The Forrest City times., 1903-05-22
nirth Of Great American R.llroae.

| May II. 1903, marked the Fiftieth Ami
| versary OF the incorporation OF the New
York Central Railroad a fact interesting
n the history Of the State of New York,
for the consolidation of the ten separate
small roads into one line, that formed a
continuous route from Albany on the east
to Buffalo on the west, was the beginning
that made possible the enormous IN
| iustrial and commercial development IN
the country contiguous to IT.
| Articles OF agreement were filed May
| Il, 1853, the first Board OF Directors was
elected July 9th, and the whole line Do
| livered to the new company August LIST,
| 1883; insuring better service, more com
| plete connections between all points, and
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 1t created a
direct line from the ocean to the inland
seas, known as the great lakes, and
| brought distant territories into close con-
nectlon with the seaboard
1t Is a picturesque fact that this line
traVerses the one break IN the whole APP
/ paiachlan chain between the Gulf OF Mex
| lco and the St. Lawrence River, and II
would seem as if Nature meant this TO
| be a roadway for travel. Certainly the
| Indian found il so, for the Mohawk trail
| the pathway OF the eonfederated lroquols
! tribes, is almost identical with the New
\ ork Central Railroad of to-day This
| tran was also the pathway Of war during
the French and Indian and the Revolu-
! tonaTy Wars, and later. in its Offering OF
easy travel, II lured the pioneers of the
! West to the Mohawk Valley. which is 50
/ rich to-day with the product of agrIcul.
tural industry, on to the broad and fallew
fields OF the Genesee, TO build up and
develop the traffic OF the west upon the
great lakes.
1t is a far cry indeed from that print.
] tive little line Of the New York Contra
OF fifty years ago TO the great Railroad
OF to-day with its Twentieth Century I'm.
tied, speeding like the wind. CARRYING Its
passengers on luxurious palace cars. over
smooth roadbeds, with a scarcely percepti
bic Jar. and fifty years Of progress could
not find a better illustration than is re.
lated IN an interesting letter Of re.ni.
n!scenees written by Mr.. Joshua Wiber
OF Lockport. New York. describing rail
road travel in New York in 1899.
The writer says I'VE took the cars
on State Street in Albany; these cars
were drawn to the city line by horses
Tor locomotives were not then allowed in
| the city. The cars were of the ancient
pattern. entered by doors on the side
with seats across the car. the passengers
facing each other, as in the old fashioned
stage coaches.
The speed was tremendous-abou,
twelve miles an hour. Arrived on the
ridge opposite Schenectady. our car,
were let down an incline plane. secured
to large rope cable, the other end being
attached to f1ct ears weighted with stone
which were drawn up on a parallel track
as we went down. At Schenectady we
changed cars and travelled west to Jtica
reaching there in the afternoon. Tha,
was then the end of railroad travel
csnai packet was boarded which
landed us IN Syracuse next morning
there another packet was taken fo,
Rochester, which we reached early tn,
following day. A third packet brought
US from Rochester to Lockport in SIX
teen hours - %
- The. time consumed in coming from
New ork CITY to Lockport 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 a continuous line wa.
formed but with many changes of car,
and other Inconvenience.
Then the Hudson River road w,.
opened, and Buffalo and New Yor.
became neighbors"