New-York daily tribune., 1851-09-29
PENNSYLVANIA.
Honesdale and Delaware Plank Road Ceiebra
tiOn.
H0NGsDALE. THURSDAY, ser'. l., lS5i.

Coming here day or two since, found
myself on lie eve Of cele5raton-the opening Of
thc Tonesda'e and Delaware Plank Read md
wa induced by invitation. to report progress 10
YOU The T-Jaue : very extensively taken II this
Teeion, and anything Of local interest IN H. columns
: veTy gratifying 10 - readers. Il = a matter of
some prne TO he editorial corps that MIR Penn.nlR.
Of Ths Deuo@ro., 5 the present candidate i)r A.
seubly.
Honesdale j., a beautiful village lying IN the quiet
valley oftte Lackava1en. en'ironed oy lofty mount
ans the ctn.er of lourishing trade AID The COun-
IS Town besides Its existence dates back only
atouttwenty-fve years hen Mr.fione settled here,
and discovered the fact that rch coal deposits were
to lie ioun. here twenty three years since TIT Della
ware and Hudson Canal was opened, and since that
tine the business Of the place has been steadily IN
cTeasing. ItIow boasts population off0o0 lnl.ao-
.'aniS. handsome pu5ic-sQuare, AZ elegant court
Rouse, regular streets, numerous tasteful private
residences. twenty merchant and grocery stores
some Of which are very larse-and last Of ali, SIX
churches
The coal mines furnish The principal sources of bus
ness was net aW are OF the immense amount Of coal
shipped from any one poiI; iIl here. The
mines more favorably located here for shipment
ihan II most places being only abou, Is miles dis
slant at Carbonate Railroads with inclined planes
and stationary engines BRING down no, far from 1900
turs per Cav.
% perfect are the mechanical arrangements that
there is scarcely any maIua. LABOR required ~ un-
loading cars. scTe1lng and irelgntlng boats. Nhen
discharged from he Il Is not only screened. but
assorted according to Its size and poured INTO rrers
boats at 0nce During the winter ,he coal Is heaped
III piles and transferred thence by the Paddy's gig
TO screens and boats Ono thousand men at the mines
are Lot able TO furnish much coal a 300 can dls
5000 tlluS ddllU shipped. sJt,NOb
iuns have already been sent away sIrce the canal
was opened IN the SprDg. ard the company expect
70 send to market 900 more They are furnishing
II Oh contract for 81 30 per tun. Even at this low
prIce they must realize handsome proht. Inc
company has shared dividend OF 30 per cent. more
than once.
The enly drawback on the prosperity of this vii
laee was tho horrld state OF the carriage roads.
Til the Enc Road was opened the only access
10 Ncw-Nork was by stage, over mountains, 10 Jer-
Sey tIfy-reQulrlng two days time. The hea'y rams
of the summer season and the melting Of the deep
SHOWS IN the Spring most efectually wash out all
traces of soil from the track, and leave nothing out
rocks OF every imaginable SIZE and form Just ini-
rlne YOURSELF then, drag glng along III a iumoerns
Stagecodc at the rate OF tO three miles per hour
first rising almost to the clouds, then gong down
below" and this frequently that, when on TIE
summit Of one elevation you another only about
opc-qiartsr of mile distant, on level, To reach
which Will require an hours joltng by route OF AL
least two mlies-imagne ali this, and you Will then
appreciate the jov which thrilled the 0OSonS ot mis-
grateful reopie Wh6 they heard the shrllt whistle
OF the locomotive only 10 miles from their busy
valley
matter of W onder that this road did not pass
directly through here Whether t was the lRdlier
cncp or the ornosltlon of the influential men, the
suit in Cltaer case was iamentable. understand
the New-l ork and E1e Railroad o. rushed to locate
their road here, for the distance 10 Durktk Would
be less by >Ome 80 miles, besides saving the heaVN
grade beyond NarToWsburgh 1t passed by, now
ever OF one slde and now the OulIdlns o. the Leg
gett's-Gap Roao on the o'ner side has iel thS hour
Ia II I-p between TWO uTPS, MulOA Will soon
consume - business and stop the ilde OF Neallh
which has been pouring INTO the golfers OF lts clt'
Zeus.
They have now walked up to the importance Of the
matter SO much, that charter has been obtained Tor
road through tins ,allev. TIE result Of which Will
probably De that the double track OF the Enc ROAD,
which must soon De ald. Will pass along the Ldckd-
vaxen and make HomeSdale again the metropolis of
trace for TINS mountain region.
Tins, however. was only proSp'cfne. ana the Ie-
ceSsty felt or tie part OF te" oi the Leading
men TOR something to meet the eXegcncies of the
preSsR-ai,hough but 10 miles nom the Railroad, the
depot could be reached only by dragging over the
most hou!d road. The only difference was IN she
distance The question then arose, why cannot we
have Plank Road Like every other enterprise
almost II met opposition from source easteNpected
opposition direct, and indirect, from Capitalist m
HefowR. There were able men, VINO would not only
not tahe stock and encourage tie business but no
dld cyery thing both to discourage the original mo-
anu those abroad who were inclined to take
stock
Thanks however. TO the Perseverance Of such
mtnas 4. +. Waller, Esq, the ROAD has been com
Deted When this gent einan found that IL would DC
lupossblC III any reasonable period 10 get the STOCK
taken here ana IL Narrow Sburgh he resolved 10
NAL a bod push and enlist the business hrms OF
,OuT city III the enterprise.
MANY of youf principal firms became Interested,
the money was forthcoming, and al have assembled
TO-DAY TO Ieiocc and be radthat ahlghway sopened
for them to market second III importance oniy 70
the Railroad
The result, already have been most gTatfy ing
clearly that. pTODDTtlOu YOU open up
means of communication and increase the iacilIles
Of travel and of business, 50 both travel and busl
ness increase For instance, IN two DAYS aiter u WAS
opened tickets were sod al iae depot IN Ndrro"s-
olfgh to the amount of $l75 each das and more than
one hundred passed o,er the roao III the stage coaches
alone saving nothing Of private con'eyances. Inc
rates OF toll oHe cnf per nt foI single carriages
and couble that for ,wo-hofses Tkey have already
contract with the stage pTopnetors OF -OO per
wear for three lines day, and VIII no doubt soon
have similar ones with the principal business hrlns.
The celebration Of the opening OF tins road is a
matter of no small interest to tie people.
The order of the day was as follows Al O'Clock
a aprocess.on was formed Of tie citizens who chose
To- paItlClDate ln the matter, and heaGed DN lhe
"H5nesdale Band "a very respectable one by the
way1 they proceeded over the road 10 the De iNt al
Narrowsburgh for the purpose o. meeting the Deie
CATION of Stockholders from NeW-i OH VINO were 10
como IN the mail tram. They arrived about o'clock
ard the whole company iuncLed at Fields.
The procession again formed and came TO THIS
place, and after passing through some oi me pi,hcl
nal streets halted al the Mansion House. where
dinner was served free 10 all who wished TO partake
When the procession reached the Hotel ngLt
hearty three times three rang out from the crowd
winch with the stirring strains OF music and the
booming OF cannon, made the welcome GLORIOUS.
Dinner being announced, about 80 sat down, ana
after a blessing by Re-. ii. A. Rowland OF Homes
dale the company went 20 WORK, and dld ample
iustlce 10 the abundant supply Sherwood had pro-
ylded After the dishes had been removed, cAan-
naeue was introduced, and several gentlemen were
called upon for speeC aes, some Of whom responded
while Others contenied themselves with SEMI
ment.
The President ofthe Company. Mr.. Munay OF Mar.
Sowsburg, fist called upon Gov. Troop formerly OF
New York, VINO responded at once, saying that ne
felt himself highly honored by tie compliment W De-
ing selected as the first speaker on ie occasion, al
though ne was lot prepared TO make speech
He might answer as an lce-bgeaker. however anu
having been for hf,y years speaker BY profession
he would not refuse now. He made very nappy
alluson to the progress OF the age, havIg echpsed
= Ja he