The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-01-18
Tho Eric Railroad War.

We condcnsc from the Boston Jour
nal the following clear statement of the
origin and nature of the Railroad diff
ficultics at Eric, Pa.--so disgraccful to
that city, and likely to be permanently
injurious to its business interests.
BY referring to map, the reader will
notice that Pennsylvania possesses a
narrow strip Of territory, about fifty
miles in extreme width, extending IN
from the Northwest corner of the State
to Lake Erie, and separating New York
from Ohio. Across this strip Of terri.
tory lies the main route for railroad com.
munication between the East and the
great West. This line communication
connects Buffalo with Cleveland, and
during the winter months. when lake
navigation is closed, il is the only route
for travel and traffic between tie two
cities
The route from Buffalo to the Ohio
line consists of three roads, the Buffalo
and State Zinc railroad, sixty nine niles
long. with four feet ten inch gauge. the
Erie and North east road nineteen miles,
with six feet gaugc,to accommodate the
the New York and Erie. and four feet
eight and one half inch gauge, designed
for the accommodation Of the Buffalo
and State line road, which was originally
ofthat width, and the Franklin Canal
railroad, twenty miles to the Ohio line
with a gauge Of four feet ten inches.
which is the usual width Of the tracks
of the Ohio roads. 1t will be seen that
these breaks Of gauge necessitatc the
transfer of merchandise between Clcvc
land and the seaboard at three different
points, viz at Eric, at he State line.
and at Buffalo.
There was originally but one break of
gauge, at Eric the Buffalo and State
line road having been at FIRST Of tho
same width Of gauge as the roads cast of
Buffalo, and the Erie and North. East
road. In 1851, the State Line road
changed its track to the Ohio gauge
five feet and ten understanding the
Erie and North East road to do the
same, leaving only break at Buffalo.
1t is this change which has given rise
to all the difficulty. The directors of
the Erie and North East road resisted
the change for time, but eventually tho
New York capitalists obtained con.
trolling interest, and it is the attempts
which have been made to carry out tho
projected alterations which originated
the recent riots The Ericans contend
that there is no good reason. since there
must be break Of gauge, why it should
not be at Erie, as originally established,
instead of at Buffalo They say that
the extension of the Ohio gauge through
Pennsylvania, withou; break at Eric.
would seriously affect the interests of
the Sunbufy and Eric road. a railroad
which was projected as long ago as 1896,
but never built, and which is designed to
open p direct communication with Phil.
adelphia. They contend that the change
OF gauge is q violation Of the agreement
of the Erie and North East company,
though when and where q promise was
mado that the track should be of Ger.
tain width does not appear. The Erie
ans also complain that the Erie and
North East railroad, and the Franklin
Canal road, practically ignore the exist
ence of Erie barber, having constructed
their roads a mile from the lake, instead
Of extending them down to the harbor
as they should have done under their
charters.
Pennsylvania, by the accident of
local position, has tho control Of tho
great line OF communication between the
Eastern States and the West, aud, not
with fair and honorable com
petition for tho Western trade BY means