Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-12-24
From tbs Railroad Register.
Railroad Matters. IN northwestern
PENNSYLVANIA.

. % &CALog Liz
"a CHANCE OF PRooRAMNE-The ener
getic prosecution OF the work on the Phil
adelphia and Erie Railroad has done more
2 to improve Northwestern Penniylyanis
than anything else that has happened
there in a long series of wears, although as
yet the great corporation now engaged in
it has not undertaken he building of q
single branch. But from the very mo.
ment that the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany leased. the Philadelphia and Erie
road. and undertook its completion, the
two New York companies appear 10 have
fairly startled out of their senses.
Before that period II was impossible 10
induce them to do anything which looked
ike improvement in that region. The
Pittsburg and Erie line, which is properly
a tributary of the Lake Shore road, al
though 1t will ultimately become so, also
of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Pittsburg,
had fairly to be dragged into life against
the long continued neglect of the Lake
Shore Company, and even the continue
ton Of the Atlantic and Great Western
road across our State seemed hopeless
But presto in a moment ali this is chang
ID h PIttsburg and Erie is nearly COM
pieted; 1t Is already building branches,
md the Atlantic and Great Western has
got clear across to the Ohio line, built enc
important branch and projected two
more.-PhiodsLpki4 North AmsrioaR, De
cem6srS 8. =
Remarks-This is 4 curious medley of
random assertion, that reminds one of the
military criticisms which occupied so ma
ny columns IN q morning daily of this city,
when On to Richmond" mot -On to
Erie was the cry. To assert that the
New York companies were auiescent in
the Lake Shore region of this State until
the Pennsylvania Railroad COMPANY be-
came the lessee of the Philadelphia and
Erie Railroad, is TO make a statement in
misconception OF recorded events and
public facts. The truth is that dosn To
this present time the New York rail COM
paDies have had almost everything their
own way in the Northwest counties Of
Pennsylvania. True, IN 1851, Erie CITY |
made a bold and wise effort TO Law down a
Pennsylvania plan and programme in Erie |
county, and in 1852 the Legislature en-
acted a general gauge law for the State:
but the. Legislature of 1853 u~nhappily re-
pealed the gauge laws Of 1852 and 1851. 4
and since that time schemes have been
devised and plans have been laid down
and progressed in. whereby the wide
gauge has been carried across the Pbila-
delphia and Erie rail route, and a terrific
ry which should and might have been
drained TO the Philadelphia and Erie road
Is made tributary 10 the Erie read and
New York Interest.
1t Is due to the Philadelphia public that
the fact should he known that serious
commercial mischief has been done bv
the trespass OF the wide gauge across the
track OF the Philadelphia and Erie road.
The repeal of the gauge laws of 1851 and
1852 by the Legislature of 1853, and the
omission Of the ~Philadelpbia and Erie
Railroad Company 70 prevent the wide
gauge from crossing its line, to drain Il
portion of its territory and menace other
great interests with another rival 10 the
seaboard, were misfortunes which cannot
be ignored by denial nor hidden by ex-
tenuation. y
Hence II is only in Ignorance or error
that il can be SAID or implied that the in
vasion OF the wide gauge has wrought no
mischief. when the fact is otherwise: and
when, too. the proof is on The ground that
New York rail lines have made conoues.s
in Pennsylvania territory, from which
they cannot be dislodyed: and that in the
Northwest counties Philsdelphia can only
enjoy q joint occupation where she had
hoped to possess exclusive Jurisdiction.
TEE ATLANTIC AND GREAT WESTERN RAN
Way.
The Atlantic ana Great Weston Rail
road Company is one Of four corporations
whose joint roads will reach intact and
with uniform six-feet gauge. ,
the bank Of the Hudson river oppo-. ,
site New York to the Mississippi river op-i
posite st. Louis, a distance of r.l93 miles.
The Atlantic and Great Western Rail s
commences IN a Junction with the
Erie Railroad rs miles west of New York
and 10 miles east of DDnkirk. al SaIaman- l
ca, whence it pursues a southwest course
parallel with and about 20 miles desiant I
from the south shore of Lake Erie, across 8
Pennsylvania and half way west across
Ohio, when il defects south to DAYTON. d
$40 miles from Salamanca. and whence
miles of third rail on the Cincinnati.
and Dayton Railroad will car
ry the wide gauge 10 Cincinnati. from !
which place the Ohio and Mississippi I
wide gauge IS in operation $40 I
miles TO st. Louis. The length of the !
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad IS: :
FORK division, from Salamanca TO :
AshYliie ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS miles. !
PennsylVsnia division, from Ash L
vile 10 Oranrevlile----..sS miles. ?
Ohio division, from O~rangeviile :
TO .242 miles. y
lotal miles. C
One hundred miles Of main road are .
open from Salamanca to Meadville from
Cory a branch road traYerses the oil re- !
gion 10 TitusYille; and from MeadvilIe T
another branch road will soon be com t
pleted down the valley Of French Creek
the Allegheny river st Franklin, in !,