New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-02-03
s,.,r,urxrr M THE RAILROAD DIRECTORS.

sT,TrMENT OF THE RAILROAD DIRECTORS.
ERIE Monday Jan 30 1884.
Il sent letter this morning containing view o. 1ne
questions az stake here, as the opponents OF tne h
rdsd Compsnies understand them In this shall give
10 few words the Of tie Directors OF the ere
and North East road for their action in the matter oi
the Qaule a course which has subjected them 70 80
much insult inconvenience and perhaps peril ihe
PTesdont OF the road, JOhn a. iIacI 80 "o" i.'
NJ Courtrirht s Jackson and John II. Walker Drec-
TORS when the change agreed upon, are al men OF
uropery are identified in their prosperity or adversely
With HAT Of the city in which they have Tor years re-
sided and as Jealous for the rise of Erie 10 something
beyond its present position ne any OF tner ieio"-ci''
z4us In their course as Directors OF the Ere ami
NORTHEAST road they either right or mistaken or
obnoxious to q charge brought against them IN some
of tie papeTs here and often heard IN the tte Knots
o. men az the and N baT-rooms OF having b,en
bought UP by rich eastern companies. ms iatter
cbsJoe i what in feet has aroused so violent ieeIng
araIf them but /. ia which they CONSIDER too aOsafd
70 treatserou,y They have however on more than one
occasion explained their to their fellow citizens ana
6rdeayoYed 70 show them chat they are bound ali "hy
they are bound, TO change their gauge
On the subject Of the value Of the Erie Harbor and the
great results which would follow to the city from the con
siiucon e the various Toads spoken OF IN my last com
nuncaOn a. sOrdiDg direct access 70 me sabOard ana
opeuine routes rival to the Central New York Road there
is no, particle Of difference in opinion between the.e
gentlemen ard their lelOwcitizens. They refused t.
change their track for time after the gauge law was
repeated and conflict appears to have grown up De
tween them and the other party until the agTee91n MADE
the Company agreed finally to change Their track ana
make continuous gauge from Cleveland 10 Buffalo
This as shown in last letter, the Eeans consider as
having given up everything refusing to take into account
the considerations offered in exchange for the alteration
OF the track the ground that they could not rus; ihe
New York Companies! -
The statement of tie Directors is substantially a. fol
lows So long as the gsugelaw stood upon the statute
books they had nothing to do but 10 run their cars ~ me
State line upon the track which by law was laid down for
loug had
acof tina. section OF the State Bat the repeal OF that
law in regard which act there is difference Of opin
ion between them and other citizens of Erie placed them
in position They had been actually engaged in me
endeavor tC ;nsh forward the Erie City Little Valley
I'D that from Erie r. jamestown TO the New YORK and
Eie at Oean the Sunbury road and one to PlttsbuShor
az least 10 tie coal fields of Mercer CO. These projects
however had fingered and success was doubtful Bat me
repeal Of the gauge law introduced new danger 90 ne
by giving up their six foot trGca danger which the 9th
ei party seems not to have considered II was this If
Erie persisted in obstrucii1g the free transit OF
ard goods, the New York Companies would assist IN car
ryTg out old project Of road RIA headyie or some
other point south OF Erie to the OHIO state line and thus
Nv old point altogether There was thus IN
the opinion of the Directors strong probability Of losing
at stroke two roHds-th4t from Pittsburgh, which could
have little The Meadvile route Just to
M Erie and the Little Valley road the object of
which being 'mpy to reach the West wouid prefer toe
sculeIly rout. being several miles shorter Thus
while their opponents looked AZ forced break of
gauge as the to obtain their long wished for
avenues 10 New York ard Philadelphia, the Directors
viewed the same thing Tn insurmOGntabe obstacle
The great object being 10 attain the construction OF these
roads and beiIg longer protected in their break of
gauge by law OF the Commonwealth they were forced
by the circumstances of the to make sind of
compromise or see as they snpPosed Eres pTosgsTliy
pyosrated As to thepOwer Of the y. 7 Central Railroad
Corryenv such bugbear in the eyes Of many, they did
not believe that il could with ell lis money and influence
turn the current Of trade from the docks Of Erie to those
of Buffalo whenever the former could point TO the ears OF
two roads either of which would land goods on the bans
Ct tie Hudson opposite the City of New York by routes
many miles shorter than that az Albany They believed
L az the merchants Of Detroit would soon oai boat
for Flie o. for Buffalo and indeed prefer this, when the
broad six fec; gauge once extended in an unoroken line
from the E,ie dock 10 those at Piermont or Jersey City
Moieovel. no sooner could the Little Valley Road ne
finished than the people Of the West TO whom The Place OF
the break Of gauge would be of Importance would
begin send their freight 10 Erie for ranshpment rather
than to Buffalo both because the Little Valley route Is the
shorter ana avoid the difficulties at Albany. arising
from The conveyance OF SO many means Of public trans
Iordion at that place and the frequent delays eonse
auerce This cause would at length force the Blta'o and
State Lire load r. change their gauge to feet q inches
As the Stopping Of passenger trains this they con
sdered as Of smell Importance II comparison WIN me Oh
ects at they aimed Cponthe whole by changing
their track they could o. The time forward the
ROADS it would be better to suffer the disady snsges
if any arising heTeIom for one or two years than to
subGorny resist any change when this resistance would
probably only result in permanent injury TO the place
Moved 10y these considerations they al ength entered mo
which they secured they believe railroad connection
direct between their haTbor and New fork Phadeighia
and Pittsburgh In memorial 20 the City Council OF Erle
Ills Popcsd srt The oaet has been the Corporations
ard IsH,d r-oeI BENG s;..nsd a. r. EIi1
IG OF 70 eoa GelGs Mercer couaty then tie 5a
j j. make & teses to made liable hs5sO to
TIE coo OF hey may q issI option ,asiee ns
clss,isbd PsiD md ahahpa Railroad oOResny .4 i,se
Ce@T.py The F.rln CsEsi Company to be At e :, .IFes'e
% ueh ofihs EGie ely RsrO,d IS lie.
rser n Of the railroad snd ne hsrtor q Ere ga
nav rs. IN mad to sud furnish
s1mISs dI ai ne h;i y. rztas c H4 a tie
Two roads stsN eee bs;aI 70. re sc 81 no '-
Thus the Directors had, as they thought effected nG
al htt thew and their fellow citizens wished q: le2si AL
that Is possible without gauge law aud fan as much a
.hey coud reasonably hop6 and they did entertain hopes
that this would hNe saisied all parties Ihis was not
tie and what eect the present stae OF things 20
have upon tie prosperity OF the city and their own when
is bound mp l. thty do not know, out fear the worst
From Oar Own Reporter.
ERIE. Tuesday, Jan. 81. lSji
While at breakfast tAs morning, heard the bell on
tie CourtHouse ringing, and INQUIRY into the mean
irg OF H. was told that tie G.asn bell, ami that
men were at work taking ~ piece OF track from the
Railroad. Going up here immediately. found that
the track Of tie H,sra road where i, crosses Slssa
fTaSsr. some twenty rods west of tie road was all
removed. i seems that workmen turned ont very
early this noTnrg 20 make connection between the
lew four feetitn inch tLC- cast wish tLa track west
a. ne StttoI tuG iiGt taoy had Torn away portion
q he platform 20 carry BY bend ilc Two tracks 20
ceiler IL Vac Urged hat tie Aar,lal Lll authority
only 10 charge tie dth Of tie track By draHin. toe
Ials q tie - itct me toward each otner me neces
ftfy eiffincc. ~ AN1e t0uafc piece ni nrF track
vlscIoIe e1.Etd lc'ofc. Hlt 'tc D.. a-tAD.i.
tt.i-,aIoItvr User tic T9t +, b.0g rl tg' r-.-
idy q ilc OH ea't Cnl.uy t. '.A s.c.s $40