The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-02-03

freight than it can move, though large adj
dition to its rolling stock has been contracted
\ for. and will soon be forthcoming The At
lantic and Great Western, though not yet
/ completed, is already one of the grand
trunk lines of our country, and may yet give
its name to athe entire line of which it forms
the essential lnk-the vitalizing connection.
And it has been constructed in defiance of
sueh formidable difficulties, and under cir.
cumstances so trying to the faith and energy
of its projectors, that we. propose to give a
brief history of its origin and progress, as an
encouragement to those who are still strus-
Cling with unsolved difficulties and unfriend-
ly fortune. 4 sae
Some thirteen years ago, Mr.. Marvin Kent
of Franklin, a modest village in Portage
County, Ohio. conceived the idea of connect
ing the then nearly or quite constructed Erie
with the embryo Ohio and Mississippi Rail-
road, by one direct, six-feet Road He was
running. glass works, wooden factory. a.
fl6ufing mill, &C.. at franklin, and was then
constructing cotton factory. The Cleveland
and Pittsburg Road ran within three miles OF
his village, but would come no nearer, leav-
ing him under heavy cost for wagoning-
He consulted his attorney-a young lawyer
namedJ. W. Fyler--and opened to him his
project, having very nearly the present line of,
the Road traced out on a map aud requested
Mr.. T. to furnish him copies of railroad char
tiers as guides in framing his own. A few
days thereafter, his draft was transmitted to
the Honrable Milton Sntliff, State Senator
from the Trumbull District, and Chairman of
the Railroad Committee Mr. S. took warm
interest in the matter, and the charter was per-
fected, March 10, 1851. When introduced,
the name of the proposed work was The
Coal Hill Road; "a ruse to repel the lobby
sharks whom revelation of the real nature
and extent of the enterprise might have sum
moned to impede or blackmail the under
ia ing. Nobody cared about or thought of
The Coal Hill Road;' but on its third read
ing, aud just before its passage, the name
was quietly changed to the franklin and
Warren This was one eff the very last
charters granted under the old Constitution of
Ohio-the new containing personal liability
ard other vexatiops clauses, which have pre-
cluded the construction of railroads chartered
under it. q ~ H if-E.Satf s.t H
To save the charter, meeting of the cor
porators was speedily called and the Compa-
ny organized. A paid subscription of $780,
600 was required, Mr., Kent himself took that
amount. Several others subscribed one
share each, SO as to render them eligible to
serve as Directors
The nextstep was to obtain permission to
cross Pennsylvania. To go 10 Harrisburg and
ask it directly of the Legislature was. an un-
dertaking entirely beyond the means of the
infant company-the Pennsylvania Legisla-
ture being then one of the rottenest. and the
surrounding lobby the most rapacous and
shameless on earth. (There has, we. would
gladly believe, been a great improvement
since.) Upon inquiry, it was ascertained that
the branching power conceded in the existing
charter of the Pittsburgh aud Erie Road could
Z be made to furnish the needed facilities Mr.
Kent associated with himself several capital.
ists-among them, his brother, Henry A
and Erie Company for 100000, From tn,
east line of Pennsylvania, the needed facili.
ties could be obtained through=the charter o.
the dead-alive 8 Erie and New York City
Road This having been secured, desper
Z ateeffort to obtain subscriptions was made
and about S1,o0o,Ooo obtained before tn,
close of 1852 st7 .7sgai a'i
The contract for constructing the Road wa
taken by Mr.. Henry Deotittle of Dayton
Ohio-probably the first experienced railroad
man who evinced faith in the enterprise. III,
had made.a fortune by similar undertakings
and was willing to risk it on this. He mad
three voyages to Europe to negotiate the Sc
curities of the company which could not b
done until agents had been sent over to ex
anime the line and report on its merits Th
reports returned were for time unfavorable
SO that money could not be obtained A
last, Mr.. D. was enabled to close a aprovision
| al contract for the sale of his securities wit
Mr.. James MeHenry, heavy capitalist; tn
condition being that Mr. T. W. ,Kennard, a
eminent railroad engineer connected with tn
, house of McHenry, should. upon examins
ton, approve the enterprise. Mr.. K. cam
over on this business in the Fall of 1858, an
at.once perceived and reported the signal ad
, vantages of the line. No adverse represents
tions could shake his confidence; and, on HI
report, the contract was closed and the comp:
: ny provided with the money requisite to
vigorous prosecution of their work.
BY this time, it was 1860. Mr. Doolttl
6 who had associated with himself in th
contract DR.. W.. s. Streator, Of Cleveland
n had kept the work going, under the superv
a sion of his partner, while he was pleadir
for funds in Europe. In this, he was SUI
q tanned by liberal advances from tie Messr
n. Kents Dr. Streator was leading spirit
v the construction of the Oil Creek Road-or
. of the best feeders of the main line-and
o now its Superintendent, as well as direct'
: of the Atlantic and Great Western.
1t Mr.. Doolittle dying, his partner proposed
:. surrender of the contract. which was accep
d ed, and the work relet to Mr.. James NJ
: Henry of Liverpool, ,<by whom it was to ha,
d been resumed early in 1861. But fresh diff
2 culties were encountered, which necessitats
% a fresh trip to Europe. wherein Mr. Kenna
y was accompanied by Mr.. H. A. Kent and NJ
l. VIM. Reynolds of the Pennsylvania divisio
r, The, necessary arrangements were perfected
r when the cloud of war raised by the seizu
ut of the mail steamer Trent by Com. iWilk
af aoain lranoht N, alters tn n stand. so that II