The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-05-02

the road lhe result was, several conditional offers
TO the company, OF important tracts, from parties
interested in the same.
The proprietor of onehalf of thousand
acres Of land at Dunkirk, proposed, in case
of the purchase of the other half by subscribers
to the stock, or others interested in the objects
OF the company, to join them in granting free
donation of one equal undivided fourthpart of the
whole, and Of such adjacent lands as they might
jointly purchase in addition thereto, on condition
that when the requisite surveys had been made, it
should be determined that the road should terminate
at that plare. 1t appearing that no donation out
of these lands could be obtained in this way, Sc
veral of those most DESTROYS Of promoting the object
of the company, united in accepting the PROPOSE
ton. Purchases were accordingly made of about
nineteen hundred acres, of which fourth part
was pledged to the company, rs donation, in the
manner specified. Subsequently, on division
among the parties, by mutual agreement, the por-
tions falling to the company were placed in the
hands oftrusees, on the conditions originally pro-
posed.
1t is the opinion of many persons besides our
selves, that this conditional donation of Dunkirk
lands to the company was an unfortunate affair,
not only TO Mr.. Lord, for the jealousy and preu-
dice II created against him, for being associated in
the purchase of that property, but to the company
in inducing location of the terminus of the road
at that point. Several other harbors on Lake Erie
in chautauque county, besides Dankrk' were ex-
amined by the engineers, viz: Cat.araugus Creek,
Van Buren,, Silver Creek, and Portland OF these
Cattaraugus Creek has the advantage of good
inner harbor, formed by the creek, which the other
places named nave NOT, ana besides, the creek
affords fine water power, and the banks Of the
stream, near its mouth, form beautiful location
for Il commercial town; while Dunkirk il q
small open ndentation Of the lake, exposed to the
winds and storms OF that sheet of water. l. APP
peared to us, impartial, though casual ohser-
yer, when visited these different harbors in 1876
that he engineers, Invested ofany oxtraneous inHu
prejudice, must have located the terminus Of
the road at CattaIaugus Creek; where, indeed some
of the shrewdest spectators aud politicians had in
vested in real estate in anticipation OF decision Of
the engineers in favor Of that point; bat the Dun
kirk interest was too strong for them.
The Holland Land Company being at that time
popretors of near half million of acres Of land in
the count es OF Allegheny and Cattaraugus, were
applied to- first through their agents IL this coun-
try. and afterwards by n communication addre sed
to the principals in Holland for donation, on the
ground that the construction Of the road would be-
neflt their interests, and that aid in this form woald
encourage subscriptions to the stock Of the COM
paIy, and eventually compensate the loss fntcrest
thereon while the work was in progress. The ll0l-
land Company declined making grant until the
road was finished, but were disposed 10 sen the
whole OF the lands in question on such terms a. 70
induce the purchasers to make liberal donation
On the terms of sale being specified, a number Of
gentlemen, including Mr.. Lord ard others, Of the
purchasers at Dunkirk, who were also among the
largest subscribers to the stock of the road joined
in efiecting the purchase at the same time pledgng
and securing TO the railr Dad company donation of
Fifty thousand acres of the lands, on the sole cond
tion of sing track Of their road being completed
within seven years from the da.e of their pledge
On the expiration of this period they renewed tue
pledge for further term. Unfortunately for the
company, the delay Of the work had defeated the
object Of those tho purchased the lands for the bene-
fit OF the company, and those vino remained IN pos
session have been doubtless rcIctantly) compelled
by the lapse of time 70 retain these lands for their
own benefit, and appropriate the proceeds TO their
own use. ns toad Of allowing them 20 be used for
the benefit Of the company, as they originally in
tended 1t is seldom indeed, should suppose
that such generous intentions should be defeated
from such singular causes. Ii should be here men
toned that Mr.. Samuel b. Rucgles, who was not
himself interested in the lands, is entitled to the
credit Of having suggested the proprietors Of the
lands purchased the Holland Company, the pro-
priety and expedency of offering 10000 acres to
the railroad company, to assist in the construction
of the work which was to add immensely To the
value of the remaining acres Of their purchase
In the year ls;,3, meetings of citizens were held
in several of the southern tier of counties, aud IN
November of that year convention Of delegates
from thirteen counties met in the city Of New ork
for the furtherance Of the object of the company.
At the session of the Legislature in 1854, petitions
were presented from the company, also from the
convention which had been held in this city, and
fom several of the counties, for aid 10 the project
\ by a subscription TO the stock on the part OF the
4 State, or in some other form. The result was
act arpropriating $4,000 for survey Of the route
for the road Under this act, Governor Marcy af-
! pointed the late Benjamin Wright, who had been
prominent engineer on the Erie canal aud other
public works, the engineer 10 conduct the survey.
With a corps of assistants under Messrs. James
Seymour and Charles Elle. his aids, Judge Wright
performed the survey in the course of the ensuing
season, and having completed his maps and cstl-
mates in December, rendered his report TO tho Lee
gslaturc, and deposited his maps and proflos with
the Secretary Of State in January, 1856 Accord
ing to this report, Judge Wright made the length
OF the road four hundred and eighty-three miles
fiom the Hudson to Lake Erie. and estimated the
cost Of the road graded for double track the whole
distance, and superstructure of iron (aat BARI laid
upon timber, for single track, ut ,sb2 30-which
t.Ia Ia
4 cost Of the work-built however, on "A much more
expensive and better plan than originally proposed.
i his report was subsequently, revised, in Septcm-
Der, 1855, by Judge Wright and two eminent engi-
neors from Pennsylvania and Maryland, Messrs.
Moncure Robinson and Jonathan Knight, aud the
estimate of the cost increased To Sj,i1i5ls, to
which the then board Of directors, for album
dant caution" added for contingencies, 1925 i-2;
making the estimated cost Of the road, including
:5OOOG0 for equipments six millions Of dollars. 1t
should be remembered, however, that but little
known IN this country at tina. time, Of the cost Of
railroads. The route surveyed By Judge Wright
commenced o. Tappan (now Piermont) and ex-
tended to Lake Ere, with an inclined plane and
two branches, each about nine miles in lcngth-onc
to Portland, and the other To Dunkirk harbor.
fayctte, al the mouth of silver Creek, is also favor
ably mentioned as possessing natural advantages
Tor harbor. But this question respecting ter
minus on Lake Erie, notwithstanding the decision
in favor Of Dunkirk, it is believed must even
tuay be settled by the superior advantages Of the
harbor Of Erie in Pennsylvania in rendering that
the great depot for this and her railroads tcrmi
mating ~ Lake Erie. The United States Engi-
ncers report, in 1898. says" The harbor Of Ene i
unqucstionably the best, in regard to natural adj
yantages, upon the southern shore Of the lake. II
j. from four TO five miles long, and about one mile
IN width. with an average depth Of water Of - feet.
Piers at the entrance OF the channel have made the
average depth there at least Il feet" The dis
tance from Erie to Philadelphia, by the chain Of
railroads constructed and in progress, will be about
i:ij miles; to New York. by the same route and
through New Jersey the distance will bc about the
same, and by the Erie Railroad, SIS miles.
Having alluded 10 the speculatons in lands on the
line and IN the vicinity of the route Of & he Erie
Railroad, may well here state, that the llol-
land Land Company, which originally owned large
part Of the western counties of the state Of New
ok. were induced, in consequence of anti-rent
disturbances, in Chautauque county particularly,
~ 1884 or 1850 10 dispose of their lands in this state
This done at very low prices TO three companies,
namelyi the lands in Allegany, Cattaraugus, 81,
were bought by Messrs. Eleazar Lord, Gould
lloyt, Thomas Suiicrn, Nevins and Townsend,