The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-06
THE ERIE w AR.
The Causes and Consequences Of tho DIM
Guilty, by Citizen Of Erie.
DESCENT on rHE RIOTERS At nlRBes CREzK
THEIR EXAMINATION At PITTsBuRG.
SENTENCE OF ONE OF THE RIO TIERS.
&c., &c., 10

with daily letter. Here 10 the citizens statement 40
1t appeared in the Boston Herdd.-
THE RAILROAD EXCITEMENT AT ERIE-ITs CAusRa
AND CONSEQUENCES.
For more than year past IL has been known to our
readers that troube existed between the citizens Of Erie
Per and The railroad corporations which have
laid tracks through thsir precincts; and recently half
our tses .phc ports ave consisted Of notices Of out
ton az rails ard other property belonging 10 these cor
pers' STILL the osteusiols Assgpei for these
disturbances have not been considered BY tbs public
adesustt to produce the effects which have resulted;
ard therefore, for the information Of readers and
the Eastern press gener. We have taken pains to
suit The abiest authorities Of the respective oontendpG
parties, aud wi endeavor to throw light sson the
subject.
And 6rf we must refer n history for some saseoedspt
data which enter into thu aeson. In l77A the commits.
sicners of tbs royal Governors Ut the States Of New York
ase PsOnsylvsna 6xsd upon tbs forty second parallel
north latitude - the northern boundary Of tao az
PENNEY and thus it remained until the clos Of the
Revolutionary war 1t supposed that line dus west
from the point "a led upon wouc strike ke~Erie In tho
vicinity Of Dupkirk, and ensure Psnnsyivanla ! front
ppon the lake Of sixty miles in sngto betwee the New
fork Ano ONO hles whsn, however, In lis9, the line
as rup, IL fnerseced the aEe within n hundroA
rods OF the Ohio line, ~ point twenty Ave miles
west Of the present si>y Of Erie.
Pennsyvan,a being dearous OF having hArbor on tho
lake 1t Psque Ise enaesvored to procurs right 10 the
Gjopirg territory from the State OF New York into
WHICH, from the r 1t seemed to have fallen; but
upon Opening negotiations 1t appeared that Massschu-
etts also CLAIMED the territory In question Tho nsrot.
ations uited in application from the State Of Penn.
Thereof extngnhsd the titles Of both Aassachusetta
and New Yok, and the Sd OF March, 1792, o,nveyea
the triangular parcel Of rd between the present bound
aries OF Ns York and Ohio to the State OF Pennsyva-
MA for the confederation OF about hundred hfty
thousand dollars By this MEANS Peunsylvania became
possessed Of the harbor upon Ike Eris called Pressure
Isle Which, in the various reports Of the Typographical
engineers Of the United Stas il designated as oapa
sens and hoe harbor aud for The improvement Of which,
the government has expended large sums.
Upon this barbor Ere a little city Of about sight
Thousand the scene Of hepresent doultss
4 built i is Is sitused rine Ave miles east Of Glove
terme6ate distance between the two cities Il will bc.
recoleceo that the New York Ard Erie Railroad was an
iAL ed in the year 1850 to he harhor Of Dunkrk In
State Ct E-w York point nearly equidistAnt between,
Buha, and Erie The gauge Of this road va SIX feet tn
width After hs completion Of the road those interested
In II found that the harbor Ddnkrk favorable
for terminus Of the road They therefore Undertook
construct road from Dunhrk to the Pennsylvania state
eontin connecidD with road Of the .rne gauge
which wss be constuc ed from the city OF Erie TO TIA
western terminus Ia pursuance Of this arrangement
railroad about Ensteen mites In length with rails dx
feet apart under the title Ct Erie and Rail-
read" Wa constructed Meantime the project Of oou-
Meeting Dunkrk with the the Pennsylvana state line Wan
abandoned and the plets work ansfarrea % the
Buffalo snc State Line Railroad Company which lagt
p.mso cenpsny IN they say to favor neither the
eigAt and halt iuches the New York and Erie road
With range Of SIX feet laid their TRACK from Buffalo t.
pches and II IL charged BY the citizens Of Eie
ttst they have made Two unnecessary breaks ono It
Buii.lS and one At nunkirk, whereas had six fsst
ben continue connection, via New York and Erie
Railroad between the cities of New York and Ere or had
the paugs been four feet eight and half inches between
gauge the New York Ger road between Ere and
the metropolis of the Emprs State. Ether both OF
laws Of Penntyyania which existed 1t the building VI
these respective roads The citizens Of Eric objected 10
either ~ Buffalo or Darkirk Tho Boffalonisns o..
tended that there should BE- break Of gauge between
their city and Cleveland and demanded that the SIX feet
tack from the State lire 70 Erie Laid down in
Of the contract above mentioned should b changed
pond With their western and the Ohio gauge whch
vas ADOPTED y the Gssn,n Canal opaay R.ro.d
with the Cleveland Patnesvne and Ashtabula Railroad
Should this be achieved Il wsud make . continuous
kirh where those who wished to proceed TO New York
would char &c SIX feet gauge or eastward to Boalo
four feet eirbt and hsif inonss TINS rshnv h,sss ~
both routes east N Erie
Toe issns Of Erie deny that they ever advocated
break OF gauge In their city fr the purpose o, vyne
luncheon tribute passengers IS some Of the pres have
commended; and that when the tracks of the M ana
Norths.At snd Franklin Cana. Railroad comp.n came
would 70 to the haroor and II expressly provided
in the charter Of the latter that 1t ahouli run % the
lake Instead OF this however these vera Aanst
the wishes Of the citizens constructed through the city
Of Eie psrslel With and and quarter miles from
the bor connecting in the centre and iotersssne
every longitudinal str ct 10 the ty thus dsrAsgpe ths
country trade by trave-sog thoroughfAres and paxAly
sing their commerce for want Of proximity OF thsdr
Denying that the respective companies ever had aay
right to Their road through their city their present
track, either from authority In their chadsrs BY per-
nfsion from themselves the citizens II Erie have fe
long time cosidersd theee TRACKS public nuiancsaa
have repeatedly Threatened absts that nusanos unsse
tsrs or the wish.s Of the eitiu.ps This verbal ooao
versy has been waxing warner and warmer, until the
present month, when the corporation Of the Ede ~
Northeast road In conjunction with the Bulonians at
tempted TO substitute gauge OF four fest inches for
that Of ak feet At this the corporate authorities Of
Erie in pursusnes Of their city ordnanes cat dow. the
Northeast road far It obstruetsd their streets.
few days before ttes~ outbreaks, bills nlsd b
Pspnsy aria. by the two railroad corporations askine
the Court to restrain BY Injunction The authc
ties Of Erie. and individuals acting under them, fom
executing the Aforesaid ordinances The bills asked for
pepstua stiou, but slso prayed for preliminary
Injunction to the end duriBg the pending oe IT,
gued by Mess Stanton aud Loom Of Ptt.burg Tor ~
oompainants and By Jndge Thompson And Mr. nabblto %
Ere, snd Col Black Of P,t.burg for the rsspoods,s
when afsr week consumed in tbs hearing Judge Irwin
on Saturday the 18th inst granted the preliminary In
junction IN the Of the Erie and Northeast read aad
road which, it WIN be observed doss not toush the
merits of the but rsstrains the authorities cc
Erie from committing waste upon the Erie and Northsast
Another objection which thsciissns Of Erie urge 10 the
present ira ks Of the two railroads have named "
tn' railroad IL nos in operation from Phladslphia 10
-
towards Erie the ds1aI o. between the tvo last named
PLACES is 2s2 miles Ell. has subssribsd half niou,
and il pectsd that the city Of Phladslphia win soon
subscrite tuo mloas Of dolas for Of the
Erie and Sudbury road, Which would make shorter
route from the lake 70 A Atlantic city than any otAsr
Bar II feared that the through gauge from Buho 10
Cleveland prevails the city OF PhiladslphiA viii withhold
the subscription, becsuse The Ehs and Sunbury rod
would not stand good chance for freight and pas-
gsrs with an unsrken gauge, Buffalo, the tsrmnas Of
the New York Csotral road DOES Ers does not a.
sire upcssssry b Ak Of gauge for her Interest,"
bu. inasmuch ~ the Ohio gauge four fest inchss
differs frem New York gauge, whieh IL four feet eight
and half inches, there nvss nsssssarly b . brsax
Smswbere she says that from her position and com
merce abe has good right TO demand that the iroads
which rmttsd TO northwestern PennsylvA.a
shall conform to her interests, ct sast In paTsu-
lars
The action at Erie has been called the action Of rob
Such charge the otis Of Erie iudenaatly rsps cd
that what has been done and what maybs done ed
VIII ee In ccordAncs with their city ordinances which
initiate against no laws Of the State Unton fks ags
force which was called out gathered In eonssqusnee
OF threats from Cleveland and Buffalo that they woad
bring down upon Die susisnt numbers - sysaa theaf-
action Any act Of onsnaivs fores tOwaxda fndvidaA
ave what necessarily accrued II rmsving ratls And
BRIGGS, dscountsnsncsd By the authofitss and w.
hear cases Of personal violence ths thruWinR