There were but few of the stockholders of the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad present at the meeting called Tuesday, Jan. 12th, to consider the matter of the extending of the railroad to Harrison, but quite a large proportion of the stock was represented by proxy.

After the meeting had been called to order by President Perry and the warrant read by Clerk J. A. Bennett, Hon. A. H. Walker submitted a carefully prepared motion covering the points involved–the ratification of the action of the Directors.

Voted, Whereas, the present length and mileage of the constructed and operated railroad of the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad Co. corporation organized under Chapter 51 of the Revised Statutes of Maine and the first ten sections thereof and amendments thereto, originally Chapter 120 of the Public Laws of 1876, of Maine, and amendments thereof, extending from Hiram, in the County of Oxford, to Bridgton Centre Village in the County of Cumberland, is sixteen miles, and the gauge thereof is less than four feet, eight and one-half inches, to wit, two feet, and teh capital stock thereof is ninety thousand dollars, filled, taken and paid for at par, and whereas it is proper and expedient that said railroad be extended at its present gauge northerly from said Bridgton Centre Village and its present northerly terminus to Harrison Village in said Cumberland County, a distance not exceeding six miles, making a total line and mileage not exceeding twenty-two miles, and an amount of capital stock exceeding three thousand dollars a mile, taken and paid for, including said extension of not exceeding six miles, and whereas the Board of Directors of said company have duly voted that said railroad be extended from said Bridgton Centre Village and its present northerly terminus to said Harrison Village, and that a stockholders meeting be called to take action upon the question of such extension, that said railroad be extended at its present gauge to said Harrison Village, and the Railroad Commissioners of said State of Maine be duly applied to for their approval of the proceedings of the company as required by law, and for the right, power and authority for said company to so extend, build and complete said railroad to said Harrison Village and said extension as aforesaid, and that all needful and proper steps be taken and executed by said Board of Directors and this company to fulfil the terms, provisions and intentions of this vote and said Director’s said vote.

It was decided that the vote should be a stock vote, each share of stock present casting one vote. Mr. P. P. Burnham and Edward Kimball were appointed tellers and the vote recorded was: Total number of shares represented 1478. Of these 1476 were in favor of extending the road and 2 were opposed. This vote sustains the action of the directors at their recent meeting and the matter will now come before the Maine Railroad Commissioners for their action thereon.

As printed in the Bridgton News, page 2, January 15, 1897.

The Railroad Extension.

The meeting of the stockholders of the Bridgton & Saco River Railroad Co. called for Tuesday next, at 2 p. M., act upon the following propositions:

1st. To consider the extension and completion of the present line and mileage of railroad of the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad Company now maintained and operated by it, from its present northerly terminus in Bridgton Center Village, in the County of Cumberland, to Harrison Village in Harrison, in said County and take any and all actions proper and necessary to procure the extension of said mileage and line of railroad to said Harrison Village, and the construction and operation thereof.

2d. To transact any other business that may legally come before them.

As the stock and the directorate are in entire accord the meeting is merely to observe the formalities of the law, and there is likely to be no friction. The management say, in a note accompanying the notices:

The time seems to have arrived now when the road should be extended to Harrison, and your Board of Directors, at a meeting held on Dec. 26, 1896–at which all seven Directors were present–after a careful study and consideration of the matter, decided by a unanimous vote that the best interests of the stockholders require that the road be extended to Harrison and so voted, and now ask your ratification of their vote. We believe it at the best interests of all the stockholders will be advanced by this extension to Harrison, and we desire a large stock representation at the meeting.

As printed in the Bridgton News, page 2, January 8, 1897.

THE RAILROAD EXTENSION.

AS VIEWED FROM THE HARRISON POINT OF VIEW.

At Harrison as a matter of course, railroad matters continue to be the uppermost subject for thought and discussion throughout the town. While there is a diversity of opinion as to which is the best of the various schemes afloat, there is one point on which all seem to be agreed and this is: that under the present condition of things it would be impossible to get a vote of he town to help build the Bridgton narrow-gauge extension to Harrison village. At least this is the outspoken opinion of all those whom the NEWS representative has interviewed on the matter. This, however, is a belief independent of the real wishes of those interested in having better facilities for connection with the outside world. As to the business men–the merchants, manufacturers, etc.,–while some would be glad to have an electric line, either from Norway or Westbrook, in preference to the Bridgton extension, the majority of this class deem the latter scheme the only practical one. Of this class is Marshall Jordan, whom the notebook man interviewed. He found him outspoken and pronounced as to his ideas. Said M. Jordan:

To my mind, there is only one plan to be considered for a moment by any one who views the question from a true business standpoint, and that plan is the narrow-gauge extension from Bridgton. Even if the other projects now talked of were feasible as to constructing and opening a road to or through this town, the all-important requisite for practical success lies in the question, Will it pay? And this essential is precisely what the Bridgton scheme possesses, and is what the other schemes lack. To be sure, there are some trifling disadvantages to the narrow-gauge as compared to the standard-gauge, but so far as my business is concerned the narrow-gauge would do it all without trouble. A broad-gauge is not feasible because of the much greater cost of constructing and operating. Pay? Why, certainly, the narrow-gauge extension would not only pay, but be decidedly profitable. In the first place our freighting would be a third more. Any man who will dispassionately study the question must see that there is but one logical deduction, namely, that this is the only route worth considering. In my candid judgment, if we Harrison people are to get out of town by rail, it will be in the way I have stated. And the Bridgton road has presented a fair and satisfactory solution of the problem.

Another well-known business man said:

I have no faith in the practicability of any railway route except the Bridgton extension. Of course, with the Westbrook-route idea in the way–which is quite “taking” with those who are impressed more strongly by the sentimental than the practical–it is of no use to hope that a sufficient number of votes could be secured to raise money for the Bridgton extension. And then, again, our town is peculiar. It is peculiar in this, that while in other towns, as a general thing, there are a number of men possessed of money or influence, or both, who take hold and lead in all important local issues; in Harrison it is different, for we all average up and alike as to means and influence. In other words, we are as a town a class of equals, and without leadership.

I presume you arn’t [SIC] especially partial to a Bridgton extension?

was the feeler put out by the notebook man to Sumner C. Davis, the stage-line proprietor.

On the contrary, I am decidedly in favor of it,

was his answer.

Would it hurt my stage business? Not at all. I think the Bridgton route the only really practical one, and I wonder how any one who looks into the whys and wherefores of the present schemes can see it in any other light.

W. H. Bailey, the custom tailor, was conservative on railroad matters. He, however, would prefer an electric line to any other if it could be attained.

If outside parties would themselves build and run such a road,

he remarked

I cannot see why Harrison should object to it. Still, it is one thing to talk electric or other railroad, and quite another thing to get it!

As printed in the Bridgton News, page 2, January 8, 1897.

A singular accident, which however was barren of serious result, occurred to the last up train Saturday (25 Apr 1896), as this terminus. The watchman as usual, undertook to change the switch immediately after the train has passed stationward, but this time he was, somehow, a little premature, the rear of the last car, the passenger one, not having fully passed the switch. The consequence was, the car attempted to run on two diverging lines at one and the same time! Luckily, the train was moving very slowly, which with the prompt action of the brakeman, saved a twist and possible overturn of the car. There were considerably many passengers in the car, and they were treated to a genuine sensation in a double sense.

Warren W. Walker has completed and equipped his new mill on East Depot St., and advertises to do first-class planing, sawing and moulding, turning and general wood work; also making cabinet work a specialty. Mr. Walker has inventive genius and great mechanical skill, and some of his devices are interesting object-lessons in ingenuity.

Taken from the Bridgton News, April 17, 1896.