The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-06-12
Sayings and Doings on the Great Erie Rail
Road.
Correspondence OF the Herald
PIERMoNT, June 8, IS43

correspondence OF the
PIERMoNr, June 8, lS43
DEAR BENNETT
We have long wished for an opportunity to give
our friends in New York call to come and view the
wonders of the iar-famed Erie Railroad, but have
deferred it in hopes OF beng able to effect the
val OF the pipe laying fraternity from the work; be-
lieving that then. trip through Old Rockland would
afford pleasure and satisfaction to all We yet,
however, doomed to disappointment. and to the
mere invite we have been anticipated by the pipe.
layers themselves, who in communication to the
Courier" subscribed b" conclude by asking the
New Workers to call and "examine the merits and
capabilities Of this important work"
The papabe deception that is apparent IN almost
every line of BIS statement, renders it scarcely worth
a notice and were il not to show the desplcable
means adopted by these men in their endeavors TO
prevent any person from being employed on this dl
vision, whe will not become tool to subserve their
destructive measures, we would pass it, believing,
that the friends of the road in your city, full
ly aware of the design Of these anonymous commu-
ncaons that are so frequently put forth by the rem
nant of the old direction.
We think it is rather small potatoes in these men
coming before the public with minute statement
in regard to pretended extension of seven miles,
Wnen all remains dark ana doubtful In relation 10
the four hundred and fifty miles Mark also the
zeal of your friend Webb how he talks about the
apathy and Indifference OF our citizens; apathy, in
deed-call you six million dollars apathy! The small
potatoes of B. is perhaps only equaled by the celebra
ted vegetable calculation OF your neighbor Greeley;
in which it was demonstrated concluslvely, that
The Company are now carrying X number OF quarts
buttermllk per day, at tour therefore,
the eastern division will yield seven per cent, and
"pay for itself in ten years" We think BIS com
municaron may be considered a second edition oil
the call to the New York carmen and butchers to
subscribe for Zone share each" Step up, gentle
men, and pay cool hundred TO the cashitr but do
not say anything about the two millions that have
been spirited away
Some effort has been made, and some money ex-
pended, to trumpet this seven miles to the commu
nifty through your city papers; it has been called
continuation, an extension oil the Erie rallroad.-
| Webb extolls the liberaity of our Midde,o wn
ject aimed at by 'B 4" is very different "B" tells
| us that seven miles have been aide d-that he has
passed over -and thinks that its location and con
sructon reflect great credit on the engineer Mr.,
| of the seven miles. He says the fluctuations are
beautiful-nOw uphill, now down-hill, &c &c
MIR. Norton no doubt, can appreciate the honor that
is here thrust upon HIM for having completed this
miles; but it "B thinks this will divert the
atte ntion OF Mr.. M and other engineers, from the
| manner in which the work has been managed on the
| eastern division, he will find himself much mis-
| taken II "B" is the disinterested friend of the
drawn report with the rest OF the division. We
want TO know who built the 46 miles who is re-
sponsble for the construction OF the eastern dvls-
| ion--who is entitled to the credit or censure-who
built the trestlc work on section 5-who constructed
the pier at Tappan-who superintended the exca-
| walton on sections and ll-who built the depot al
| Piermont-who designed and recommended the
| Bank-yes, Bank II 1t is not Bank, what is 1t
| And here we would observe, in order to account
for our apparent hostility to this division, that we
have no fear that the farther progress of the work
will be retarded by exposure of the management
| that has go long held SWAY in Rockand-bu on the
| contrary, are convinced that the work can never
| proceed until these men withdraw from he COmpa-
ny.
| In regard to the seven miles, about which there
has been such hue and cry, will state that it If
not an extension of the road, but belongs TO the
eastern division, and should have been completed,
according To the report OF the engineers, prior to
| January, l84l Neither has IT been finished by the
| inhabitants OF Middetown; and will here give
our authority for what assert On page "a, doc
2Sl, assembly May, 1871. S. p Lyman, the Com
missioner, states that the east division extends from
New York to Mddletown H. c. Seymour is and
Was engineer of this DIVISION. In the report of the
Directors to the stockholders, February 1871 page
Z il is stated that two miles graded at Middle
town. In October, 1910, 1t reported that the
eastern division would be opened on the lst Deem
| Der. This report was based upon the calculations
of The engineer and Contractors and these men yei
affirm that the division, including the seven miles
| TO Middletown, could have been ready for operation
| by that time, had not the progress OF the Company
| been thwarted by the pipe layers.
We lay some stress upon the excitement in rela
rion to these seven miles, as II has been the
of defeating the contractors in their rec. nj efior
| to remove the men who now the only hlndrance
TO the progress of the road
The immediate result of our remarks from Rock
land, in your Herald Of the l7th ult. was the ap-
poIntmcnt OF T. j. Waters, receiver of the ef-
tects of the company, which the people very naru-
rally supposed would include the eastern DIVISION
and il WAS so reported in many of the city papers
but their layers tell that such the case
and that we are only to have the road west of TO-
shen and the money that Is not yet paid IN, while
they 10 retain the eastern division, and all the
cash hand. This beautiful piece of lmpudeDce
we consider equivalent 10 '' !" putting the dexter
thumb upon HIS nose. and then performing certain
gyrations with the sinister fingers. However, WE
will see.
We are aware that what has been said in regard
TO the opening of this division conflicts with the d
rectors report OF February, 1871 Nor have we any
reason to be dissatisfied with that reper which, we
believe, was presented IN good faith to the stock
holders by these gentlemen, who compiled il. But
we do not say that these gentlemen were deceived
| by the " wire puers," when they were Informed
that the opening of the division would be hinder
ed by delay In the arrival OF the requisite ron and
| the effects of an extraordinary SOM" That we
may be fairly understood, we say that the President
and fifteen OF the sixteen directors at that time,
imposed upon by the desperate pipe-layers. The
only actual obstruction was the excavations on sec
lions five and eleven and these, we believe, were
Intentional in order TO remove honest men from rhr
work; and that may not be mistaken on this
point, we ask why this same A. g. Morton was re-
moved fiom the seven mics at that tme-spring
lSIl-and sent west OF the Calicoonl Whv G. f.
Hoffman was removed from the superintenden cy
and sent west of Bngbamon Why the supervi.
zion of s. p Lyman, IN mat ers re atng TO the cas-
division, no longer requIredl he also being sent
west
But we leave this painful subject for the present;
say painful, and your readers would think so,
were they in constant intercourse wi h twelve or
fifteen contractors, who have osr their all by these
swindng operatIons-over $50, 900 in the aggregate
add to this four or five hundred aborers cry
ing for bread, and you will admit that we have
other be necessary this subject, we will strike
the shaft deep.
And now a few words in relation TO the invita-
ton, and close Our village bellies are really
anxious that :" dear Bennett" oi the " Herald"
should visit Piermont. And now that our village