The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-26

April, 1887, to survey and FIX a route for rail.
way from SunburY, by the way OF Northumber-
land and Williamsport, to the harbor Of Erie.
In 1883 and 1889 an exploration and survey we're
made by 1t, and In 1851 the Eastern and Western
Divisions Of the road were again surveyed, and
in 1862 great effort was made to infuse vitality
into the corporation.
Under the provisions Of an act of I'd March,
1852. an attempt was made by the company TO
extend their road to Harrisburg, which was de.
ieated by decision of the Supreme Court, show
ing prior right in what is now the Northern
Central Railroad Company Packer vs. 6unbury
and Erie Railroad Company. 8 Norris, 2l1).
Under an act of the 10th FEBRUARY Of the same
year, authorizing municipal and other corpora
tons to subscribe to Its stock, subscriptions we're
sought from Philadelphia and Erie, and other
counties and boroughs on the route of the road,
and upon favorable report from Committee OF
Councils who visited Erie, the City of Phila-
delphia subscribed two millions OF dollars. The
District of Richmond subscribed S250,0OO,
which, upon consolidation, merged into that
of the city. The county OF Erie subscribed
S2OO,000, and the City of Erie $300,0oO, and
these, with some individual subscriptions,
formed the capital on which operations were
commenced, and in 1856 very able Board
found forty miles of road in good running order
from sunbury 10 Williamsport. and upwards Of
two hundred miles under contract.
BY an act OF 21st OF April, 1868, the State sold
to the Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company, for
So, 500, COO, all the public works of the Common
wealth remaining unsold upon certain terms,
stitutional. (Sunbury and Erie Railroad Com
pany VS.. Cooper, 8 Casey, 27s.) 49,
BY the acts OF 18th April, 1860, and OF March,
1851, the Indebtedness to the Commonwealth was
substantially changed into q second mortgage,
for four millions of dollars were deposited in
the State sinking-iund, the name of the Com
J&ny was altered to TIL OF the PHILADELPHIA and
Efie Railroad Company, and they were autho'
1ized 10 contract with any other railroad com
pany in the State in relation to the completion
and working OF the road.
Accordingly, on the 9th of January, 1862, q
contract. and lease and contract, we're entered
into between the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad
Company and the PennsJ lvania Railroad Com
pany by which the tirst-named Company leased
their road to the second-named Company for the
term of nine hundred and ninety years.
The whole subject is admirably explained in the
opirion OF my brother Strong, in Gratz VS.. the
two companies, Wright, AL affirming the con-
stitutionality OF the act OF March, 1861, and
the validity OF the contracts by the two COM
panies.
The trains commenced running through on
the 18th October, 1854 although the road was
incomplete in its equipments. These two roads
therefore have carried ont by land-caIriage the
original intentions of the trainers of the act of
1926, to connect the city of Philadelphia with
Pittsburg and Lake Erie by the main line and
west branch canals
In this Road the State has four millions of
dollars, the City OF Philadelphia two million two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, aud
the city and county of Erie 1ve hundred thou
sand dollars, and both roads are Pennsylvania
enterprises, pouring the trade and commerce Of
the West directly into the lap Of the commercial
metropolis of the State.
The Central Railroad of New York, from Albany
to Buffalo, has feet 81 inches guage, and be-
lieve the roads north OF it, and east oil the Hud-
son, including the New England States, have the
same uniform guage,. with the exception OF the
road from Portland, Joining the Grand Trunk of
Canada, which has the Canadian guage OF feet
inches.
The ordinary gauge in New Jersey, is feet
10 inches but the New Jersey Central has the
feet S5-inch guage, with third rail to accom-
modate the Delaware, Lackawanna, and
Western. By improvements in machinery the
-- cars OF the narrow guagc can run
upon the New Jersey roads.
The New York and Erie Road was planned
as far back as 1882, and the purpose was to
construct railroad from New York to Lake
Erie, through the southern tier of counties,
entirely upon New York soil, and the Company
was restricted from connecting with any
railroad either of the State of Pennsylvania
or New Jersey, or leading into either of the
said States, without the consent Of the Legis-
lature OF the Slate OF New York on pain OF for
teiting the powers and privileges conferred
upon it. The road was commenced at Pied
mont, on the west bank of the Hudson river,
near the New Jersey State line, and after fruit
less efforts to find an available line without
passing through Pennsylvania they We're
allowed to construct their road through Susque-
hanna and Pike counties by two acts of Assem-
bly,, passed the 10th February, lS4l, and Goth
March, 1S46
In similar way it becoming necessary 10
secure q terminus opposite the city of New York,
instead of depending upon steamboats, from P ed
mont by various leases and contracts with New
Jersey Railroad Companies, sanctioned by the
Legislature of that State, they were enabled TO
secure terminus on the west bank of the Hud-
son, at Jersey City,
In one Of these agreements it is expressly
stated that the object of laying one rail on each
side of the present tracks OF the road OF the Aew
Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company,
so as to form in conjunction with one rail OF
each track, two tracks of hve, feet wide, is for
the purpose OF enabling the New York and Erie
Railroad Company to run the cars and engines
of the said company from their road at Sufferins,
across New jersey, until at or near the Hudson
river at Jersey City, without change, delay, o,
Under decree of foreclosure of mortgage
executed by the said company, sale sanctioned
by acts of the Legislatures OF New York, New
Jersey and PENNSYLVANIA, all the property and
franchises of the New York and Erie Railroad
Company became vested in the present Erie Rail
way Company.
The guage OF this road is six feet. an excep-
tional one not used in England nor in Canada.
and in very few instances in the United States.
1t occupied the whole southern line OF the State
of New York. and no road north or south OF it,,
whether in New York, New Jersey, or Pennsyl-
vania, could mechanically connect with ii, eX-
cept one Of the same guage, thus practically
refusing all such connection with all the roads
previously constructed in those States Instead.
therefore,, of the New York Central connecting
by any intervening road with the Erie. they are
entirely disconnected, tor the cars and engines
OF one road cannot run upon the other.
The Erie Road Is, therefore, an aggressive road,
preventing all communication with and through
II of the roads on each side, which can only In
tersect and not connect with 1t, there being no
accommodation for the narrow gauge line. II,
for instance, you have freight from Albany to
Rochester designed for Avon Genesee, Mount
morris, or any southern point, there is an entire