The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-13
RAILROAD MEMORIES.
How the Newark and N. Z.
and Paterson Branches Of
Erie Opened.
THE TWENTY NINTH ANNIVERSARY
Prominent Men Who Took
Part at the Inauguration
Of the Local Lines:

was twenty-nine years old on Moncay
last, for according to a clipping from an
old Newark newspaper. printed on Mon
day. August /, 1869. Trains commenced
running regularly this morning over the
Newark and New York Railroad, and the
first four trains carried 1900 passengers.
At 2 P. NJ, 1000 had been carried from
Broad street depot, while most of the
return trains We're also well filed" says
the Newark Sunday CALI "Messrs.
John D. Marsh and James Y. Sanford,
the ticket agents stationed at the Broad
street depot. have been kept busily en-
gagged and their courteous bearing and
prompt attention to all applicants for
tickets, has already called out remarks
of eommendation.s
Continuing, the newspaper tells how:
Numbers of curious persons have fingered
about the station all this morning, but so
far perfect order has been maintained,
and if the first days work of the new road
is any indication of it's future career, as
f~atalists are inclined to believe, its COM
ing days will be prosperous indeed. In the
meantime the New Jersey Railroad ~(after-
wards secured by the Pennsylvania not
to be outdone by it's young rival, an
SiA0 q VI iQA NtWtC AilAo
city and New York, as follows: Coupon
ticket, $3.50 for ten trips; trip tickets, 20
cents; excursion tickets on the 6 A. NJ.
train, 80 cents; excursion tickets, So
cents"
On the Newark and New York Railroad
the first regular fares were: Single tick
cts, 20 cents; excursion tickets, So cents;
package tickets, So for 500.
H. o+1 -.-4-l - A,1-.o D
tells of special pilgrimages being made
over the new road, the occasion being
made a sort of excursion and general
merrymaking. considerable parties
from Belleville and Bloomfield passed
over the road today, evidently for the pur-
pose of gratifying curiosity. So far not
the slightest accident has. occurred. and
the road is evidently growing in favor
with those who pass over it,
Although there were already two other
roads in Newark there were still many
people who looked on such methods of To-
comotion with eyes askance. They were
not yet satisfied that it was wise to lave
such rapid vehicles laundering in and out
of the city at all hours of the day, Ell
dangering the lives and peace Of The citi-
zens. Their fathers had got along very
T. tliQCC4 i l LIT los bi4NS
saw no reason why everyone should be in
such haste to get over a journey as to
to play about the railroad tracks was a
need so many railroads. For little boys
much more serious thing thar it is con-
sidered nowadays, and this is what they
did with the %youngster whose curiosity
carried him further than it was thought
the law would allow. The. following APP
peared in a Newark paper on the second
day that the Newark and New York road
was in full operation
This morning a lad was caught plac-
ing pennies upon the rails of the new
road at Ferry street, to see what effect
the passing train would have upon them.
and OFFICERS Becker and Ray arrested
him and had him locked up in the sta
ton house. where he will be kept until
a charge is made against him (presuma-
bly by the railroad officials
The year 1869 VASE great year for ac-
tivity in the railroad line, not only in
Newark, but all over the country The
Newark and New York Railroad was
originally started as a local concern,
that is, a compa was Incorporated I'M
der a law enacted in 1866. The following
were the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Walsh,
A. HarIenburg, General Runyon, John
MacGregor, Adolph Schalk, Daniel DEM
Arrest. Theodore P. Howell. John Hall,
Job FaIkenburg, G. Van Horn, T. w.
Durand, P. W.. Vail, Benjamin c. Miller
and William Keeney. The capital stock
was limited to one million.
While the road was in process of build
ing it was leased by the New Jersey Cen
trail. and of course its local character
onncn5 70 ar;c+ from that finn or When
the road was announced as ready to open,
however. a celebration was held, on Fri
day evening, July "a, 1869. There was a
grand procession through the streets of
Newark with a band of music. The home
of President John MacGregor, of the old
company, was visited, and a speech called
for.
General Runyon presented President
MacGregor. and later there were speeches
by Judge Guild, James L. Hays, P. w.
Vail and others. Then the procession
formed again and proceeded to Washing
ton Park, where t. p. Howell was sere-
naded and speeches called for Mr.. How
ell had been prominent in the enterprise
from its inception, The railroad is about
seven and one-half miles long and cost
between S 2,Oo0.0 600 and $4,000, 900.
That same year, almost on the same
day, the Erie branch between Paterson
and Newark was completed, or at least
gotten in such shape that a train could be
run through. The first train was run
from Paterson to Newark, on July Is,
leaving Paterson about P. M. On the
train were Mr.. Jay Gould, then President
Of the Erie, and James Fisk, Jr., who,
as Jim Fisk, was known far and wide.
and subsequently met his death in a sem
s~ational manner in a New York hotel.
Besides there was the superintendent of
the road and other officials. The train
was loudly cheered all the way down.
1t bore a large flag in front of the en-
CINE pilot. Al 1890 that same morning
a locomotive left the foot of Oriental
street. Newark, and proceeded to
Paterson, so that the few dignitaries who
took the trip might come down on the
first train, just mentioned. On the loco
motive were Mayor T.fB. Peddie, of New
ark. and ex-Congressman George A.. Hal
sey. The railroad had at that time been
carried only to Oriental street. A full
schedule of trains was not run until Au-
gust. 15, although from the time of OPEN
ing one train a day was run in each di-
~rection. AS soon as the line was opened
to Newark work on the line from New
ark to New York was begun.