The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-05-06
q The New York and Erie Railroad.

The great Erie Railroad is completed to its ter
minus at Dunkirk, the Lake. The directors,
engineers and other officers, passed over the entire
line last week. An account Of their trip in the
New York Post says: .. ..,l. .a..i.s.,. %, .t q
| At Dayton they came in view of Lake Erie lying
below them, and extending as far the eye could
reach As the party caught the first glimpse of the
Lake. three hearty cheers burst from the directors
engineers and contractors; they felt, each one as
De Soto felt when he discovered the Mississippi
they had achieved their object for years they had
| struggled on, at one time under great embarrass-
| ment and anxiety. The Board had said, in pub
lie address their stockholders, they could almost
see the Lake )" they now saw it, not as through
glass, darky' but clearly, distnctly-not by faith,
| but by works. These three hearty cheers
On sped the train the experimenting engineer,
| himself, at the hem and in hour more, catching
occasional glimpses Of the Lake-the shriekng
steam horse, whose advent of nineteen years, had
| been hoped, wished prayed and waited for rushed
| into the village OF Dunkrk. About the congratu-
lations, firing Of cannon, illumination, etc. let some
| others write we have no time, at present, but
| there is thought two contemplate the
subject that seems, as it were in an instant to fill
| us with amazement "
In twenty hours, running time, distance Of four
| hundred and fifty miles passed, extending from
| the Atlantic borders to the Western Lakes which
in former times and under favorable circumstances
occupied ten or twelve days. Within single day
the sources of the rivers St. Lawrence, the Della
| ware, the Susquehanna and the Mississippi. were
| traversed. By following their several courses,
voyagers could reach the Gulf Of St. Lawrence,
Chesapeake Bay, or the Gulf of Mexico The
| locomotive dashed up the mountains, reaching an
elevation of seventeen hundred feet, at a speed on
the way, portions of the read Of twenty -one
| miles the hour. In "twelve minutes, SIR" said the
telegraph operator, your arrival will be known in
| New York"
Steam! Electricityt Enterprise The New
York Journal of Commerce has the following brief
sketch of the history of this work
The New York and Erie Railway Company
was chartered in 1882. 1t was then estimated thai
the road could be built graded for a double and
laid with single track, from the River to the
Lake, for less than five millions of dollars and no
one anticipated that period of more than six OF
eight years would be consumed in its construction
| Nearly nineteen years have passed since the Com.
pany was organized, and the road is just completed
al cost of about twenty millions of dollars Il
was not, however, till 1885 that the million of dol
lars required to enable the Company to commence
operations was subscribed ; and from that time for
| a period of ten years, so little was ACCOMPLISHED
that in lS45, when the present Board was organ.
lied, only 53 miles of the 465, which is now the
length fthe track, including the Newburg Branch
was completed and in operation, and for sever
miles of that distance the present Board were
called on to defray the cost. Even this SO mile
was in so dapidated condition that it had vir
tually to be reconstructed Indeed, till the pre-
sent Board of Directors assumed the manage men
of its affairs, misfortune extravaganza seems tc
have perpetuaIy thwared its progress and threat
ened it with calamtous destiny. Half the capi
tai originally invested in it lost, and notoriou
mismaDagement had weakened public conf
dence in the practicabili,y of the enterprise, tina
i | nothing but the faith which can move mountain
i could be relied on for cooperation in an effort
, resuscate it. Happily, that faith existed, and il
fruit has matured in achievement which, for mas
niude and commercial importance, has no parable
u in any similar enterprise yet accomplished on tn
continent This result is due to the public spirit
: | those of our merchants and Others who, in time {
need, advanced money in proportion to their mean,
to the liberal policy Of the State Legislature an,
especially the Board of Directors, who, in thei
corporate capacity, have manifested the en-
: ergy, efficiency and wisdom, that the individual
5 who compose 1t known TO exercise severally i
3 the conduct of their private business.
:, After the subscription to the new stock had bee
completed, in October, 1s45, nearly year wa
lost to labor in waiting for the legislation necessar
to enable the Board to avail themselves of the mo:
| desirable route for the extension of the road !;
| that, in fact, but little more than four years hs
been consumed in the construction of this gres