The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-08
OLDEST OF RAILROADS.
How the "Rock-a-B Bye Baby" Was
Built by Jersey Farmers.

the Jersey Central at White House. An
old farmer, in speaking of it. said it
began at no place and ran to nowhere.
He was not far wrong. But the road
has an interesting history, and the
managers of it are making that history
more interesting day by day.
The section through which the road
runs had been without railroad facil-
tiles until this road was built, and the
farmers and villagers along the route
always felt that they We're badly treat
ed. For twenty-five years Samuel
sloan, of the Delaware and Lacka-
wanna railroad, had held out hopes
that he was about to build a branch
FOR these good people, nut Mr.. SlOan's
promises never materlalizod. Indeed,
-he so tried with the hopes and ex-
pectations of these people that at one
time he was regarded with SO strong
hatred that it would have been un-
safe for him to appear in that section
without strong bodyguard.
When the hope that Mr.. Sloan would
/ do something for them had been aban-
! doned the country people got together
and concluded to have a railroad Of
their own. This determination resulted
| in the Rock-a-bye baby.
No road was eyer before built as this
was The farmers not only supplied the
capital but they did the work of con-
struction and the engineering as well.
Each farmer did the grading through
his place and furnished from his wood
| lot the Cross-tieS. For this and the right
of way he was paid i'm stock and bonds.
| The bonds We're given as compensation
and the stock was thrown in for good
| mn IL, to hp
oles have it.
The method Of locating the read was
| intensely interesting. There We're two
conditions that had always to be met.
| The line had to go through each farm
Just as suited the owner. Then, again,
the line had to be so placed that there
should be no cutting that could not be
done with n plow and no filling that
| could not be made with scrapers. This.
too, is in a hilly country, country
| which is sometimes spoken of as noun
famous. It will readily BE- seen that
| these conditions compelled a very fire.
| quont change of grades, some of them
| fearfully steep, and a great many
curves. some remarkably abrupt
But the road was finally built, some
twenty-five miles of it. the iron and the
ing persons. who took bonds in pay
ment.
For some reason or anOther-lacll Of
| terminal facilities, very prObably-the
road did not earn enough to meet the
| interest charges. The bonds held by
the farmers orly nominally drew in
tcrest but those who had taken bonds
for secondhand railroad iron and
| Whpp2N lpnnn1 ,,t I'd
hearted. Like ShylOck, they wanted
their pound of flesh. They cried out
with such Clamor that the poor Rock
a-bye-baby was put in the hands of a
receiver ard for a time the protector
and promoter of the enterprise was
relieved of thc strain and responsible
ity of management
There could not have been muck
money in the roceivershtr FOR it soon
came tc an end, ana the road was sold
under foreclosure proceedings. Then
the promoter of the road showed his
capacity Though he was bankrupt
and all his property was in the hands
Of an assignee, who was managing it
for the benefit of creditors, he pur-
chased the Rock-a-bye baby road and
has since operated it.
besides managing the politics of Hun
terdon county, had been in cattle at
Jersey city. He has not been a rival
of Armour exactly rs a wholesale
butcher, but he was in the same line.
The road was for a time run by the
owners sons, but believe there are
now some others of the country foll;
employed.
The conductor sells tickets at the
station and then punches them on tho
cars. lie is a most accommodating
official. and will stop his train at any
cros3-rOad where passenger wishes
to get on or off. The train consists
usually of combination passenger
and baggage car and one or more
freight cars.
The engine is a wonder. 1t wheezes
most painfully, and always seems or
the verge of breaking down or blowing
up. When a steep grade is encounter
ed the engineer goes at it with a rush
If he gets to the summit safely, all wei
and coed if he stalls before gettine
to the top of the hill. he backs the train
a mile or so and then tries again. II
is matter of record that n whole dal
has been consumed in this kind o
game.
But to return to the conductor. III
is a sad-looking chap, but he is re-
sourceful and not without humor. 4
while ego two of his passengers had an
| argument which could not be settled
in an ordinary way, as words were in
adequate and insufficient. When blow.
became inevitable, the conductor stop
ped the train.
The mon got off nd uapt for ~
other not according to prize-ring rules
but in utter defiance Of them. The
smashed and scratched and wrestleC
Finally they fell and rolled over an
over until they landed in a ditch. TIL
- | muddy water cooled their anger an
; they quit, each having had enough
They re-cntered the train, and the ol
engine, with a Shrek of pain, move
on.
The passenger compartment of tn
one car the company owns is not luXuI
iously upholstered, but the conducto
p thought it was too nice for the mud
covered heroes of the fight. He the
made them go into the baggage car.
The chief station between the tel
v mini of the Rock-a-bye baby is Mend
|, ham, a village seven miles from MOI
> ristown. In the old days before tn
: farmers had built their road, whic
is no longer theirs, Mendham foun
access from her.
Although this railroad is very rldic
ulous il has done Morrstown a sple1
-, did service. Before it was built Il
: Delaware and Lackawanna could {
as 1t pleased in the matter of freight
and the price of coal. This is no Ion,
cr the case. The rock-a- bye baby fxc
= the price of both MorristoUn coi