Evening journal., 1914-05-22
New News Of Yesterday
The Progress Which
Brought Loss In Its Train
By Holland.

On the occasion of the eightieth
birthday Of Chauncey NJ. Depew, he
became the guest Of honor of one of
the social organizations Of Brooklyn.
as. in fact, he had been on like occa-
sions for some twenty years.
In the course Of Senator Depew's
address in response to the toast to
him as the guest Of the evening. he
mentioned incidentally that when he
was a lad OF thirteen years of age. in
1S47, he took part in open-mouthed
wonder in the celebration for which
the village OF Peekskill n. Y, had
made elaborate preparations in honor
OF the completion of the Hudson River
Railroad from New York City to that
point
Some years ago / . heard Senator
Depew speak reminiscently of the
early constructive work upon what
became afterward the Hudson River
Railroad, stretching from New York
to Albany. In this earlier conversa-
tion. Senator Depew was more Crap
hic and detailed in his comments than
he was in his incidental illusions to
the part he took in the celebration in
1S47 at Peekskill.
IL suppose" said the Senator at
that time, that there was no more
interested spectator of the celebra-
tion in honor of the completion of
the Hudson River Railroad to Poeks-
kill from New York City, forty miles
away, than my father was. As ] look
back upon the history of railroad
development and recall the stupen-
dous industrial and commercial
changes which were caused by our
railroad construction l am reminded
also of the somewhat vague forecast
which my father at that time made.
For many years the village of
Peekskill had been the port whence
the commodities raised in Eastern
New York as far away as the Con-
necticut boundary line were trans
norted by water to New York City.
Almost all of these commodities were
AGRICULTURAL considerable body of
commission merchants was created
by this business. They secured these
commodities, brought them TO Peeks
kill for commission, and made ar
rangements with the captains of the
sloops to take these farming products
to New York and dispose Of them and
then to bring back from New York
other commodities which were taken
by great teams from Peekskill to the
interior.
Nov, my father was the owner Of
the water transportation lines from
New York to Peekskill. He had a
number of sloops. These made sail
ings twice a week from Peekskill to
New York. My father took me to
see the celebration and to witness
the arrival of the first locomotive and
train of cars over the Hudson River
Railroad from New York TO Peekskill
When the celebration was ended and
the great throng which had come
from fifty miles around to see the
first train come in from New York
was dispersed, my father said:
~ suppose the building Of this
railroad was inevitable. l suppose ii
means progress. But what is pro-
gress for others / am afraid will be
loss for me. My sloops will speedily
lose their business. The commission
men will find their occupation gone
and we shall see a new order oi
things established
"All that my father predicted ac-
tually happened in a little while
Transportation by water of the com.
modities raised by the farmers was
practically ended. The commission
merchants we're out of business, anC
vet the construction of big railroads
wonderfully increased the CONNER
DIAL and agricultural activity al
along the valley of the Hudson.
what happened there after rail
road construction in like manner hap
pened throughout the United States
and, as my father said, the history
of progress is also the history o
loss"
Copyright, 1914, by r. ]. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow MIR. Edwards will tel
of "The Man Who Influenced Com
modore Vanderbilt"