The daily gazette., 1877-07-17
For. the Gazette, ,..',., ....
Letter !. tom Samuel Townsend.

MIR. EDITOR:-As there Is considerable
controversy going on in the papers be-
tween the railroad companies, or, particu-
larly the p, w. &c B, r. r. Co., and the
Delaware peach growers, think it not
amiss TO mention certain facts. In about
the year 1880 the New Castle and French
townrailroad company obtained from the
Delaware Legislature, by paying GER
tain sum 10 the State, a monopoly or
tyrannical, and nodoubt unconstitutional
grant, saying that no.company or persons
should make railroad or line of travel
across this county, from the Christiana
creek to the Appoquinimink creek for 20
years, in about the year 1850 this grant
would have run out. Major Reybold and
Others, myself among them, held meet
ing and passed resolutions in favor of
asking the Legislature to charter rail-
road from Delaware City, southwest
through Middletown down through Mary
land TO the Chesapeake Bay at or near
Morton Point. This was opposed by the
n. G. andP. w. & B.R. r. Co., and as an
offset these railroad companies induced'
the Legislature for $167,000 to kill our
proposed charter, and as farce charter a
railroad from Dover landing to Seaford.
he members of the Legislature from
Kent and Sussex, sold us out and for that
bonus, the Dover corporation organized
and after spending near forty thousand
dollars was in turn over reached and
tricked out of their route, by the P. W. &
b. r. r. company,turni said route from
Dover up the State to the old New Castle
and Frenchtown railroad, the present
route of to-day. This change in the route
accommodated our wants, and we ceased
our warfare ih this county. The railroad
was made and in the winter of 1859 when
the Delaware railroad (for they to get
sympathy from Delaware people called
it the Delaware railroad) was jammed
for funds to go on with, Judge Harring-
ton told me that he feared the work
would have to stop unless they got help.
State bonds he proposed. told him
never would favor state bonds, but as
thought great deal of Judge Harrington,
said, Judge, tell you what 1 will
favor, the giving of the balance of that
unexpended bonus $127, 900 to the Della
ware railroad. Laos, says he, if we could
only get that it would put us right OH
our feet. told him l would see our men,
ber, John M. Naudain, and ask him to
the members below were depending on
MIR. Naudain's vote to help them they
finally agreed to vote with him to give
the unexpended bonus to the Delaware
railroad, amounting to about $127,000.
Our rights were sold for the money, and
the P. w. & B. r. r. Co. was making a
road up through our burnt district, and we
gave back without demanding stock in
the road, this Boston stockholders money
that had been first given to crush our
rights, and l am set down as an enemy
of the railroad. In April 1861, in WASH
ington, heard the threat thrown out of
burning the Havre de Grace ferry steamer
Maryland, said nothing until / got
through Baltimore. then called lamar,
the conductor to me, and privately told
him to tell the men at Havre de Grace to
look out for their boat, for the Southern
men intended to burn her and interrupt
communication. He went to Mr.. Horner,
the present treasurer of the p, w. & b.
r. r. Co. Mr.. Horner happened 10 be
In the same car and came to me nervous
and asked me, l told him it was SO, that
if | had known lac was in the car would
have come to him. Mr.. Horner and l
have often talked about the matter and
as late as this summer, he told me he
stayed that night with Mr.. FELTON,, and
that the attempt was made, and no doubt
my timely information saved the boat.
l have always acted liberal with the rail-
road; gave the right of way of one half
mile on the Townsend branch to the p,
w. q b. r. R.; / headed the old Phila-
delphia and New York and New Jersey
M oh Anl l.
phia to New York via the Camden and
rAmboy railroad and steamboat to New
York, who got all their supply of peaches
from the waters of the Delaware and
from Maryland through the canal. call
ed the first meeting at Dover and went to
Mr.. FELTON, who was then President of
the p. w. & B. r. r. Co.; he is far see
ing man, and kind-hearted gentleman,
and at once entered into my plans of
going with car loads of peaches past
Philadelphia to Jersey City orNew York.
He wrote letters and sent me to Messrs.
Stockton, Yetsmen, Welsh, Jackson and
others, aud seconded my plans of chang
ing his freight cars into ventilated
tolerable good peach cars.
1 Ishipped whole cars first to Amboy
without breaking bulk. l found that
route would not do, regretted in Della
ware men then had begun to grow
peaches along the Delaware Il. r. The
most liberal of them assisted me in call
ing meetings. getting line finally all
rail to New York or Jersey City, that the
growers of peaches. along the r. R. could
then beat our old water course rivals one
whole day to New York market. This at
once opened up the Peninsula; Branch R.
road were built, and in Is years from the
time began to agitate the old rail route
to New York the business had grown to
5000 cars in one season, 1875, the Co.
state and I am set down as an enemy of
the p. w. & B.R. R.Co. The excuse given
for breaking up the CT artered car system
is the lowest and meanest L ever heard
of. Mr.. Hinckley says he would have
had to build 150 cars, what nonsense,
there is nothing like the peaches there
was in 1876. This Road then with the P.
~ ID 10 oarra6