Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-09-02
BUFFALO AS A RAILROAD
CENTER.


their cargoes, huge steamers and pro-
pellers take on passengers or freight
for the upper lakes, while numerous
pleasurc-yachts, named for sea-nymphs
and dryads, steam toward tho Inter-
national bridge, which opens in tho
center with massive swing, and per-
mits them to pass through on thoir way
'down tho river" Finally, and most
important, stretching in all directions,
are tho iron rails over which the COM
merco of the great West reaches the
Eastern seaboard.
To win the heart OF this queen city
to-day you must court her in the role
of q railway king, You must come rs
tho protector of new trunk line, pre-
pared to lay your millions at her feet
in return for u site from which TO throw
another girdle around tho city, and
with thousands more to invest for q
commanding lot on Delaware Avenue,
"The Circle" or fronting one of the
many park approaches, whereupou to
erect Il palace of Medina sandstone, or
q cypress shinglcd villa rivaling those
of Newport or tho famous Jerusalem
Road.
Never was the imperial position Of
Buffalo appreciated as now, when all
signs point to the realization of the
prophecy that she is destined to sit
"lkc y commercial Constantnoplo
stretching along the Bosporus of the
broad Niagara and holding the keys
of the Dardanelles that shall open and
shut the gates of trade for tho regions
east and west" A study of the globe
will show why, from the founder of the
city in 1897 down to the latest railway
manager of 1885, eager to obtain an
approach 10 tho International Bridge,
already inadequate to tho demands OF
traffic and m0oting the revival OF the
old scheme of tunneling under the Nj
agara, every sagacious person has
predicted n great commercial future
for the Queen City of the empire State.
With the completion of the Northern
Pacific Railroad the whole world will
pay her tribute. Not only will the
products of the immense wheat fields
of the Red River, the coal, oil, and iron
of Pennsylvania, the lumber OF Michi-
gan and the Southern States, the ores
OF Lake Superior, and the live stock of
the great western prairies pass through
her gates, but tho commerce of Asia
with the Atlantic States, with England,
and the Continent.
In the year off Buffalo's incorpora-
ton, 1882, when there were but one
hundred miles of rail in the United
States, was granted the first permit to
put railroad through Erie county.
Now, without the repetition of q rod,
over nine thousand miles of travel arc
possible on the lines centering ut Buf-
falo alone, as the starting point or ter
minus of twenty different railway lines,
No city, save one, owes so much to
railroads rs does Buffalo. Her termin-
al facilities are unegualed, and her
transfer yards at East Buffalo are lh9
largest in the world, with the outlying
country encompassed for miles about
by network of tracks, approach
ing closer and closer rs they
near the city, and extending around
the harbor-side to pour their freight
of coal, salt, and petroleum in
to the lake vessels ia return fer car
60 Of grain, flour, lumber, iron, and
copper ore. Commercial Buffalo is
like portly and self-satsiicd spider,
supreme in the center of her web.
Tho business man has his choice
among six dilferont rpnlas to New
York city. The Now York Central
and Hudson River; the New York,
Lake Erie, and Western; the New
York, West Shore, and Buffalo; the
Delaware, Lackwanna, and Western;
the Lehigh Valley; and the Buffalo d.
vision OF the Buffalo, New York, and
Philadclphi,-all lead east amid the
beautiful scenery of the interior of the
State. Stretching away in an opposite
direction toward the western prairies
are the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern, the Michigan Central, the
Grand Trunk of Canada, the Great
Western division, and the New York,
Chicago, and st. Louis, OF nickel
plate" The remaining nine roads are
local lines. Among tho most impor-
tant of these is the Buffalo Creek Rail-
way, belt freight line four miles in
length, extending down on either side
of the ship canal. Every railroad en-
tering the city .ias connection with
this, and by tho terms OF tho city's
grant its rates are uniform to all, thus
placing the railroads on equal terms.
Within the city limits railroad cor
porations own 2,746 acres, or more
than four square miles of territory.
There are 43G miles of standard guage
track-moro miloa of rail than are con-
tanned in any other city OF tie globe.
Within the corporate boundaries OF his
own town the Butlalonian could enjoy
a railroad journey equal TO trip to
New York over the Lackawanna. with
twenty-six miles 10 spare. Jane A.
Welch IN Hnper's Magazine for JuIy.