpnce6 Dy tlt