Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-09-27
zee Ar1ANr1o ASp esKAr wEsrEav -.

WAY.
4 This great road one ofthe most wonderful /
and successful enterprises of modern. times |
is of course the great feature of Meadville, |
To it Meadville owes its recent life and |
hustle, its influx of population, business and |
riches. Its big depot, It's huge machine
shops, its numberless tenement houses for |
its employees, and, last but not least, its |
magnificent hotel, the McHenry House. |
are the most prominent and important
buildings in the city. The railroad, which,
seen anywhere, impresses one at once with
the energy and ability which characterized its
managers, is nowhere seen to such adVan-
tage as at MeadYille, where its big depot,
its handsome, well lighted, orderly offices,
and above all its unequalled hotel, which
has brought to this little city of the West
the luxury and magnifcence of New York
| living, all strike even the most casual spec
tatOr with admiration.
We had intended to speak somewhat at
length of the history and present position
of the road, but an article IN q recent issue
of the New York Herald, from the pen Of
gentleman thoroughly conversant with
the subject, does the work 30 neatly that a
| few extracts therefrom will answer our
purpose.
EARLY HISTORY OF THE ATLASTIc AND GREAT IVES
/ TERN.
The history of the inception and growth Of what
has become one of the great arterits OF the lAbd,
and is destined to be surpassed by none In imPor-
tance and extent of business was cne Of din1culty
| and disbursement. But it is also the history OF
/ what indomitable perseverance and undying latin
| will do when applied TO a worthy object. Let me
briefly reeapitulate a few of the facts connected
with the Inauguration Of this great national high
| way 1t is fact Of great interest that no less
person than New YOrk's great beneiactOrs teMltt
Clinton, saw the necessity Of having railroad %
follow nearly the route that now traversed
| by the atlantic and Great Western as long ago as
the year 1928. Having laid out and huilt the Erie
canal he published pamphlets which still in ex-
| istence, showing the necessity OF building a road
from the western terminus Of the canal, which
should be the great carrying power, as he himself
| states, ..between the Atlantic and great West"
lie may, therefore, be said to have originally pro
posed the plan, his out-r, aching mind seeing the
absolute necessity which would exist for II in less
than gensration from the opening OF ms stupen-
| The time when it was thus proposed, however,
was too early Tor the accomplishment Of the work,
and it remained for later day 30 bring II before
In the fall of 1850 Marvin Kent, Esq, Of Frank
lin, Ohio, brought before the Legislature of that
state the charter. Just as it came from ths hands
| of Mr. Kent II was finally granted; but probably
not in Que hundred Of ths legislators who voted
| upon it had any conception of the importancs of
the document 70 which their presiding officer by
| their leave, placed their hands and seals. The
charter first asked for the 'Franklin and " ar
rentown Railrosd," and the specification in tbs
charter permitted the corporation TO construct q
read from Franklin, in Portage county, to arren,
| in TrumbulI county. This was the main feature OF
the bill, written, and apparently the only point,
| But It is sale to assert that charter
! granting so unlimited privileges, aud placing
sucd vast Discretionary powers in the corpofetorS
was passed before or since by any legislature
They authorized TO continue the fne from
| Warren ITO che east line Of the state OF Ohio,f
| and they 'smay continue the same from the place
Of beginning (at Franklinl, in westerly OF sonh-
westerly direction, to connect with any railroad
within this State which the directors Of said com
/ pany may deem advisable" 1t will thus be seen
that thy had full power to proceed from Franklin
wherever they pleased They might 60 all over the
southwestern portion OF the state II they saw Mt,
and connect with any other road which they should
| select. But, again, they were authorized to con-
struct their oad Of such width as might be neces-
saTy, the act imposing no restrictions In this re
spect. In short, mr. kont, in the framing of this
charter, displayed shrewdness which might do
credit to the "a Philadelphia lawyer of whom we
have often heard. EE nIlls
The act was passed in March, 1851, the title being
changed just before its passage 10 that OF The
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad Company
Until this change of name nothing was known OF
the scope OF the intentions of the Orginators. 1t
was supposed by those who took cognizance at all
of the Franklin and Warren Railroad that il
| was a mere local track to enable Dir. Kent 10 get
coal from the banks Of Mahoning county for his
glass works at Franklin; and 80 they troubled
| themselves more about It.
were opened, and MIR. Kent's design was explained.
| II was to build a road from point on the New
York and Erie (which was not then entirely eom-
| pletedl near Olean to Warren, thence to tranklin
and Gallon, and thence TO connect with the Ohio
and Mississippi, which then in process Of con-
/ stTuotion. He believed that this would be one Of
the greatest roads in the country, and that belief
has faltered from that time TO this. Through
all manner of discouragements aad dangers, in
spite of financial and legal eInbarrassmeDts which
| would have dsheartened almost any other man, he
held on with grim discrimination and tenacity
which now receiving their reward In the fulfil
ment Of his great design.
1.-THE people along the proposed line Of the road
having subscribed literally, work commenced vigoT-
ously in 1885, aud the grading between Franklin
and Warren might have been completed In short
| time, II the subscribers had paid up, But enemies
Of the road were not wanting, now that its design
became manifest, and all sorts Of difficulties were
| thrown in the way. Suits almost innumerable
| were brought into court Through all Of these Mr.
Tyler the faithful friend and legal adviser the
company and it is high commendation both of the
justice of their and the ability with which it
was defended, that the company were successful in
every suit.
Meantime work was progressing upon the eastern
portion Of the line Soon after the charter was OBJ
tanned in Ohio, Mr.. Kent came to Meadyills, and
the first TRilroad consultation upon the subject of
the Atlantic and Great Western Railway, within
| the limits Of the State of Pennsylvania was held
in this place, between Mr.. Kent, Wm.r Reynolds
and General Dick. These last gentlemen were firm
and fast friends of the road.
Meanwhile the commercial troubles Of '57 swept
Power the land, and suspended work upon this road
as upon many other partially completed labOrs'
But in the fall of 1858 new man appeared upon
4 the scene.
| JAMES M'HENRY.
This was James MeHenry, who il English by pres
ent residence, but Pennsylyanian by birth, aud
thoroughly American in feeling. man Of IN
questioned integrity, Of large means and Of liberal
1 views he possesses much the confidence of the
| financial circles Of Europe that some of the most
/ noted houses Of the Continent eager to Join
i with him the building Of this road. At time
| when American securities were being tried in the
crucible Of civil war, McHenry bnlieysd he saw, in
| the ronto of the struggling corporation Of which
We writing, the road TO success and usefulness
He therefore wrote TO those having the matter In
charge, proposing to supply the means for compile
ting the whole road, provided Investigation should
| confirm the favorable opinion he entertained Of its
practicability. The offer was gladly received; for
the projectors of the road had need of financial aid
Accordingly, in the fall Of 1855, .rrf
llt Mr.. T. W. KENNARD
came to America, at tho instance Of Mr.. McHenry,
| 10 examine and report upon the route Mr. Ken
nard had wide spread English and European re-
putation as civil engineer. The Crumlin Yiaduct
l in Wales and numerous works upon tho Continent
were monuments Of his skill which needed no In
| terproter. Mr.. Kennard made thorough examine
alton Of the route from the junction with the New
York and Erie to Dayton. His clear, practical In
telect at oomprehended the vast results which
would hOw from the completion of this road, and
hts report was every way favorable. He had full
conidenc" tae plans Of Messrs. Kent and Rev
nolds and Glnfessed himself decidedly from fbat /
time the earnest advocate fer their steady compile
tion.
In the following year 1s5s) Mr.. Reynolds and
Mr., Henry A. Kent IA brother Of Marvin Kenti
went to England to consult with Mr.. MeHenry.---
While there the negotiations completed, and
the contract was entered into, on the part Of Mr.
McHenry, TO proSeod at once with the work Of can
struction. I' 3
Such, in brief, is the history Of the conception
and growth Of the Atlantic and Great Western
Railway. OF Its latteri developement-hou Mr.
hennard was entrusted by Mr. McHenry with the
entire supervision Of the construction Of the road
how he came here in time Of great scarcity OF
labor, when the Government was draining the sup
nly. how be hrnnahl