USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Derby > The history of the old town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880. With biographies and genealogies > Part 35
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Private B. and another, G. W., rather hung back in fear, say- ing they did not expect to fight ; when the Captain quickly retorted, " What did you come for, if not to fight ? We tolerate no cowards in our ranks." Private B. was often ordered out foraging for the company, his mission being to rob hen-roosts or gather anything he could find good to eat, but he generally played sick or truant, and came to camp empty. His designs at length became apparent and his comrades thought him good game for a little sport.
For some military misdemeanor which was construed into rank treason, he was arraigned before a court-martial, and after due trial found guilty and sentenced to be hung. As might be expected, he was overwhelmed at the severity of the sentence. He was given his choice, however, to swing as did Major An- dre, or more military like, be shot. He preferred neither, for to lose his life in such a way with his back to the enemy would
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COURT-MARTIAL.
be an eternal disgrace to Derby, and he plead for pardon, prom- ising to take the front in the future. But the laws of war are cruel, and he was led out for execution, but just in time a re- prieve from head-quarters reached him, and he was pardoned on certain conditions.
The joke was rather severe, but it had the desired effect, for he was returned to the ranks, became a true soldier, and faith- fully endured to the end of the war. After the return of the company at the close of hostilities, its frolicsome members had many a hearty laugh over the New London court-martial, which proved so opportune and happy in its effects.
CHAPTER XI.
ROADS, BRIDGES AND FLOODS.
ILFORD path is the first of anything like a highway spoken of in Derby records, and the next is that to New Haven.
The first of these began at the place where the first lots were laid out, (Up Town) running south-easterly, probably just where the highway does now, until it passed the Swift place, where it was changed some years later and run further east than at first. The New Haven path went past the Riggs's place as the highway does now, but somewhere east of that point to the New Haven line, the record tells us a new highway was laid in April, 1717. In 1676 a cart path was made from Up Town, through the meadow in Naugatuck valley to the fishing place somewhere near the present Derby bridge at the causeway. This road was changed and placed on the bank, near where it now runs, about 1755, but it was somewhat al- tered in 1772, and is described as the highway from Doctor Silas Baldwin's to Stevens's ferry at the Narrows."
On the Great Neck, the Woodbury path is spoken of, in 1683, and passed from the present Baldwin's Corners, a little west of north over the hill, the road being now used but little. On this road just up the hill, was probably John Prindle's ordinary, or tavern in 1716. About 1683, the highway was constructed from the first ferry, near the site of the old Hull's mills, up the river on the west side, passing the west end of the present lower Ansonia bridge, and then went north-west into the Woodbury path. At this same time also there is mentioned a " path from Barren Plain brook to Rimmon," probably about a mile west of the river.
In January, 1728-9, the town appointed "a committee to meet a committee of Waterbury, concerning a highway to said Waterbury." This had reference, probably, to the valley above Rock Rimmon.
After 1712, highways were constructed and re-arranged in
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TURNPIKES.
the northern part of the town as they became necessary for the new settlers, at the cost of much time and labor, and when made it must have been weary work traveling on them except on horseback.
In 1746, the town "appointed a committee to meet a com- mittee from New Milford, and view and see if there can be a convenient highway made near the Great river from said Derby to said New Milford, and to make report to the town."
In 1783, the lottery was instituted in part for the purpose of making "a highway from Woodbury to Derby, by the Ousa- tonic river," and this road was constructed soon after, along the river to meet the one, or it may have been in part the one, that crosses Rock House Hill.
In 1794, the town " Voted, that Col. Daniel Holbrook, Mr. Caleb Candee and Mr. Nathan Fairchild, be a committee to view the circumstances of the town, respecting the petition of Mulford and associates to the General Assembly in regard to a turnpike in Oxford, and make their return to this or some future meeting." This turnpike, chartered in 1795, is said to have been the second in the state, and is likely to be the last given up, for toll is still regularly collected from all who use it.
From this time forward for twenty years or more, there was much attention given to the construction of turnpikes through- out the state, and Derby partook rather freely of this method of speculation, for after some of these good roads were made, a large proportion of the trade that had previously centered in Derby, was carried to New Haven. The first of these is re- ferred to as follows in the town records :
"Sept. 1796. Voted, that Col. Daniel Holbrook, Capt. John Riggs and Capt. Bradford Steele, be appointed a committee to wait on a committee appointed by the General Assembly, to view and lay out a road or highway from the state house in New Haven to Derby Landing, and from thence through Ox- ford, etc., to Litchfield." The proposition to make this road a turnpike as far as Derby Landing was entered into by leading men of Derby, Huntington and New Haven, and especially by Leman Stone, who had been a merchant at Derby Landing from 1791 ; and it was only after many obstacles were over- come and much money expended, that the road was completed,
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HISTORY OF DERBY.
and it thereafter furnished a grand highway for carrying the farm produce to New Haven to be shipped, instead of bringing New Haven trade to Derby as was predicted. When this turn- pike was finished to the Landing, it became a great question how to extend it to Oxford, and the subject came up in town meeting in the following form : "Sept. 19, 1803. Question : Will the town do anything respecting the road laid out by the Honorable General Assembly committee, from Oxford turnpike to Mr. Leman Stone's at Derby Landing ? Voted in the af- firmative."
"Question : Will the town oppose the acceptance of the د above mentioned road in Derby unless the company purchase the land ? Voted in the negative." A committee was then appointed to confer with the proprietors of the turnpike on the subject. The Oxford turnpike when first constructed did not come down quite to the village of Chusetown, but turned from the Little river some distance above its mouth, over the hill and up the Naugatuck river, crossing that river at Pine's bridge and uniting with the Naugatuck and New Haven turnpike on Beacon brook. Hence, in order to connect Chusetown with that turnpike we find the following action of the town : "April 12, 1802. Voted, that the town of Derby will petition the Gen- eral Assembly at their session at Hartford, May next, for a grant for a turnpike road from the Falls bridge in said Derby, taking in said bridge and to extend to Oxford turnpike, and liberty to set up a gate at said bridge and to take such toll as shall be affixed, and that Russell Tomlinson, Esq., be appointed agent for said town to prefer said petition." This petition not being granted, was renewed the next year. All efforts having failed to connect Derby Landing by a turnpike with the Ox- ford turnpike, the town proceeded in its own behalf as follows, in December, 1804: "Voted, that the selectmen be directed to accept of the donations, and proceed as soon as the weather will admit, and lay out a road from Shrub Oak, so called, to Derby Narrows, where it will in their judgment best accommo- date the public and the town of Derby with the least injury and expense." The report of the selectmen in laying out this road was accepted April 18, 1805, and a vote passed to make the road.
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LEAVENWORTH BRIDGE.
The extravagant ideas of the profits arising from a turnpike ind toll bridge at that time, may be seen from the following record : " March 16, 1807. Voted, that this town will aid Dan Tomlinson, Nathan Mansfield, Nathan Lewis and Isaac Botsford, in an application to the General Assembly for liberty co erect a bridge over the Naugatuck river at the westernmost end of Rimmon Falls turnpike road, and maintain the same, to- gether with the road from said bridge to Oxford turnpike road, and collect a toll therefor at such place as the General Assem- oly or the committee shall direct, provided they exonerate the town from all expenses in making and maintaining said bridge and road in future, and provided the inhabitants of said town have liberty to pass, toll free." It would seem that if the town could be relieved from maintaining a bridge which had been an expensive article for many years, it would have gladly rendered its aid as proposed without further consideration, but it went so much further as to ask to withhold a large source of revenue to the proprietors of the proposed bridge and turnpike, for if the inhabitants of the town passed toll free, where would sufficient funds come from to remunerate the owners of the property ? It must have been a time of "great expectations " from turnpikes.
It was after this effort to get rid of the Falls bridge that the New Milford turnpike was chartered and made. The bridges, however, continued to be of great expense to the town, and the day for the prevalence of this luxury is not yet passed. Seven large bridges are now maintained on the Naugatuck within the bounds of ancient Derby, and one on the Ousatonic. For a hundred and twenty-five years the town built, on an average, one bridge in ten years at the place called the Lower Bridge (Up Town), and nearly the same expense, although not quite as great, was incurred at the upper bridge (at the Falls).
It is said that the first Leavenworth bridge was built across the Ousatonic, a little way above the Red House, in 1768, and was a toll-bridge, but the following town record indicates that either the bridge had not been built, or, if built it had been carried away before that time : "Dec. 13, 1790. Voted, that the town will oppose the building of a bridge at the Leaven- worth ferry, and that Capt. John Wooster and Thomas Clark,
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HISTORY OF DERBY.
Esq., be appointed agents for the town of Derby at the Gen- eral Assembly, to oppose the building of said bridge at Leaven- worth ferry." The bridge, after standing at that place some years, was partly carried away by an ice-flood, and rebuilt, re- maining afterwards until 1831, when it was removed down the river to Hawkins Point, and there rebuilt by Donald Judson and Philo Bassett. In February, 1857, it was again carried away by an ice-flood, and immediately rebuilt and continued a toll-bridge until about 1875, when it became free. It is now the great thoroughfare between the prosperous villages of Shelton and Birmingham.
But while the want of bridges in the town was a great calam- ity, the fact of one being built at Stratford, obstructing the com- merce of Derby, was thought to be almost a greater one. Some account of the difficulties concerning this bridge have already been given, but further items have been obtained and are here added, connecting the troubles of that bridge with the efforts of men now living. In 1800, the town voted to send an agent to the General Assembly to oppose the building of this bridge, and in 1802 they did the same thing, showing that for a time they prevented the building of the bridge, but finally it arose, " master of the situation."
THE BRIDGE AT STRATFORD.
Washington bridge at Stratford, to which allusion has already been made, being long a serious obstacle to the commercial prosperity of Derby may properly be connected further with Derby. Its charter was granted in 1802, the Legislature mak- ing no provision to alter or amend it. The draw was only thirty- two feet wide, while the right of navigation was in no way to be obstructed. In the winter of 1805 and 1806 a freshet car- ried away a large portion of the bridge, and in 1807 the Leg- islature granted the original company a lottery to aid them in rebuilding it.
On the early introduction of steamboats they were built of small dimensions and thus enabled to pass the draw, though frequently not without damage. When the manufacturing in- terests of Derby increased it became necessary to transport large quantities of freight, which required boats of greater ca-
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STRATFORD BRIDGE.
pacity and thus the bridge became a great barrier to steamboat navigation. In 1845 an application was made to the Legisla- ture to compel the bridge company to widen the draw. Hon. R. I. Ingersoll of New Haven was employed as counsel. He took the broad ground that the state had no right to close the river against steamboat navigation, especially when Derby was a port of delivery, having vessels and steamboats regularly enrolled and licensed.
Edward N. Shelton, Esq., took a very active and influential part in pushing the matter before the Legislature, where it was referred to the appropriate committee, which reported a bill compelling the bridge company to widen the draw to sixty feet. It passed both Houses but was vetoed by the governor, R. S. Baldwin, on the ground that it was in conflict with the condi- tions of the charter. This created much indignation, espe- cially among those in the interests of Derby, and the bill was finally passed over the governor's veto. The bridge company refused to comply with the law and a quo warranto was issued by the state's attorney in Fairfield county against the company to show cause why the charter should not be forfeited by neg- lecting to widen the draw. The case was ably argued, but in the absence of any proof that any vessel had been prevented from passing the draw, although admitted by all that steam- boats could not, the court decided in favor of the bridge com- pany.
The citizens of Derby became highly incensed at this dodge of the main question, and at once a meeting was called, money raised, and a committee appointed to act with Anson G. Phelps of New York to force a passage through the bridge, as had been done in a similar case at the Pelham bridge in the state of New York. The committee, Mr. Edward N. Shelton and Mr. Thomas Burlock, called on Mr. Ingersoll, who said, under the circumstances, he could not blame the citizens for this sum- mary process, but after the committee left him, fearing he might be censured for favoring mob-law, wrote to Mr. Phelps saying that he had discovered that in the statutes the act of obstruct- ing the travel over a public bridge was a criminal offense, upon which Mr. Phelps decided to have nothing to do with forcing a passage through the bridge. Not to be beaten in a good cause
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HISTORY OF DERBY.
the committee, with Mr. Phelps, decided to charter a steamboat, load it with freight and send it to Derby. The steamer Salem of New Jersey was engaged and soon headed for Derby, being ten feet wider than the draw. As she neared the bridge, with colors flying, there was great excitement. She was forced into the draw when open, as far as she could be and remained wedged tight nearly two hours, and then with difficulty backed out and sailed to Stratford dock. The next step was to hire a sailing vessel and take the freight to Derby. A suit was then brought by Mr. Phelps in the United States court for the expense of getting the freight from the steamer to Derby. While this suit was pending the New York and New Haven railroad company, to avoid any conflict with the Washington bridge company, which had in its charter a provision that no bridge should be built within three miles of it, purchased the bridge and pro- posed to put in a draw sixty feet wide, provided the suit be withdrawn without cost to the railroad company.
In 1848 the draw was widened to sixty feet, and in 1869, the bridge having been abandoned by the owners, the citizens of Milford and other towns applied to the state for aid in some shape to rebuild it, when it was enacted that when " said bridge should be rebuilt it should be with an eighty feet draw, also when the railroad bridge should be rebuilt it should have the same width of draw," which is the width in both at the present time.
Thus for more than half a century this bridge has been a bone of contention, and during great freshets many a wish has been expressed that it might drift into the ocean and no longer obstruct the navigable waters of the Ousatonic. B.
THE OUSATONIC CANAL.
Considerable excitement was awakened at one time in view of the proposition to construct a canal from Derby to the Mas- sachusetts state line, and the subject came before the town meeting, and on it the following record was made :
" March 4, 1822. Whereas it has been reported to this meeting that a petition will be brought to the next General Assembly to incorporate a company for the purpose of establishing a navigation by the Ousa- tonic river, by means of a canal near its banks or by improving the bed
3II
NAUGATUCK RAILROAD.
of the river as far as the state line ; and whereas said operations are in part to be done within the limits of this town, therefore voted, that said canal may be laid through this town and the contemplated opera- tions in the river be made, and that this town waive all objections to said petition on the ground that said petition shall not be regularly served on this town ; and the representation from this town is hereby instructed by all proper means to forward the object of said petition, provided nothing herein contained is to be constructed to subject this town to the expense of purchasing the land over which said canal may pass."
THE NAUGATUCK RAILROAD.
The proposition for a railroad in the Naugatuck valley was entertained first by Mr. Alfred Bishop of Bridgeport, who, after consultation with various parties whom he supposed might be interested in the enterprise, brought the subject before the Legislature of Connecticut, and a charter was granted in the year 1845, which was amended in 1847 and in 1848. The per- sons named in the grant were the following :
Timothy Dwight of New Haven. Philo Hurd of Bridgeport. Green Kendrick of Waterbury. Alfred B. Brittain of Bridgeport. Thomas Burlock of Derby. George L. Schuyler of New York.
William P. Burrall of Bridgeport.
At first it was proposed to make the road only from Bridge- port to Waterbury, with a capital stock of $800,000, but after- wards it was extended to Winsted and the capital increased to $ 1,200,000. This amount of stock was afterwards increased to $1,500,000 to furnish the road with engines, cars and coaches, or what is commonly called rolling-stock. An organization of the company was effected in February, 1848, and a contract made with Mr. Alfred Bishop to build the road complete and receive in pay $800,000 cash and $400,000 in bonds.
The first officers of the road were: Timothy Dwight, presi- dent ; Ira Sherman, secretary, and Horace Nichols, treasurer.
The profile and survey of the road, having been prepared, was presented to the directors March 14, 1848, and was adopted, and in the following April the work was commenced. The contract stipulated that the road should be built in the most thorough and durable manner, with a heavy H rail, similar to that used on the Housatonic road, which Mr. Bishop had just
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HISTORY OF DERBY.
completed, it being among the first railroads built in the United States.
When the building of the road was assured application was made to the business men along the line of the road to sub- scribe for stock, and thus aid the project by furnishing money with which to build it. This proposition was declined, suppos- ing that no dividends would ever be realized, and they preferred to make a donation at once, without any expectation of returns except in the use of the road. In view of such want of faith in the enterprise Mr. Bishop named the sum of $100,000, but in a final arrangement he accepted $75,000, which was raised and delivered to the company. In raising this sum and render- ing special aid in the construction and completion of the road, Mr. Philo Hurd, who was the general agent in all the work, mentions the following men as having been of great service.
At Winsted, John Boyd, Mr. Beardsley, M. and J. C. Camp, William L. Gilbert, George Dudley.
At Burrville, Milo Burr.
At Wolcottville, George D. Wadhams, John Hungerford, Fran- cis N. Holley and William R. Slade.
At Thomaston, Seth Thomas gave $15,000 or more1.
At Waterbury, Dea. Aaron Benedict and his son, Charles M. Benedict, W. C. Schofield, Green Kendrick, John P. Elton, Brown Brothers, William Phylo, Almon Terrell, Scofield Buck- ingham, Charles B. Merriman, Norton J. Buel, Israel Holmes.
At Naugatuck, Milo Lewis, William B. Lewis, J. Peck, Wil- liam C. DeForest, Mr. Goodyear, Josiah Culver.
At Seymour, Dwight French & Co., George F. DeForest, S. Y. Beach, General Clark Wooster.
At Ansonia, Anson G. Phelps, Thomas Burlock.
At Derby and Birmingham, John J. Howe, Edward N. Shel- ton, Henry Atwater, Fitch Smith, Abraham Hawkins.
Two men are mentioned by Mr. Hurd as having rendered special aid throughout the valley, George D. Wadhams of Wol- cottville and Israel Holmes of Waterbury. The former of these was peculiarly qualified for pushing new enterprises ; the latter was remarkable for his general insight into enterprises for the
1The amounts would have been given but for the fact that the old records are kept in New York.
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OPENING THE ROAD.
public good, in which respect, probably, he had no superior in his day.
On the fifteenth of May, 1849, the first fifteen miles of the road was ready for the transaction of business, and Old Derby was connected with the outside world by a railroad. On the eleventh of June the road was open to Waterbury ; on the twenty-third of July it was open to Plymouth, and on the twen- ty-fourth day of September, 1849, the whole road was completed. Mr. Bishop, the contractor, having died in June the completion was thereby delayed a few days.
The first time-table was issued on the fourteenth of May, 1849, and on the fourth of July of the same year a regular ex- cursion train was run, and that time-table mentions the follow- ing stations, beginning at Inchliff's Bridge and passing Water- ville, Waterbury, Naugatuck, Pine's Bridge, Humphreysville, Ansonia, Derby, Baldwin's Platform, the Junction and Bridge- port.
On the twenty-third of July a time-table was issued, the train starting at Plymouth.
On November 15th, the same year, a time-table was issued naming the following stations : Winsted, Rossiterville, Wol- cottville, Harwinton, Plymouth, Waterville, Waterbury, Nauga- tuck, Humphreysville, Ansonia and Derby.
No particular change was made from the first plan of the road except at the south end, where instead of crossing the Ousatonic river at Derby and going direct to Bridgeport, they ran down the east side of the river, as at present, to the New York and New Haven railroad, and on that to Bridgeport.
The directors in their first report, 1849, say : "The road commences at Winsted, in Litchfield county, about nine miles from the north line of the state, and terminates in the town of Milford, near the Ousatonic river, about twelve miles from New Haven and five miles from Bridgeport, at which point it intersects with the New York and New Haven railroad. It is fifty-five miles in length, and passes through the villages of Winsted, Wolcottville, Thomaston, Waterville, the city of Water- bury, Union City, Naugatuck, Seymour, Ansonia, Derby and Birmingham, besides several other intermediate stations."
While the country all along the line of the road has been
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HISTORY OF DERBY.
greatly benefited, it is pleasant to know that the road, as a business enterprise, has been a success, and in every respect an honor to the country and the men who have conducted it. There has been no repudiation of bonds, nor of bills, nor dam- ages, from the first day to the present time. The president of the New York and New Haven railroad not long since, pronounced it "one of the best managed roads in the country." This must be true or it would have been a one horse affair, instead of be- ing one of the most prompt and energetic institutions in the state.
The expense in repairs on this road, above that of many oth- ers, absorbs annually a large per cent. of the income. The road is built in a narrow valley, and the hills on either side, much of the distance, are very precipitous, and the water rush- ing down the steep rocks and hills often does much damage to the grading of the road. The clouds sometimes settle down below the tops of the adjacent hills and empty their waters as in a flood, when bridges and heavy masonry are carried away as floating chips, as was the case in 1875, between Thomaston and Waterbury, and also on another occasion when the bridge was carried away at Pine brook, a short distance above Thomaston. On this occasion the workmen on the road above the bridge closed their work at six o'clock and went down the road over the bridge (which was then all right) to Thomaston. Soon after, a heavy shower came along above the bridge, mak- ing a great flood, most of it within the distance of about one mile, which flood carried away the abutment of the bridge, the bridge remaining in its place. When the up train came to Thomaston the workmen took a baggage or freight car, which when they came to the bridge went into the river with the bridge, and nine out of the sixteen men in the car were drowned. Great precaution is taken to have track walkers examine the road after showers as well as after the passing of trains, but in this case the shower was so confined to a short distance, and that between the stations, that no apprehension was entertained as to the safety of the road. That shower in its extent was very unusual, as it fell within the distance of one mile on the road, and in three or four hours the flood of water was gone and the river assumed its natural low water mark.
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