New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-07-28
THURSDAY MORNING, JULY %, 1853
BOARD OF ASSISTANT ALDERMEN
AND THE PoNTCHARTRAIN RAILROAD.

RO.4RD OF ASSISTANT .ALDER.HEN
AND THE PoNTCHARTRAIN RAILROAD.
We were led into an error in paragraph in
yesterdays edition, in supposing that Zine
Pontchartrain Railroad Company had not Pc
titioned for right of way along Broad street
in carving out their design of building rail
road to Mobile. Our mistake was caused by
some remarks of Assistant Alderman p c.
Wright, who arose from his seat and said that :;
"He wished it to be understood that resolu-
ton passed by the Board some days ago, grant
ing the right Of way to the Pontchartrain Rail
road Company through Broad street, did not
apply, or tcas not intended to apply, to the
Pontchartrain Railroad Company, as the reso-
luton expressed it; but to the Mobile and
Pontcharlratn Railroad Company"
In an explanation made for Mr.. Wright by
yesterdays Picayune, in its afternoon edition
(which we presume to have been made by his
authority it is said:
"Relative to the granting of the right of way
to the New Orleans and Mobile Railroad, which
question it was moved to take up at the meeting
Of the Board Of Assistant Aldermen last Tues
day evening, Mr. Wright informs us that in his
remarks he did not intend to be understood as
New Orleans and Pontchartrain Railroad. On
the contrary, he is in favor of as great an ex-
tension of such privileges as may be found prac-
ticable .4.,.sy.=.
The application for right of way, howevf
made by the Pontchartrain and Mobile Railroad,
had been referred to the Committee on Streets
and Landings, of which Mr. Wright is member,
and at a meeting of that Committee had been
determined favorably upon, and the Secretary
of the Committee had been instructed to draft
q report and resolution accordingly. In some
unexplained manner, however. the resolution,
when read by the Secretary at the meeting OF
the Board, contained the word Pontchartrain
instead of Mobile 1t was this error in the res
olution reported by the Committee which Mr..
Wright arose to explain"
As far as Mr. wright's being in favor of &c any
extension that might be found practicable it
is all nonsense We were present, and heard
his remarks. and he distinctly declared that he
was opposed to any favor being granted to the
Pontchartrain Railroad Company
Although Mr. wrigbt's remarks led US into
an error, we were not mistaken in our conclu-
sion as to recklessness and ignorance of the As
sstant Board. 1t is always safe to infer that
when there is a right way and wrong way
they will take the one which is wrong. Ever
when, by accident, they have Numbered on tbs
right course, they not unfrequently reconsider
what they have done, and make it wrong in The
end This was especially the case in their ac-
ton on Tuesday night, relative to the resolu-
ton granting the right of way through Broad
street to ' The Pontchartrain Railroad Compa
ny" The resolution referred to was passed by
the Assistant Board at their sitting OF the 10Th
inst, and is as follows:
RESOLVED, further, That the city do hereby
grant to the Pontchartrain Railroad Company
the right to lay one or two tracks on said Broad
street, from the New Canal to Lake Pontchar-
train, provided said Company shall lay the same
over the Canal on Broad street, and shall bind
themselves to clean out and constantly keep
clean the same
This was the resolution concerning which Mr.
Wright wished the Board to take some action
because, as he explained, the word g Pontchar-
train had been inserted in it instead Of
3" Mobile" by mistake of the Secretary.
There was no mistake at ALL as may be seen
by reference to the law authorizing the con
struction of the Mobile Road This law was ap
proved on the 2sth of April last, (see Acts of
1858, page 1907 and the LIST section provides
" That the POntchdrtrdin Railroad Comma
ny be authorized to construct and maintain n
railroad, etc, from such point on It's present
road as may be selected, and extend the same
to Mobile" ETC., etc This was the Company
which petitioned the Council for the right Of
way along Broad street, and to this Company
was the right granted. The right of way was
not intended to be granted to the g Mobile and
Pontchartrain Railroad Company" for there is
no such Company known to the laws of the
State. The Assistant Board has already done
all that was asked of it, and for miracle, thew
made no blunder In moving the upper Board
to reject this grant, and afterwards intending
to concur in that rejection, is where the blum
der will be made, provided the upper Board
does not understand the grant Alright and pass
it.
A special meeting Of the Assistant Board has
been called for this afternoon, and we under
stand their object to be to rescind the grant of
the right of way to the 'Pontchartrain' Road and
to confer it on the Mobile and Pontchartrain
Company" Such grant will be a nullity
there being no such incorporation as the latter.
and the Board will have succeeded in with.
drawing a very useful concession, and in sub
shutting one that will be dead letter
We might expatiate on the folhes which the
Assistant Board will probably commit in rcla
ton to this matter, and could, if we were in
elned, offer them some sound advice as to the
course they should pursue--but why waste
argument upon them? Ephraim is joined to
his idols--let him alone