Water Valley progress., 1903-06-13
Birth of a Great American Railroad

May IT, 1903, marked the Fiftieth Ami
versary of the incorporation of the New
York Central Railroad; fact interesting
In the history of the State of New York,
for the consolidation of the ten separate
small roads into one line, that formed
continuous route from Albany on the east
to Buffalo on the west, was the beginning
that made possible the enormous in
dustrial and commercial development in
the country contiguous to it.
Articles of agreement were filed May
II, 1853, the first Board of Directors was
elected July 9th, and the whole line de-
ilvered to the new company August lst,
1858; insuring better service, more COM
plete connections between all points, and
q more general stimulus to development
than was possible under separate and
rival corporations. This also opened the
way for the consolidation of the New
York Central Company with the Hudson
River Railroad in 1869, which event
Presaged that era of wonderful progress
IN the undeveloped west, for it created
direct line from the ocean to the inland
s-as, known as the great lakes, and
Drought distant territories into close con-
nection with the seaboard.
1t is a picturesque fact that this line
traverses the one break in the whole Ap-
palachian chain between the Gulf of Mex
leo and the st. Lawrence River, and it
would seem as if Nature meant this to
be roadway for travel. Certainly the
Indian found it SO, for the Mohawk trail,
the pathway of the confederated Iroquos
tribes, is almost identical with the New
trail was also the pathway of war during
the FRENCH and Indian and the Revolu-
tlonary Wars, and later, in it's offering of
easy travel, it lured the pioneers of the
West to the Mohawk Valley which is so
rich to-day with the product of agricul-
tural industry on to the broad and fallow
telds OF the Genesee, to build up and
develop the traffic of the west upon the
great lakes.
1t is far cry indeed from that primi-
tive little line of the New York Central
OF nifty years ago to the great Railroad
of to-day with its Twentieth Century linn
tied, speeding like the wind, carrying it's
smooth roadbeds, with scarcely percepti-
Die jar, and fifty years of progress could
not find a better illustration than is re-
lated IN an interesting letter of remi-
niscences written by Mr.. Joshua Wilber,
OF Lockport, New York, describing rail-
The 'raTf writer IN Anew 4Ssk N. in 9od 1882
on State Street in Albany; these cars
were drawn to the city line by horses,
for locomotives were not then allowed in
the city. The cars were of the ancient
pattern, entered by doors on the side.
WIN seats across the car, the passengers
facing carh other, as in the old-fashioned
stage coaches.
"The speed was tremendous-about
twelve miles an hour. Arrived on the
ridge opposite Schenectady, our cars
were let down an incline plane, secured
TO large rope cable, the other end being
attached to fiat cars weighted with stone
which were drawn up on a parallel track
as we went down. At Schenectady wa
changed cars and travelled west to Utica.
reaching there in the afternoon. That
was then the enl of railroad travel.
"A canal packet was boarded which
landed us in Syracuse next morning.
There another packet was taken for
Rochester, which we reached early the
following day. A third packet BROUGHT
US from Rochester to Lockport in six.
The time consumed in coming from
New York City to Loclport was nearly
four days, being on the move ali the
time; except the night spent at Albany
Not long after the roads built from
Albany westward, and from Buffalo east
ward met, and continuous line was
formed, but with many changes of cars
and other Inconvenience.
Then the Hudson River road W..
opened, and Buffalo and New YorE
became neighbors"