The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1903-06-26

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NJ y 1904 marked the Fiftieth Ami
x.rsayv Of the incorporation of the Ne"
Work Central Railroad; tact interesting
in The history of the State OF New 1ofA,
FOR the consolidation Of the ten separate
ANAL roads into one line, that rorheu q
continuous route from Albany on the eass
to Buffalo on the west, was the oesianins
dn.tr;al and Commercial development IN
the country contiguous to IT. -.
Articles of agreement were hled May
II ls53 the first Board of Directors was
| elected July 9th, and the whole hne ue
| liyered to the new company August ISL
1853; insuring better service MOI md
plete connections between all points, anu
| q more general stimulus to Development
| than was possible under separate anu
rival corporations. This also opened the
way for the consolidation of the New
| York Central Company with the hudson
River Railroad in 1869, whien even.
presaged that era of wonderful progress
| in the undeveloped west, for 1t created
| direct line from the ocean to the inland
sas, known as the great lakes, and
brought distant territories into close con
nection with the seaboard. :.
| IL is a picturesque fact that this line
traverses the one break in the whole APP
nalachian chain between the Gulf of Mex
leo and the St. Lawrence River, and It
would seem as if Nature meant this TO
he = roadway for travel. Certainly the
Indian found it so, for the Mohawk tran,
the pathway of the confederated lroquois
tribes, is almost identical with the New
York Central Railroad of to-day. This
trail was also the pathway OF war during
the French and Indian and the Revolu.
tionary Wars, and later, IN Its 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 agrlcul-
1 L hr., and n
fields of the Genesee, to build up and
develop the traffic of the vest upon the
great lakes
1t j. a. far cry indeed from that print.
tive little line of the New York Central
of fifty years ago to the great Railroad
of to-day with its twentieth century Inn
tied, speeding like the wind, carrying Its
passengers on luxurious palace cars. over
smooth roadbeds, with a scarcely percepti
BILE jar, and fifty years of progress could
not find better illustration than is re
lated in an interesting letter of remi
of Loclsport, New York. describing rail
road travel in New York in 1899.
The writer says: Eve took the car.
on State Street in Albany; these car.
were drawn to the city line by horses
for locomotives were not then allowed II
the city. The cars were of the ancien
pattern, entered by doors ON the side
, with seats across the car. the passenger
facing each other, a. in the old-fashionet
stage coaches.
The speed was tremendous-abou
. twelve miles an hour. Arrived on tn
, ridge opposite Schenectady, our car
were let down an incline plane, secure,
; to large rope cable, the other end bein
attached to fiat cars weighted with stone
, | which were drawn up on a parallel tracl
, as we went down. At Schenectady W
changed cars and travelled west to Utica
reaching there IN the afternoon. Tha
= was then the emf of railroad travel
, "a canal packet was boarded whicl
landed US in Syracuse next morning
There another packet was taken 70
, Rochester, which we reached early tn
9 following day. A third packet brough
: us from Rochester to Lockpoft in si1
teen hours.
The time consumed in coming frol
;, New York Lity to Lockport was neger
/ four days, being on the move all I'll
!, time. except the, night spent at Albany.
Not long after the roads built fro
!. Albany westward, and from Buffalo cas-
ward met. and a continuous line w,
+. formed. but with many changes of ca
and other Inconvenience.
Then the Hudson River road vi
3 opened, and Buffalo and New Yol
r became neighbors."
Mrs. Clubman-"Win YOU be home earl
IL | lac 30 Mr. fIuhp.r-..ykTsoll h,