The sun., 1908-05-10
THE FIRST SUNDAY TRAIN.
II Was Run on the Erie Road 10 BrlnS
MIX 20 New York.


GOSHEN, y. Y, May The first railroad
train TO run regularly on Sunday in this
country followed the establishing Of the
pioneer milk store In New York city. Thad-
deus SeIleck started that store at 1893 Reade
street in the spring Of 1912 for the sale Of
Orange county milk. the completion Of the
New York and Erie Railroad as far as Goshen
having made it possible for the farmers Of
that region to send their milk to New York
by train and boat
The railroad then extended only from
Goshen 10 Piermont, on the Hudson River,
and its connection with New York was by
boat. There was no train or boat on Sun
day In fact there was only one passenger
train each way on weekdsys and a freight
train ran every other day.
The milk arrived at New York in good
time and always in good condition but
SelIecks customers demanded fresh milk
on Monday morning as we'll as other DAYS,
and that demand could not be supplied
unless there was a train to bring milk TO
him on Sunday Selleck began in the
aprnR OF ls4S efforts to induce the railroad
company 10 put on a Sunday train for
milk, the milk traiio having become the
most important item OF transportation on
the new line,
The railroad management wouldn't listen
TO the proposition then, because Of the
opposition 10 II that arose, particularly
from the ministers and their congregs tions
The opposition was 30 great that church
members who were milk shippers were
threatened with dismissal from their church
communion II they should ship milk on
Sunday trains
The discussion continued from the spring
of ls4S until August of that year. The New
York consumers OF Orange county milk
had begun what would now be called a
boycott against il because they could not
get fresh milk on Monday morning. This
boycott became 80 serious that the rail
road company was losing the most profitable
part Of its traffic,
Therefore while not announcing II OFF,
cialy, the company notified its two con-
ductors. Capt Ayers and Hank Stewart
that after the hrst Sunday in August they
must take turns In running the train that
carried the milk every Sunday until further
notice. The railroad had then been ex-
tended to Mddletown, nine miles beyond
Goshen. and the milk shipping territory was
much enlarged.
On no railroad in the country had any
Sunday train been regularly run up to that
time. The church people not only OF Orange
county but Of New York also denounoei
this one 90 too awful TO contemplate, and
one worthy Goshen divine declared from his
pulpit that the curse Of God would surely
iall upon all concerned In II or who patron
ized H."
II looked very much at the start as II
such prophecies we're TO be fulfilled, for
on the very irsl trip Of that original Sun
day train the locomotive was thrown from
the track near Sloatsburg by misplaced
plank at q highway crossing and IL plunged
into the pond Gt the side OF the track, drag
ging with II the two cars carrying the milk.
No lives we're lost, but the locomotive and
the cars lay sunk in the pond twenty-four
hours before they could be removed-and
the first Sunday shipment OF milk never
reached Ito destination.
But the railroad company would not
Accept this mishap ~ judgment on Il
for running q Sunday train and persisted
in the innovation A great many Orange
county farmers who could not at first recon
olle their religious onviotions with doing
business on Sunday refused 10 ship their
milk on this train for some time, but as
they saw q good thing passing along with
| out getting their share Of Il, and asSelleck
after a while notified these farmers that
| n they couldn't chip milk op Sunday they
need not ship any on any other day OF the
week. they compromised with their con-
soienoes in some way and became Sunday
shippers. just like their worldly minded
neishbors.
Promptly they we're cut on from COM
munion with their churches. but as famili-
arity with the Sunday train gradually
seemed 10 take its curse oh opposition
10 II relaxed and II at last ceased 10 offend
even the church element, In time al the
accommodated farmers we're taken back
into the fold.