Year: 1868




jected Railroad from Vineland to Stoe
Greek, on the south, and some outlet on
the other side of the State, the columns
of the Pioneer have advocated, most
earnestly, the proposed enterprise. As a
Southern Jerseyman, it has been our
ardent desire that this part of the State
should be opened to public improvement,
and all propositions which looked to this
end have received such encouragement
as was in our power to give. The only
limits we have proposed to ourselves have
been where the law was clearly against it,
or where the likelihoods were that the
enterprise would prove failure. In
these cases we have not favored the pro-
Jects because illegal roads, though they
might get into operation, yet were pretty
certain to come to grief in the end, and
non paying roads would simply sink
large amount of capital, which, under
better auspices, might be directed in
other Railroad channels, which would
locality OF our State. The proposed plan
of the Vineland road had a little possi-
bility of success upon its first basis, and
upon that slender possibility we gave it
such commentator as was in our power.
But it was proposed to connect it with
the Delaware Il Raritan Bay road, and
here were the serious difficulties connect.
ed with its probabilities of eventual sue
cess. That road was clearly an illegal
one, for its charter was from Port Mon
mouth to Cape May, while it ran from
New York to Philadelphia. Its managers
probably never intended to go to Cape
May, and certainly they never made any
effort to carry their road in that direc-
ton, any further than to secure connec-
tion with the Camden & Atlantic road, by
which they secured through route be-
tween the two great cities, thing which
the State already possessed, and, there
fore, did not need; and refused to con.
strnct it to Cape May something which
the State did not possess, and which it
did very much need. This route was
continual subject of litigation, and as
there was but little doubt but that it
would eventually be declared illegal, it
was taking great risk for our Vineland
and other friends to invest their means in
connection with an enterprise that might
fail at any moment, in consequence of its
illegal position. The recent decision Of
the Supreme Court of New Jersey has
settled this point against them, and made
1t necessary to run their road in accord
ance with their charter, or not at all |
The other difficulty was the bankrupt
character of the Delaware road itself. 1t |
was organized, principally, by New York
spectators, whose only object was to d.
vert some of the profits of the Camden & |
Amboy road into their own pockets
There never was any great amount of |
means invested in it, beyond hat they
succeeded in getting from the people
along the route, together with other inno-
cent people who were inveigled into pur-
chasing the stock, which, after it was
once thrown upon the market, rarely, if |
ever commanded more than twenty to
thirty per cent 1t has never, even with
the advantage of its Philadelphia con-
nection, been paying road, and its
stockholders have made several efforts to
get rid of it at any price whatever, which
efforts have been uniformly unsuccessful,
as those who dealt in such matters saw
that it would be dear, even if given them
for nothing. 1t has been for some time
past avowedly bankrupt, and run by as
signees, to whom the property had been
conveyed. The road itself was poorly
built, its rolling stock was of the most
inferior description, and its owners them
selves had SO little confidence that they
either could not or would not risk any
more money with the view of making it
any better. Their bankruptcy was of the
meanest kind, extending itself to the
hard wooking employees, some of whom
lost four or FIVE hundred dollars, which
they had earned by the hardest daily
labor. With all these facts before us, it
is not to be wondered at that we feared
for the future of road which should
seek New York from Stoe Greek, through
Vineland, vso Delaware & Raritan Bay
Railroad. So far as we have been able
- see, the opening up of Southern New
Jersey ocPUud0d largely uPOH she policy
of connexion with other corporations.
already wealthy and well established
At all events, our success in the past had
been in this direction, and we saw no
reasons to expect difference in the
future. 1t is, therefore, with pleasure
that we learn that the projected Vine
land Railroad has changed its base, and
decided, in its effort to seek New York
by new route, to connect itself with the
Camden & Amboy, and its branches.
The expectation is to unite at Pemberton
from which place there is road reaching
the main route of the Amboy company.
This will open up quite large section of
our lands, where now no facilities exist,
with probability that whatever capital
is invested will be remunerative. As it
stands now. numbers Of our leading can.