The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-11-29
From the Athens Messenger Nov. 22d.l
THE MINERAL RAILROAD.
Social Meeting OF the Stockholders, ct
the ReSidenes OF NJ. NJ. Greene, Esq. :

at the residence of Mr.. Greene TO con-
gratulate him and themselves upon
the fact that the required amount of
stock to incorporate the road, had
been subscribed. The subscribers
were received in the MOST cordial
manner b7 PIE Greene and his estima.
BILE lady. HRtqthe hour OF nine, the
time was dev6ed 70 Sgenuine, social
converse. At that hour a sumptuous
supper was served up by 'mne host"
of which every one partook heartily,
id est, so faras we took time to observe,
OF COW e supper was superb, and
was RI. Led and disposed OF accord
ingly. a4
Alter supper some one showed the
meeting be organized" and DR.. w. p.
Johnson was called to the chair. Mr.,
Greene was then called on to tell his
neighbors all about the Mineral Rail-
road, ard how he "did' it, which be
proceeded to do, in his forciblc and
candid manner. Mr.. Greene said:
Some two years ago it became evi.
dent to the gentlemen who are now
the incorporates of the Mineral Road
that the Coal and other minerals OF
the Hooking Valley were attracting
the attention OF capitalists, and others,
to an extent which made itcertain that
an effort would be made to reach them
from some direction, by roiroad. The
natural line of such u road was direct
Iy up the Valley, from Athens to Co.
lumbus. But there were other routes
to reach the Coal, and if no movement
was made TO- run road up the Valley,
there were other interests az work, that
would lead to the building of other
lines, by which Athens would be de-
prved of road to Columbus, and OF
the benefits derivable from the termi.
nus Of road passing through SO rich
n mineral region as the Hooking Val
10y. He and the other incorporators
ut once set about getting on foot plans
for this road After number OF pre-.
liminaries, about two years ago, an ap,
plication Tor building the Mineral
Railroad" was filed in the Secretary OF
States Office, with an applied capital
| of one million and u half OF dollars
Under the laws of the State, an organ
ization could have been effected and
work commenced when ten per
cent of the capital was raised. This
would be 100000. But TO render cv.
erything perfectly secure, and beyond
the peradventuro of failure, the incor
porators determined to raise, by sub
scriptioh, one half the applied capital
or $7J0,000, before attempting an or
ganisation or doing anything towards
building the road. This was appor
toned along the line, as follows:
Columbus ..".."..."....I"."..S4O0OO OO(
Groveport Il Winchestor""... $4,000
Lancaster. ."."....."",.""... f0,00'
Logan ......."..." "......,'...." Io,OV'
:. Athens COunty......""........ lCo,UV'
."Of these places. Columbus raiset
$4SO,O Logan $4,000, and Athen
! County Sl20,000, making total rails
, cd, by subscription, Of S76S,O00.
"The original projectors-the incor
: porators-of the road, assumed the n
cidental expenses of running lines
: raising subscriptions, &c Subscriber
were not called upon at all, as is usua
f.. with such enterprises, to detray thes
exponscs. 1t was determined on tn
; part Of the incorporates, TO thorough
: Iy test the project before embarkn!
Q in it or inducing others to embark in il
! When they finally set out to accom-
4. pIish the building Of the road, they
met, everywhere along the line, will
the most discouraging declaration
= from the people whom they expected
b to hclp build il, and who must Civ
their aid or il never could be built
Athens had been bled, almost literal
: ly, to death, by other enterprises. Lo
f gan had sunk all its surplus money il
the Seioto Valley II. r and got n
o road after all. Lancaster had me
n with worse than the fate of Athens, i
s the GAINESVILLE and Wilmington Raj
e road. ".' ".'t
columbus was Llow to take tn
matter in hand. He, Mr., Greene
u started out to raise 100000 in tn
n Valley under these circumstances. ii
+ wen, to each place again and again. -
. Athens was the first place on the I'm
3 to raise its share, Columbus noS
n and Groveport and Winchester mex
Q Lancaster, Logan and Nelsonvill(
J. despite the hardest work on the par
n Of some of their citizens, were unable
: for II long time, TO even get tairI
n started. Finally he succeeded in in
!, lorosting the bcst people Of each plac
30 far an to got them At work sollcitin
subscriptions. The influence Of on
secured the influence of another. Th
D basis upon which ther road was propoi
y ed TO be built, inspired confidence i
70 every one who paused to consider |
!, and TO compare it with tho reckles
10 manner Of building other roads, wit
the history of which every one in th
4 Valley was familiar This finally wo
es its way to the understandings Of ou
Il people of the Valley, and then, an
70 aud not tlll then, was the way clea
ii for its building, All along the line {
)i the road men invested in its stock, wi
% novor before would subscribe to an
o railroad enterprise, They had cont
, deneo, lst, in tho plan upon which III
h road was to be built and Sd, that who
). built, it must necessarily bc u payin
d road le ,EoD
o "But," added Mr.. Greene, tive ha,
% only begun our labors. The line is y,