CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE CENTRAL VERMONT RAILROAD.

There is not space to give even a brief history of the beginning of railroads in the United States, however interesting that might be; suffice it to say that Pennsylvania took the lead in railroad legislation in 1823, and Massachusetts in railroad building in 1826.

Twenty years after the first railroad was built in the United States, the Vermont Central Railroad was projected. It was, however, discussed ten or more years previous to 1846. The Watchman and other Montpelier papers early saw the value to the state in developing its resources, which a railroad would afford. Gov. Charles Paine used his influence, and the legislature passed an act in 1835, which granted a charter to the line through Vermont. It was not until eight years later that much was accomplished. Then a new charter was obtained, the next year a convention was held in Montpelier, at which time James R. Langdon, Esq., advanced $10,000 for a survey, and work was begun on this survey. The road was to be built from some point on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, up the valley of the Onion river to some convenient point on the Connecticut river. The points selected were Windsor and Burlington. This survey was to be a part of the connecting link between Boston and Lake Ontario. Work began at Windsor, Dec. 15, 1845. The first rail was laid at White River Junction early in 1847. Isaac B. Culver, as assistant division engineer, drove the first spike. Little by little the work progressed through Hartford, and through the town of Sharon. A gang of Irishmen were at work in the summer of 1847 on the cuts above and below South Royalton. It is remembered that they had their weekly Sunday drunks, when timid women stayed in their houses.

The people of this town had ample time to think about the lengthening railroad, and the probable effect it would have upon their property, before it reached them. Its advent was, no doubt, recognized by every one as a good thing for the state and the town as a whole, but, as in case of all improvements, it was not unmixed with evil. Yes, a railroad was needed, a railroad was wanted, a railroad was welcomed, but each land owner along its line hoped he would escape serious injury in having his land cut

up, or his buildings menaced. As the road was finally laid out, it necessitated the moving of some buildings, and the ruin of the fine lawns in Royalton village, the pride of their owners, and the chief beauty of the hamlet. It is needless to say that the route was bitterly opposed by many of the people of Royalton village, but all to no purpose. They had hoped it would run nearer the river, along the border of the village, instead of cutting through the heart of the settlement.

In the general office of the C. V. R. R. in St. Albans can be seen a chart showing the different surveys made through Royalton in March, 1846. By one survey, the road would not cross the river near the site of the old Stevens bridge, as it does today, but run along the south bank of the river, taking a short cut from a point opposite the house of Edward Rix to a point above the John Marshall place. The second survey ran very much as the road does today, except it crossed the river nearly opposite Edward Rix's, and struck the first survey a little beyond the crossing point. The final survey laid the road along the north bank of the river after crossing it below Royalton village. By the first survey the village of Royalton would have remained intact, and the distance would not have been much greater, not enough to make it an object to cut through the best part of the small settlement at the center of the town. Doubtless there were other good reasons which controlled the decision of the officers of the railroad corporation.

Beginning with Sharon line the persons through whose property the road was laid were, Reuben Hartshorn, Prosper B. Slack, Elias Stevens, Cyrus Hartshorn, Elisha Flint, J. Kilburn, Oliver Curtis, Joseph Lee, Azuba Sessions, Archibald Kent, Cyrus Safford, Lyman Benson, Darius Dewey, Milo Dewey, Salmon Joiner, J. S. Marcy, J. A. Denison, Jr., G. W. Bradstreet, E. P. Nevens, G. Francis, R. Sprague, H. H. Chandler, J. S. Williams, Hartwell's Estate, J. A. Denison, Parkhurst Barrett and H. J. Adams, Oramel Sawyer, Calvin Skinner, Hiram Parkhurst, George and William Rix, P. Richardson, William Smith, Solomon Downer, Simon and Coit Parkhurst, Josiah B. Powers, John Marshall, Jacob A. Davis, Lovell Hibbard, C. W. and John Bliss, Jonathan Dyer, Minot Wheeler.

The railroad awarded damages to these several persons, and the majority of them accepted the award, but there were a few cases of appeal, which resulted mostly in an increase. The estimated amount paid for the land taken by the railroad is not far from $15,000; the largest sum received by any one was $2,000, paid to E. P. Nevens. In 1851 or 1852 the V. C. R. R. deeded Charles Paine and Joseph Clark all land not needed in Windsor, Hartland, and Royalton. These two persons with John Smith,

John H. Peck and Lawrence Brainard had become sureties for the road. The Royalton shareholders, like others, lost most, if not all, that they invested in the road.

The building of the road brought in a considerable number of foreign laborers. These lived mostly by themselves in unoccupied small houses along the line, and conditions were not favorable for health. An epidemic broke out among them and several deaths occurred, mention of which has been made in the chapter on "Cemeteries.' This epidemic was not the only evil accompanying the construction of the road. There was a constant fight against the sale and use of intoxicants. The town could scarcely be called a prohibition town before, but the drink habit was now deplorable.

It was two years after the road was decided upon, before it was ready for travel. In the fourth annual report of the directors of the V. C. R. R., issued in 1849, they state that the road was opened for travel to passengers from White River Junction to Bethel, June 26, 1848, and for freight on the 10th of July following. On Sep. 17th the cars ran to the summit of Roxbury, on October 10th to Northfield, and from White River Junction to Windsor for the first time, Feb. 13, 1849. On June 20, 1849, the road was open for passengers to Montpelier. Until July, 1849, they had but five locomotive steam engines of a large class. Three regular trains had been running most of the time, two of them passenger trains. Passenger and freight buildings had been erected at all the stations between Windsor and Montpelier, excepting at N. Hartland, West Hartford, Sharon, and Braintree. The road owned seven (!!) eight-wheeled passenger cars, but had twenty-five more in process of construction. The whole number of passengers carried during the year was 47,095, and the whole number of tons of freight was 25,074. The net earnings of the road were $66,126.41. They began July 1, 1849, to carry mail. The entire cost of the road of 116 and 1/10 miles was $4,155,813.35, and the Company was in debt $276,427.47. The condition of the road at that time is of interest in comparison with the enormous business done by it today.

Cyrus Hartshorn had an interest in the road. He had as a neighbor Gen. Elias Stevens, then an old man, ninety-four years old. Mr. Hartshorn arranged with the road officials to give Gen. Stevens a free ride when they should first run through the town. As he was too feeble to go to the station, it was planned that the train should stop at the lower end of the cut near the Stevens residence, and take on the General, at least, they so understood it. Gen. Stevens had been through too many dangers to take any chances when one foot was in the grave, and he declined the offered courtesy. Mr. Hartshorn did not wish to seem unappre