OF THE FIRST HEARING ON THE HOOSAC TUNNEL CONSOLIDATION, BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON RAILWAYS. T JANUARY 29, 1873. BOSTON : WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, No. 19 PROVINCE STREET. HE 2771 1443 BUCUMENTS Commonwealth of Massachusetts. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, January 30, 1873. Ordered, That the report of each daily hearing before the Committee on Railways, upon matters relating to the consolidation of railroad lines leading from Boston to the Hoosac Tunnel, be printed for the use of the legislature under the direction of said committee. Sent up for concurrence. CHAS. H. TAYLOR, Clerk. IN SENATE, Jan. 31, 1873. Concurred. S. N. GIFFORD, Clerk. REPORT. The hearing before the Railway Committee, in regard to the consolidation of the Hoosac Tunnel lines of railroads, was commenced on Wednesday morning, Jan. 29th, 1873, on the petition of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Company for a bill to consolidate the Fitchburg, Vermont and Massachusetts, Troy and Greenfield and Troy and Boston Railroad Companies into one corporation to be called the Hoosac Tunnel Railroad Company. George O. Shattuck, Esq., appeared for the Massachusetts Central Railroad, Hon. A. W. Rice for the Boston, Barre and Gardner, Mr. Mills for the Williamstown and Hancock Railroad, John B. Goodrich for the Fitchburg Railroad, Samuel W. Bates, Esq., and Judge Thomas for the Vermont and Massachusetts road, and ex-Attorney-General Charles Allen for the Troy and Boston road. The hearing was held in the Green Room, and there were a large number of prominent railroad men present. In opening the case for the petitioners Judge Thomas said he represented what had been supposed to be from the beginning the established policy of the Commonwealth in the construction of the Tunnel road, and that was the opening of a new, distinct and independent railway to the West. The only new question which occurred to him was the consolidation of these roads, and this had perhaps been settled by the railroad experience of the last few years. There were two questions that came up in settling the matter; first, whether, in view of the property which the Commonwealth has in the Tunnel and in the roads connecting with it, this measure were a wise one, in view of a wise and prudential use of the property; and secondly, whether it is a wise use of the property with reference to the larger interests which the people of the M212695 Commonwealth have in this enterprise. He wished to suggest that this question be heard as one question, and if any one had an interest which was opposed to this movement that it should be heard now; that all parties who are opposed to the general policy of the consolidation of this line should now be heard, whether it be the Boston and Lowell, the Fitchburg or the Commonwealth, that the petitioners may have an opportunity to reply to all objections that may be made. The Chairman said the Committee had decided to give the usual hearing upon such matters, and of course in this case they would have the privilege of the closing argument. Mr. Bates said they did not propose to put in any witnesses unless they were needed, but would like to have the case left open that they might have an opportunity to put in rebuttal testimony if it were needed. THE OPENING ARGUMENT. Mr. Allen, counsel for the Troy and Boston road, said if it were agreeable he would make a little opening statement in support of the petition of the Vermont and Massachusetts Company, for the consolidation of the roads from Boston to Troy. Heretofore and for many years it had been the custom of those who had felt an interest in the establishment of a new through line to the West, to appear before the legislative committees of Massachusetts, for the purpose of persuading the legislature and the public that the Tunnel was worth building; and for that purpose, for year after year, with great variety of detail and with a persistency well known of all men in Massachusetts, they had laid before the legislature and its committees, statistics going to show the advantages that would come from the establishment of this road, and showing the distance that would be saved between here and the West, and the differences in grade between this road and others running from the West to the East. To-day that argument is settled. The Tunnel is now virtually an established fact; unless every reasonable prediction fails, the early autumn will witness the complete penetration of the mountain, and next year will see the line between Boston and Troy in full operation. The question which arises now, to demand the attention of Massachusetts, is what shall be done with the line which is so |