The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-01-23
Great Meeting I'm Favor az the Hudson
River Railroad, at the Me rchants' Ex-

According to the call, numerously and re-
specially signed, a meeting OF the friends of this
project took place in the large hail, Merchants
Exchange, at q O'Clock, p. M, yesterday, and
the entire of the building was crowded to
excess. was estimated that over one thousand
persons were present, amongst whom recognized
severs, Of our most influential and wealthy merchants
and owcitzens, who seemed to take lively interest
In the proceedings large number of printed copies oil
the final Address Of the sioners receiving sub
scrptions to the stock OF the company circulated
through the meeting. and the utmost spirit and deter
minatiou manifested by all present. to promote the
objects OF the meeting and commence the works on the
projected railroad as soon as possible.
At the appointed hour the following officers no.
mi mated, when the meeting was duly organized Pres
dent John Haggerty Vice Presidents. Stewart Brown,
Joseph Tucker VIM. II Aspinwall, Jonathan sturgis;
JOHN L. STEVENS, Esq, was here loudly called for
He camo forward and addressed the meeting as follows
Fellow Citizens IL hold in my hand certain resolutions
the subject Of the Hudson River Railroad and in pre-
senting them here am requested to offer some for
deraton with regard to the importance OF this project
ed work. regret that the duty has not devolved on
some person competent to address you but will
say that feels deeper interest in the prosperity
ect Of this railroad DO man can undervano its advan.
tages to our citizens. This noble rver-the Hudson
which the pride Of our citizen. and Of strangers und
ands Of merchandise, which weekly and monthly
crowding wharves-st for four months in the year
and here is tho difficulty have travel trans.
porta.ion for these four months Of the year; and
sonai political, and Commercial. are Of mo no
value to U.S. These relations are not changed by
the winters windthsy the same in all seasons: and
this interruption should be broken The OF inter
ruption exists even now We all know that business.
men look to opening the navigation Of the Hudson the
which is to enrich his land for this period Of inter
ruption. that now waiting 1t ia no exaggera-
not S s for The all ns ps.s the
witch railroads. have for of the year
communication with Paris or London, than with the
proach u.s. that while nature pouring into lap its
choicest blessings, we sit with open arms and DO no,
pride or feeling on the part Of our citizens Heretofore
all business was comparatively intsrrunted, until our
railroad system changed the whole relation Of human
road cars are pressing forward to Albany with
the produce Of the west They look upon us
imploringl ythsir business re latons with but
there is railroadno active neighbor inviting them
Last year there were no less than $4,000 passengers
and two millions Of merchandise diverted towards Bos
ton, which would have come to us had we railroad TO
that city has increased with astonishing rapidly her
in
neglected to promote our own Indeed an old
of its city Of New YORK; and says bids fair ri
val US am willing that Boston should. day rival
New Yorkproviaed do 80 from resources Of her own
auy other citv should grow IN bv divertns our trade
and drawing it from as am not willing tina. the msr.
year, Of millions upon millions of property which,
II we were true to ourselves, should come to us
improve the waters Of the Dom the Dnepsr the Voiga
the nobility of the place-the men who we're living upon
the sweat OF other mons brows said to him" That it
would be an act of impiety to change any one way,
the waters which God made to in another" There
is no such thing here. When prejudice Is removed,
things must progress There no thing stand
8t-W0 - thlnR0
which but few years ago were thought impossible
and most vsionarIy;-things which we never thought
city we witnessed this great occurrence. Men are
now living, and have things changed, which,
when our city rang with what seemed the "wild
experiment" of Fulton-our city wherves rang with the
What are we now1 Railroads and steam every.
where seeming defy great agents of the heavens
the winds the waves advancing the interests of
with hope Now eli the great waters that cover
the earth the Baltic the Red and Black seas-he Pa.
cc-the Indian ocean the Ganges are ali witnesses Of
of nations And who that now lives, when he makes in
his steamboat upon the Hudson Is miles hour and OBJ
will not its vast sdvuntages7 On the opening
Of the first railroad in at when the
an hour and possibiy twelve miles witch was the maxi
num- it excited surprise and was deemed extravagant
One car known as the Rocket uently was tried
and went st the rate OF 80 miles an hour (Appause !
and at this day thew run from about IS to As miles in.
deed there was ono occasion when Il stated that Prince
Albert went from London to ndsor at the rate of so
miles but the regular rate Of travelling is 80 to IS mile
an hour Now can't here build as good railroads as
thew do in Eneland3 yes yes) We can here
build az good railr.sds and as good ships as they
do in any place else in the world. We can
build q railroad from here to Albany, which we
could travel on with safety and with Certainty from
So TO 45 miles an hourEwhch would carry us to
Albany in four or Ave hours and for all the purpo.
SEES of trade would be safer surer and better con
veyance than the Hudson River (Applanse) Now, il
we can only bring our minds to what is every dry done
in England ali the difficulty ia ended for il we turn
our eyes in other directions, and see the manner
In which other railroads have been constructed
the river here presents facilities for grading and filling
along the projected line such as has been
presented on any other railroad This plan Of railroad
has been got up under the direction Of persons well
known in this community persons Of high character and
respectabty need but mention the name OF Mr. Jervis
the engineer, who has already completed for our
CITY one of the greatest works of modern times
the Croton Aqueduct, no less an honor to
him than it is to city. All Of you will
have undoubted confidence in him. For the pre-.
sent, then, | will merely remark that the intended