New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-15
OPPOSING A FERRY COMPANY.

PROPOSED NEW LINE TO STATEN ISLAND
ALLEGED PECULIAR DEALINGS OF THE STATEN IS
LAND RAILROAD COMPANY-CLAIMiNG TO OWN
PIER FOR WHICH RENT Is PAID.
The Staten Island Railway Ferry Company is
again involved IN legal difficulties resulting ndl-
rcctly from the policy pursued by it after the OK
plosion of the ferryboat Westfeld, seSeral years
AGO. An action for $4,000 damages has been
begun in the Supreme Court Of NewY York by John
X. Lydecker through Stewart 81 Boardman, his
attorneys. against the Station Island Railroad Com
pany, Daniel b. HalsUcad, William IL. Hays, Jacob
H. Vanderbilt George p Ockeshausen, as exc
cutor of Adophus F.; Ockershausen, Lewis H.
Meyer and Dwight Townsend. The complaint
alleges mat about February /, 1872, the staten
Island Railroad Company, by Jacob II. Vanderbilt,
its president and Adolphus f. Ockershausen, Its
TREASURER made or pretended to make a certain
second mortgage for $250,O0C TO the defendant
Daniel Il. Hastcad, trustee to secure bonds then
issued for that amount said second mortgage pur-
porting to have been issued tor tho payment OF debts
contracted in completing and operating the rail-
road The complaint alleges that the bond and
mortgage were not issued for ANY such purpose, Dnt
in pursuance vi "A conspiracy entered into by the
defendants to cover up any surplus that might
arise on the foreclosure of the first mortgage and
also to discourage the creditors OF the railroad
company and claimants Tor damages incurred by
the Nestield explosion from prosecuting their
actions, OF , iddIng at any sale OF the property
under the first mortgage. The plalrtit 1urVher
alleges that the second mortgage bonds were SOLD
for one-quarter of their value to the defend
ant William II. Hays that the second mort
gage was executed without any cOnsldera-
ton whatever; that the bonds were deliy-
cred to Hays without consideration, and were held by
him for the benefit OF the defendants IN con II on;
and that under a judgment "fraudulently pro-
cured the property OF the railroad Company was
sold at foreclosure on August p, 1872, Tor
$4,000
The plaintiff now claims $4,000, the surplus
remaining after the pas ment of the lrst mortgage,
which amount he alleges was distributed among
al As IN In SUl
lie als) demands that the second mortgage aud
bonds be declared null and void.
Mr. Lyuecier states that on May II, 1880, he
was appointed permanent receiver OF the Staten
Island Railroad Company. lie recltes the story OF
the Wvstield explosion. by which over 100 PERSONS
were killed and many more crippled Tor lie. lie
enumerates the actions that were begun in the
courts for damages. and charges that the alleged
corrupt proceedings mentioned in his complaint
arose from an effort on the part of the company to
avoid the payment OF damages 10 those unfortunate
people. ~
caused much excitement yesterday in Staten Island,
where tho people are arraycd al most 10 Il man,
against the present MANAGEMENT OF the Terry, winch
has complete monopoly OF the traffic and has
hitherto been able to crush out summarlly every
attempt at opposition. Just now. however, the
prospcct of a new ferry, which may DO successful,
is bright the efforts OF those leading IN the
movement being chic fly directed toward securing
on November / the franchise now possessed by the
Staten Island Railway Company. and the lease of
the pier it now occupies at the Battery This pier
is not nun bcrcd, ana for this reason the railway
coupany now comes forward ana Claims absolute
ownership of il by "a sort of inheritance fiOm the
late Commodore Vanderbilt. The opposition hold
that this claim - nullited bv the fact that the
railway company has been paying an annual rent
to the City of New York, which action seems TO be
an admission that the city owns the per. In May,
1850 "a number of wealthy taxpayers OF staten
Island formed corporation known the Staten
Island Rapid Transit Railway Company, with a
view u concentrating the ferry traffic at the
point nearest to New-York and thence distrb-
utIng Passengers to their homes by means OF
series of compressed air railways. Erastus Wlmau,
of Il. G.. Dun & Co., il president OF this company
md Theodore T.. Leeds, of Davenport ~ Leeds is
secretary. Among the directors are II. L. Horton
OF II. l.. Horton x Co.. Ad0ilo Hegewisch, presi-
dent OF the United States Rolling stock Co., A. l..
King OF the Old Dominion steamship Co., an w.
w MacFarand, of the late firm of Shipman,
Barlow. Larcoque 81 MacFarland. This company
has not yet InauguTated an open opposition, and
was not connected with the recent attempt which
failed: but it has been working quietly to secure
the interests of large capitalists ana it now al.
nOunces itself rs ready-tO contest tho renewal Of
the lease Of the Battery pier to the old ferry and
will bid tor the franchise itself. In arOusng the
intense popular feeling which now prevails in
favor OF nev ferry Staten Island Gazette and
Sentinel has taken the lead, and it has contested
its ground inch by inch. 1t has recently openly
charged the Ferry Company with the alleged
corrupt practices now stated III Mr. Lydeclers
complaint, and also that. connected with the build
ing last year of the new ferrybOat Southheld
weIe some transactions by which the stockholders
were deprived OF their dividends to further the in
terests of the bondnOders This suit therefore
comes ut an inopportune moment for the Ferry