The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-11-11
ERIE MONUMENT |
DEDICATED
Pretty Little Deposit in the
Delaware Valley Cele' I
brates the Breaking Of
Ground fol III, Great
Railway.
EXERCISES VERY SlMpl.

JOHN B. sTANCHFIELD, or Ell
MIRA, GIVES THE HISTORY or
THE FIRST BIG TRUNK LINE
AND TELLS WHAT IT HAS Ac-
CoMPLIsHED.
| DEPOSIT, n. Y, Nov. II. 1905
This pretty little village Of the Della
ware Valley had its great day Yesterday
when the great stone, which commem-
crates the first breaking of ground fer
the Erie Railroad seventy years ago,
was dedicated. Appropriate ceremonies
marked the event. The town had been
gaily decorated and the coming of many
strangers flied first ITS streets and tllen
the open plot about the monument
where a stand for the speakers had b,.ea
erected and decorated with flags and
bunting.
| They began coming down from he
hills at the daybreak-these country-fbll1
who had looked forward to this event
for many long week. Some of them
had driven for miles over the rough
mountain roads from the back country
| and tharo xro,.o1 ~ har, ,,.1,n h,d +.,a. Ia
| patiently for great distances just as their
/ grandfathers had walked seventy years
before to participate III the event which
the monument now commentaries. BY
noon special trains over the Erie Had
added to the throng 50 that the quiet
streets Of the town were crowded, me
train bringing the members of the Bnlg-
hamton Chamber of Commerce.
The monument which stands for Tie
dignity of a great railroad enterprise, Is
at the southeast corner Of the yillsIge
and not far from the curving rack If
! the railroad
The exercises, which gained dignity,
like the stone. by their very simplicity
began soon after o'clock with,an inFo-
cation by the Rev. J. II. Colcough
Once this had been pronounced the choir,
which consisted of many Of the young
men and women of the town, some two
!
hundred in all, rendered America. Z
The Hon. James I. Rogers. of Bingham-
ton, made the opening address. acting as
master of ceremonies. The First Regi-
ment Band. Of Bingaamton, followed Mr.
Rogers with a stirring selection.
The Hon. John B. stanehfeld, of
Elnira, made the principal address of
the afternoon. He delyed into the His
tory of the railroad and told of the days
when the Erie first came into the Della
ware Valley until some of the oldest bit
izens who came to the dedication became
reminiscent themselves, and found them
selves tracing back to those early days
of the thirties and the forties. lIr,
Stanchfield spoke of the steady growth
of the Erie and showed the important
part that it had played in making his
tory. Then he referred to the Erie of
this day. the sturdy trunk line systtm,
which now covers 50 great a portion of
the country, with its nearly 1000. mites
| Of trackage in seven states and the
province of Ontario
! Following Mr. stanehfeld's address
Mr.. Rogers introduced Col. George d.
4 Wheeler, who is able to look back Ind
4 clearly remember that very breaking Of
the earth that the monument commeino-
rates. That event was on Novembel Z,
1885, and Col. Wheeler is said to be the
only living human link between the two
great days in the history Of the valley.
j Col Wheeler was received with rollnd
of applause and friendly greetings from
| his friends and neighbors
p. W. Cooke, Assistant General Traf-
fc Manager Of the Erie. made the final
address of the afternoon and took a 1bol,
into the future. He showed the posi-
bilities of the railroad as a general topic
and of the future Of Erie as a spetihc
ona T,nn,adiotal,r folIa,,y;,r At. CaaIta,a