New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-10-25

road had been operated only three months, and dur
ing time of the year when there is he least travel
and the smalles. quantity Of frcght Besides II Is
a well-known fact that tho patronage Of the rail-
road increases as the people along II hno become
acqlaiDt "a with it, superior advantages Tor i"e
transportation cf frcigdt and passengers. Ire
question of the ability of the road To
pay ifs WAY could not possibly have
been settled. for Mr. rilshurv at the time
in early June of the present wear wh'n he
cilcctuaiiy shat himself of from all knowledge on
the subject by leasing tho road to The tha'ehuA"'
Railrcad Company for 100 years at Che nominal
rental of II yearly TIE terms of the lease are rs
folows That it shall Joe for 100 years from July l,
1879 that "au prison supplies shall be trans
ported without charge, and also the OIL
ccrs connected with Clinton Prison, on on
ciaI bHstsessr There are further stpuli-
lions that the supplies of contractors ana
the articles manufactured in the prison Tor them'
and such heavy freight rs wood and stone Tor the
repair of the pr son, shall be transported " at rea-
sonabe rates" IL VIII be that The only favor
able feature about the lease is the stipulation that
prison supplies and tue officers Of the prison on
official business" shall be transported Tree OF eA-
pense. For this small consideration tue
State hands over TO Smith Ne,d al"
ms associates n road which cost Sl93.OOO.
the road was not self-sustaiuIng. although private
ne-sons. # sreins were eager to take the risk oil
that. Tine business transacted by the railroad mas
disproyed Superintendent Pllsbury's assertions. AS
day after day has passed since July l, the busl-
ness of the road mas steadily increased
till 1t ia evident that 1t would have
paid it's way. lie earnings of the lne-it IS only
seventeen miles in eng,h-are now SAID To amount
to 500 day. TINS would amount to $l5,6OO
year. THIS income must steadily increase; for the
iron MINES at the head of the railroad viii unques-
tioaably be largely developed and their product
sent over the road TO PlattsbuTg the residents
along the line OF the road will travel more.
and the number Of convicts transported over the
line will also be Larger. The last Legislature passed
a bill. which subsequently, became law with the
consent OF Governor Robinson. for the enlargement
of CLINTON Prison. Ii appropriates the sum OF
5000, GOO for this purpose Mr. PllsbGry III
tends TO enlarge the prison so that it may
contain 1900 conyicts, instead of coo as
at present. These additional convicts travelling
over che Chateaugay Railroad Company's road will
greatly increase its income, rs II /, permitted 10
charge cents mile per passenger. That there
will be a considerable movement of convict passcn-
gers over the Ioad is evident from the report
of the warden Of the prison to Suncrin-
teudent Plsbury Tor the year ending Sep
tcnber 30 1873. in which it il stated
that $50 convcts were received at the prison. and
2S2 dic.harscd during the year. Moreover, the
enlargement If tie prison viii make necessary the
transportation the railroad of large quantity
Of building materials 1t seems that Mr.. PiisblIy
aud Governor Robinson put cons dor1ble money un-
necessarily into TIE treasury of Smith WccPs il
road by leasing he road before the enlargement of
the prison.
TIE friends OF Governor Robinson here say in Lis