New-York tribune., 1879-10-25
GRABBING A RAILWAY.

ONE OF SMITH VI. WEEDS SCHEMES.
| OBTAINING POSSESSION OF RAILROAD BUILT BY
THE sTArE-THE CONSIDERATION GIVEN by
MR. WEED AND MS FRIENDS RrDIcULousIY IN
ADEQUA1E-PALTRY Return TO THg sTATE FOR
| ITS EXPENDHURE-ANOTnFR EXAMPLE OF RE-
PORN" UNDER GOVERNOR ROBINSON.
This not being a Presidential year and
Smith NJ. Weed not being occupied with
cipher negotiations. he has found time to carry
out railroad scheme which will result
greatly to his profit. He, with some
associates, has leased the Plattsburg and
Dannemora Railroad for 100 years nj
81 per year. This road was built hy
the State at cost of nearly 100000, for
the benefit Of Clinton Prison. Nj. Weed and
his associates have obtained control of it
on terms extremely Y advantageous to them
and very injurious to the state. The
lease was signed by Governor Rob
insOn and Controller 0lcott, and the
whole affair seems 10 bc one Of the most
disgraceful in the history Of the present State
administration. 1t is now believed that
tie whole plan of building the railroad
WIS devised and pushed throu-h by ilr. Weed
with the intention of getting the liue finally
into has own hands
TuE aDvANTAGioVs coNiT.'Ss oN vricH HE
onruNrD coSIeoL a. lii Tnogugr-tANI-
FOLD wATs II WHICH A.s 4AlrHEsis AXE
sILVED.
Clinton Prison. one of the three state prisons. is
situated nt Damn mora. Clinton Comfy, in the cx-
tremc northeastern corner o. ihe State The prison
was placed m this remote region some years ago
with view of employing the convict, in fhe mann
iacture of nal, from oh' aimed from beds in
Dannemora Towns p, owned hy the State. Tho
sc ellie Gid rot Prove success ia even ni,h ,he uu-
paid labor OF fhe ConNi0.s 10 found 90 be impos-
sble - uanuhcfr.a nails with profit aud
ihc expense Of trl.s..itns coa,Icts 20 and
from the prison with wagons was great
tAat the Prison Inspector, preferred 10 oy"rcrowd
Auburn and sing Sing Prisons rafhcrth 20 send
many prisoners to Clinton. Ia 1871 70 bin Vas IN
troduccd into the Legislature appropliai ng money
for the oXpcnse- Os commission f0 select site for
a new prison in a more accessible locality. TIE
J. gslaturc quarre al over tie appointment of tbs
proposed commission and The bal was defeated.
4 year later the LEGISLATURE was led 10 believe by
plausible arguments that the prison could he made
self-supportng if a railroad wcfe 20 le huilt con-
Meeting il with the Vermont Central, the Delaware
and Hudson, aud the Ncw-Yoik and Canada Rail-
roads and Lake, Champain at Plat'sburg, for tho
transportation of supplies TO the pu,on. II was
urged that TIE expense OF transportation
would be greatly lesscncd and that the
labor OF the convicts could be let by
at higher rates than then received f)r
it-2j cents day being the price at thar time paid
by the contractors Notwithstanding the aversion
of many members to the policy of appropuatiug
state funds TO encourage the convict labor system,
Democratic Legislature appropriated Si93,0O0
for the construction and equipment of the Pla'ts-
burg and DanncmOra Railroad The road was fin
ished December30 1873. Ii Is seventeen miles long
Its passenger trai, alone In three weeks after IL be-
gan operations ran up from 500 TO over $500 per
week. and the freight traffic with farmers and iron
manufacturers soon paying handsomely There
has been such prodigous increase In the manu-
facture of iron during the last months that the
transportation of large quantity of iron over
the road may safely be predicted for the COM
ing year. This Will of course much increase the III
come OF the road Mr.. Barber. one of The managers
lately stated that the road could be made 10 pay for
itself in four years.
But the State will obtain no benefit whatever
from this prosperity Of the road. In June las; Cow
ernor Robinson and Controller Oicott leased tho
road for 100 wears TO Smith VI. Weed under the thin
disguise OF the "Chateaugay Railroad Company.'
This corporation formed at the same time mat
the road was built with Weed AZ its directing spirit
Mr.. Weed Is also one OF the incorporaors and Is now
the principal owner of the Chateaugay Iron Mining
Company, corporation which owns large beds
six miles distant from Clinton Prison, the terminus
of the road.
This map shows the position of the railroad. and
the situation Of the PRISON AID of Mr.. Weeds iron
works:
.,s1sm *%ss