Year: 1879

THE EARLY MORNING HOURS DISTURBED BY


HosrILIrIEs IN EAST NEW YORK-A RAIL


TORN UP AND AN ENGINE OFF THE TRACK.


A complication arising from question Of right of
way between the Eastern Railroad Company. of
Long Island (which is an ofshoot Of the Manhattan
Beach Railway, and the Long Island Railroad Com
pany came near being the cause Of Q small riot
in East New York yesterday at about half-past
one A. M. Serious consequences were averted.
however. by the prompt summoning OF the
police and by the efforts Of Superintendent Barton.
OF the Manhattan Beach Company. That gentleman
was in command Of company of men who had
taken up q rail of the Long Island road, and when
his men were forced to stop work and ono of their
number was arrested, they at first disposed to
do battle. but by his exertions were quieted. The
occurrence grew out of the effort to build the East
ern Railway. The owners of the Manhattan Beach
road have been for time desirous of building
road to Babylon L. l., connecting at East New York
with the Manhattan Beach road. by means Of which
they hoped to attract q large part OF the
excursion traffic Of Long Island. To this end
the Eastern Railway Company has been formed. su-
perintendent Barton, OF the Manhattan Beach road,
being its president The new company. in order to
make the connection spoken of, has purchased from
the Canarsie Railroad Company tor $780, the right
to use the latter's track for about quarter of o
mile at the corner of Atlantic and Van Sindcrlin
avenues in East New York. and intended to put
down q third rail on this quarter mile-the Manhat-
tan Beach road and the projected road being
of o narrow gauge. while the Canarsie road
is of the ordinary gauge. So far all was
plain, for beyond the quarter mile the road
supposed it had secured from the Commissioners of
Highways Of New Lots the right to run through At
lantic avenue parallel to the Long Island Railroad
Il IN, atfa la bpu. lt
from the Canarsie company An obstacle was at once
encountered.


The quarter mile of Canarsie road in question is
on Long Island Railroad ground. The right of using
it is secured to the Canarsie road by contract with
the Long Island road and the latter does object
to by the Canarsie road. but strenuously OBJ
jects to the projected Eastern railway. Its ground
Of Objectionable dislike OF seeing rival road
estabIished-is obvious. Mr.. Barton. therefore,
supposing that there might be a. difficulty about
LAYING his third rail- began work at about one o'clock
yesterday Sunday morning. Over one hundred men
were put work. and there seemed fair prospect
that their task would be accomplished when sud-
Company's engine house In East New York lies to
the south of its track and the siding leading to the
engine house ,nns;% CROSSES the Sanarss road do. on
Company. When the workmen came to this
crossing they tore up rail of the Long Island
road intending of to replace it after putting
down the frog" they had in readiness This, how
ever was the opportunity Of the Long Island Com
psny The telegraph operator & IN charge Of the Long





to Master of Transportation Morrows and his
sistant. The latter was on the spot In few minutes
aud promptly engine Gown the siding to the
broken place. where it of the track and remained
IL was a. effectual Injunction, for there
were enough OF the Long Isana Company men
hand protect their company's property. and they
at called on the police. Mr.. Barton's men, not
reshing their defeat. would not at once stop their
work, but undertook to remove the engine, and
Of them was arrested and taken to the station. This
angered the others, and trouble seemed for few
minutes to be imminent. No charge madc
however, at the station. and the arrested was
discharged at once and the men were soon quoted.
Mr.. Barton the more willing to work
when he found that there was q doubt about the
right of way he supposed he had secured from the
Highway Commissioners. There three OF these
in the Board in New Lots, and all three at
tracted to the spot by the excitement They Joined
in the discussion of the matter and IL presently
appeared that while OF them declared that tho
Eastern RIlway had been given the right of way in
question the other two denied IL. This point is
therefore in doubt. Later in the day. the rail
having been replaced. the engine that of
the track kept on the crossing all day. backing
of from to to allow the Canarsie trains to
pass The police were on guard and there no
further excitement. but litigation seems likely to
follox