Year: 1869

Boston and Ogdensburg.


The proposed consolidation of the railroads
between Boston and Ogdensburg, N. T.,
would attract much more attention if there
were any prospect of an early consummation
of the work. But the project is yet in embryo.
1t has not yet even been presented to COM
mttee, except incidentally, and there is un-
derstood to be no probability that the Massa-
chusetts Legislature now in session will give
it any attention. A good deal OF exultation
has been expressed by persons who sec In the
consolidation of the roads an opportunity fol
Boston to regain her lost commercial empire
But already there are some dissenting opin-
ions expressed By persons who have antieipa-
ted consequences which at first view were not
taken into account. The aggregate length OF
the roads to be consolidated, including the
Vermont Central and the Northern, sometimes
called the Ogdensburg Railroad, is 4o6 miles
And bere arises difference of opinion among
the friends OF consolidation. The distance
from Portland to Ogdensburg by the project
road through the Notch of the White Noun
tans is more than fifty miles less than be-
tween the ter.nini of the Boston road. By
what is known as the Portland and Rutland
road this city has also an advantage in the
matter of distance After the building of the
latter road and the Montpelier and Wells
River road, Portland would have third
route to the Lake terminus shorter than that
which Boston desires to control. How these
considerations bear upon the question of con-
solidaton may be inferred from the following
paragraph in the leading article of the Boston
Journal of yesterday:


There is another view ofthe question which
should not be overlooked. A line of railroad
has been protected to connect the Vermont
Central railroad with our neighbor city of Port
land ito this no one in Boston certainly is dis
posed to object, for we are none OF us afraid of
fair and open competition. But when it is
sought to merge the Rouses Point and Og-
densburg road in a line which is ultimately to
terminate in Portland as well as in Boston,
aud the management of which may prove to be
in favor of the former city, it may well be asked
whether good fellowship or q sound and
healthful generosity requires us to surrender
10 our commercial rivals in the East the
advantages over them which we at present
possess. The only route which Bos-
ION controls between the seab0ard and the
West, quite independently OF New York, is
via Ogdensburg; can we afford to run the risk
of this being pre-eminently Portland route,
and thus OF our being left without a route ex
clusively our own? AS these various roads
stand at present, some of them have a direct
and positive interest in making the Ogdens-
burg road and the connecting steamers to the
lakes feeder for Boston; the Lowell and Con-
cord lines win help to hold the trade here.
But il these shall be consolidated with the
Vermont Central and Ogdensburg roads, and
ultimately with the road to Portland, which
undoubtedly il part Of the plan, what infiu-
ence will there be to hinder the giving of the
preference altogether to Portland. whenever
the interests of the line or the wishes fits
managers may seem to require il? We think
that we speak the sentiments of Eastern Mas
sachusetts when we say that to carry out the
scheme OF consolidation which has been SUBJ
mitted to the Legislative Committee on Rail-
ways would be nothing less than calamity;
we trust, therefore, that the subject will be al
lowed to lie over until the next session, and
that in the meantime some new plan may be
maiured l;!s less sweeping in Its provisions, and
which will give promise of harmonizing and
promoting the public and all corporate and
private interests atsf


The fact which the journal apprehends as
likely to make it for the interest of the new
corporation to give the preference to Portland
it does not mention-the natural advantage
which Portland possesses in having shorter
line and greater facilities for the shipment of
produce. Accordingly there are three parties
among those who favor the consolidation
scheme. One party approves of the project as
presented to the Railway Committee by Col.
George of New Hampshire; second would
stop at White River junction not far from
where the Rutland road, if built, would strike
the Boston line, not embracing either the Ver-
mont Central or the Ogdensburg road, and
third would stopi at Rouse's Point near
where the Portland, White Mountains and Og-
densburg road will unite with the Boston line,
leaving the Northern road alone as an in
dependent corporation.


But how Boston expects to prevent Port
lands realizing the advantages belonging to
her from her position, and TO divert commerce
into an unnatural channel, over the longer
instead Of the shorter route, by any manage
ment of tho consolidation scheme, however
skilful, does not appear. The Portland and
Ogdensburg road will be free firm all the COM
plcatons that ernbarrass the projectors of the
proposed Boston route to the Lakes 1t will
be entirely independent ofother lines except
the Northern road, and from that the most
liberal concessions have already been obtained,
an arrangement having been perfected giving
cur road the preference over all others con-
Meeting with it. The success of the enterprise
is now placedbeyond the reach of almost any
contingency, and irrespective of anything
Boston may or may not do in the matter of
consolidation, Portland will compete for the
commerce of the West.