The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-12
THE BROADWAY CAFE.
INDUSTRIAL JOTTINGS.
New Jersey Has a Railroad That Is
One of the Most Unique in
the Country Some Of
It's Features.

According to the Stroudsburg Times
the "Rock-a-bye- baby" railroad of New
Jersey is proba ablythe most remarkable
common carrier in the world. 1t starts
in a swamp a mile or so from Nor
ristown, and, running through Nor
ris, Somerset and Hunterdon counties,
joins the Jersey Central at White
House. An old farmer, in speaking of
it, said il began at no place and ran
to nowhere.
The section through which the road
runs had been without railroad facili-
ties until this road was built, and the
farmers and villagers along the route
always felt that they were badly treat
ed For Twenty-Five years Samuel
Sloan, of the Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western railroad, had held out
hopes that he was about to build a
branch for these good people, but Mr..
Sloan's promises never materialized.
When the hope that he would do some
thing for them had been abandoned, the
country people got together and con-
cluded to have railroad of their own.
This determination resulted in the
Rock-a -bye-baby.
No road was ever before built as this
was. The farmers not only supplied
the capital, but they did the work OK
constructions and the engineers 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 in stocks
and bonds. The bonds were given as
compensation, and the stock was
thrown in for good measure. The
method of locating the road was inter-
esting. There were 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 would
be no cutting that could not be done
with a plow ana no filling that could
not be done with scrapers. This, too.
is in a hilly country, a country which
is sometimes spoken Of as mountain
Gus. 1t will readily be seen that these
conditions compelled a very frequent
change of grades. some OF them fear
fully steep, and great many curves,
some remarkably abrupt.
The conductor now sells tickets at
the station and then punches them on
the cars. He is a most accommodating
official, and will stop his trains at any
! NiOSo-lolV NhclC IL pclSsocI6CA VIE
! to get on or off. The train consists
| of an engine and baggage car, and one
| OF more freight cars.
The engine is a wonder. 1t wheezes
most painfully, and always seems on
| the verge of breaking down or blowing
up. When a steep grade is encoun.
tered. the engine gets at it with a rush.
If he gets to the summit safely all
well and good: if he stalls before get
ting to the top of the hill he backs
the train mile or so and then tries
again. To return to the conductor. He
is a sad looking chap, but he is re-
sourceful and not without humor.
A while ago two of his passengers
had an argument which could not be
settled in the ordinary way, as words
were inadequate and insufficient When
blows became inevitable the conductor
stopped the train. The men got of
and went for each other, not according
to prize-ring rules, but in utter def
ances of them. They smashed and
scratched and wrestled. Finally they
fell and rolled over and over until they
landed in a ditch. The muddy water
cooled their anger and they quit, each
having had enough. They re-entered
the train, and the old engine, with q
Shrek of pain, moved on.