History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time, Part 68

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 1340

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Under the provisions of the amended charter of February, 1847, the owners of stock met April 5, 1848, and elected the following-named directors : William B. Ogden, president ; Walter L. Newberry, Charles Wal- ker, James H. Collins, J. Young Scammon, William H. Brown, John B. Turner, Thomas Dyer, Benjamin W. Raymond, George Smith, all of Chicago; Charles S. Hempstead and Thomas Drummond, of Galena ; Allen Robbins, of New York. Francis Howe was chosen sec- retary and treasurer. Thomas D. Robertson, of Rock- ford was elected director rice Allen Robbins, resigned, in April, 1849 ; Dexter A. Knowlton, of Freeport, vice J. Young Scammon, resigned in 1850.

The early canvassing along the proposed line of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad for subscriptions toward building the road was made by Messrs. Ogden and Scammon, who traveled the whole distance from Chicago to Galena for this purpose, holding meetings and obtaining subscriptions at all considerable places on the route. Subsequently Charles Walker, Isaac N. Ar- nold, John Locke Scripps, John B. Turner and others canvassed at points on the line of the road. B. W. Ray- mond and John B. Turner visited the East in 1848, with the object of securing subscriptions to the stock. Their efforts resulted in the sale of $15,000 of stock, and a

loan of $7,000. This money completed the road across the marsh to the foot of Cottage Hili. Again they pur- chased two locomotives from the Baldwin Works. In the meantime, Mr. Ogden, then a member of the Com- mon Council, had introduced an ordinance into that body, which was voted down, proposing to grant the right of way to the road from the west into the city on a line with Kinzie Street, with the necessary privileges for constructing tracks, drawbridges and depots. Not- withstanding which, the contract for the first thirty-two miles of road from Chicago was let March 1, 1848, the first sixteen miles to be finished by August I, and the balance by October 1, 1848. John Van Nortwick had

been appointed engineer. George W. Waite, assistant engineer, drove the first grade-peg, near the corner of Kinzie and Halsted streets, in June, 1848, then a point outside the city limits. The Council had refused the entrance of the road into the city ; but granted leave to build a temporary track east to the river so that one of the two engines could be brought to the head of the road.

In September. the management purchased a locomo- tive of the Tonawanda (N. Y.) Company, and also one of the Auburn & Syracuse Company. These were fitted up with new gearing and boilers, and the first one was placed on the section between Chicago and the Des- plaines River, in November. The " Pioneer" arrived on the brig " Buffalo," October 10, 1848. The engine was taken off the boat on Sunday by Redmond Prindi- ville, Wells Lake, George W. Waite, George C. Morgan and John Ebert, the engineer. This engine was sold by the Baldwin Company on commission for the Roch- ester & Tonawanda Railroad Company. It served its purpose well and is in existence to-day, as if waiting some signal act of public approbation.

When the Desplaines River division was in working order, the rolling stock consisted of six old freight cars and the "Pioneer." By November 21 the engine was running daily on the ten miles of completed road, west of Chicago, conveying materials and laborers to carry on the work. The day previous Chicago received the first wheat ever transported by rail. Upon the invitation of the board of directors, a number of stockholders and editors of the city, took a " flying trip" over Chicago's system of railways, then extending ten miles west to the Desplaines River! A couple of baggage wagons had been provided with seats, and at about four o'clock p. M., the train bearing away about one hundred persons, moved from the foot of North Dearborn Street, where a crowd had collected to witness the novel spectacle. On the return trip a load of wheat was transferred from a farmer's wagon to one of the cars, and this was the first grain transported by rail to Chicago. This fact soon became known to the farmers living west of the city, and the company made arrangements to . accommodate the expected increase of their business. They at once placed covered cars upon the track, and about a week after the line was open to travel, the business men of Chicago were electrified by the an- nouncement that over thirty loads of wheat were at the Desplaines River waiting to be transported to the city. The expected receipts of the road would amount to

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THE RAILROAD SYSTEM

$15 per day for the winter, and wheat-buyers were in- formed (partly with a view of increasing the passenger traffic) that they must now take their stations at the Desplaines River instead of at Randolph-street bridge. Facts and statistics were pouring in from Galena also, showing the benefits that would accrue when the line should reach that flourishing city. For instance, in January, 1849, the public were informed that the arrivals in Galena from March 17 to December 6, 1848, were: Keel-boats, 158; flat-boats, 107; that the revenue was $1,950, and the value of the exports for 1848 was $1,602,050.40. Furthermore that "a large portion of these will seek an Eastern market by railroad." The citizens of Galena were shoulder to shoulder with Chi- cago in the building of this road, but rumors were soon afloat that there was a disposition in certain quarters to cut off that thriving town from the benefits of the road which she was doing so much to build. To allay these suspicions, at the annual meeting held April 5, 1849, the stockholders resolved that Galena was the true terminus of the road and that "any diversion would be a violation of good faith, a fraud on the stockholders and an illegal perversion of the charter." Of the $150,000 loan, authorized in May, 1848, to be nego- tiated, $71,700 had then been expended.

Henry W. Clarke, DeWitt Lane, now of Lane's Island, and Major James Mulford, were the commis- sioners appointed to procure the right-of-way for the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, and to assess dam- ages within Cook County. This work was undertaken in March, 1849. The commissioners were accompanied by William B. Ogden, John B. Turner, John Van Nort- wick, engineer, James H. Rees, "Ogden's own sur- veyor," and a few others. When the party reached Harlem, then called Oak Ridge, the commissioners agreed that the assessment of damages for right-of-way should be merely nominal, and from this agreement re- sulted the offer of six cents to each land-owner along the route. This offer was accepted without dissent, quit-claim deeds were made to the company, and the roadway was secured.

The total earnings of the road from the commence- ment of business in January, 1849, to December 1, 1849, were $23,763.74; from December 1, 1849, to December 1, 1850, $104,359.62. By January, 1850,* the main line had been extended to Elgin, forty miles west of Chi- cago, and Galena was still cut off from railroad com- munication; her ambition, finally, was not to be realized through the instrumentality of the road which she was helping to build. Another rival for popular favor was reaching out its giant arms to embrace, at least, the territory of a great State.

The superstructure of the road was completed to Elgin, January 22, 1850, the length of the main track from the North Branch of the Chicago River to the western terminus being 42.44 miles, which, with side track 1.88 miles, gave a roadway of 44.32 miles. The amount expended on this superstructure was $164, 131.87. The stock of locomotives and cars May 1, 1850, was as follows: One ten-ton locomotive 'second hand , six- wheeled, two drivers ; three fifteen-ton locomotives 'new Norris's) eight-wheeled, four drivers; thirteen double covered freight cars ; sixteen double platform freight cars ; three single covered freight cars ; six single plat- form freight cars; eleven gravel repairing cars ; four hand cars ; two passenger cars/new), one of fifty-six and one of sixty seats ; two passenger cars (old) forty seats each ; two baggage and accommodation cars of eight wheels each.

The progress of the road from June, IS48, to April 31, 1850, is shown in the following table :

IS49.

MILES.

. TOTAL RE-

CEIPTS. .

June

$ 913 35

July ..

1,602 52

August

2,743 13

September

4,267 43

October

7,104 93

November.

5,899 48

December.

4,887 79

IS50.

January.

5.195 48

February

42 12

5,029 47

March

42 1/2

4,893 75

April .:

42 12

5,794 63

Total

.310%

$48,331 96

Expenses of operating

18.519 82

Net earnings

$29,812 14

The number of passengers carried .over the road from June 1, 1849, to April 30, 1850, was 37,524.

The inner history of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad is most valuable, for the reason that it goes into such details as are not generally given in annual reports. Such facts, as a reminiscence could only con- tain, have been fortunately noted down by one who was himself a most important pillar of Chicago enterprise. In J. Young Scammon's biography of William B. Ogden this history appears to be well and impartially treated ; and, therefore, in justice to the men named, is here given so much of that sketch as relates to this road and its builders .*

" In the winter of 1846 a convention was held at Rockford, the half-way house between Chicago and Galena, to favor the work. There was a large meeting, attended by persons from Ga- lena to Chicago. Thomas Drummond, then residing at Galena, presided over the assembly. The late William H. Brown, always a director and subsequently a president of the Galena Company and of the Chicago Historical Society : with Benjamin W. Ray- mond, our ever public-spirited citizen, and more than once Mayor of the city, and a director of the road till it merged in the North- western, and who still remains among us to witness and rejoice with others over the success of his faithful public efforts, was among the active men there. Isaac N. Arnold, so long and favor- ably known in the politics of Illinois, and as a Representative in the late War Congress of the United States, and long a leader at the Chicago Bar, now President of the Chicago Historical Society, and devoting the calm of mature years to literary work, with Gen- eral Hart L. Stewart, one of Chicago's oldest citizens, whose whole life has been spent in building public works west of Lake Erie, in Michigan, upon the Illinois & Michigan Canal and elsewere-and in the public councils of the State or official positions under the Government-rode in the same carriage with the writer, and were active participants in the work of the convention, as was Thomas D. Robertson, of Rockford, for many years a director of the road. We were two days on our journey each way, spending the night at Elgin, then a little hamlet. The landlord there told us that he was against railroads They were bad things for farmers and ho- tel-keepers, but good for 'big fellows at the ends of the road.' He 'intended to make money while the road was building and then sell out and go beyond them.' He declared that Elgin would cease to be a place of business as soon as the railroad went beyond it.

" The meeting was harmonious and quite unanimous in its ac- tion ; the only exception being a tavern-keeper at Marengo, who, fearing that his husiness would be injured by the road, appeared with his friends in the convention and dennunced railroads as 'un- democratic aristocratic institutions that would ride rough- shod over the people and grind them to powder. The only

roads,' said he, ' that the people want are good common or plank roads, mon which everybody can travel."

"In the fall of 1347, Mr. Ogden and the writer traveled the entire distance from Chicago to Galena together, stopping at all the principal intermediate places, making speeches for the road. and going into the highways to compel men to come in and help the enterprise, even if they could not take more than a single share of stock. Many farmers and other persons, be it said to their credit, did come forward and subscribe, though they had 10 borrow the first installment of two dollars and fifty cents on a share

* Fergus's Series, Biography of William B. Ogden.

. See Bross's History, page 121.

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HISTORY OF CHICAGO.

and get trusted ' till after harvest,' for the same. Mr. Ogden was in his element in such enterprises. His go-a-hcadativeness here gave full play to his imagination, and filled not only himself, but his hearers with high hopes and generous courage. When it is re- membered that it cost five bushels of wheat, and often from four days' to a week's journey to Chicago with a inad of grain to get the first installment of a single or few shares of stock, none can doubt the public interest in the enterprise.

" At Galena, business men and bankers were fearful of the effect of the railroad upon their town. Amongits chief advocates there were Judge Drummond, C. M. Hempstead, Elihu B. Washburne, and Thomas Hoyne. Galena had long been a very prosperous town at the head of navigation on Fever River, and the great lead-mining center and mercantile distributer for northwest Illinois and southwest Wis- consid, and the country north in the mines. The great obstacles we met there were two ; one the local effect upon the town, and the other the fear that before the road should be completed the en- terprise would break down, the small stockholders sacrificed, and the road pass into the hands of the large capitalists. We had to meet these objections by the promise to respect and protect the local in- terests of Galena, to whose capital we were much indebted in start- ing the work, and a pledge that until the stock rose to par, and was saleable at that price, we would never allow the work to proceed faster than its ready means would justifywithout endangering the capital in- vested. This promise was faithfully kept so long as these two persons remained in the directory. It has been said in justification of the abandoning of the west end of the line to the Illinois Central Rail- road, that Galena was doomed, and a different course could not have saved it. The writer dissents from this proposition, and be- lieves that if the pledges Mr. Ogden and he made at Galena had been faithfully, energetically, and courageously carried out, Galena would have been greatly benefited, and its importance and business permanently advanced. But whether this opinion be correct or not, Galena was a pioneer in the work, and the company had no right to sell her birthright to the Illinois Central Company. It would not have been done had the two most active directors, who were among the largest subscribers to the stock, when the company was re-organized in the writer's office, on the southeast corner of Lake and Clark streets, in the old Saloon Building, in the city of Chicago, in 1847, remained in their positions in its management.

"In a paper read before the Chicago Historical Society, by Mr. Arnold, December 20, IS31, on the occasion of the presenta- tion, by Mrs. Ogden, of a portrait of her late husband, it is said ' the officers of the road, after he [Mr. Ogden] had been compelled " to retire, had received a public dinner (I think at Elgin) in which they drank toasts to each other and everybody except Mr. Ogden. The omission of his name, the man who everyone knew had built the road, only made nim the more prominent.' If such an occasion took place, the occasion must have been more marked by the absence of the original and most efficient projectors of the road than their presence. There were officers of the road that were en- gaged in speculating along its line, as was confessed some years later, when one of them was made a scapegoat. Public allusion having been thus made to these personal troubles in the board of directors, it becomes proper to explain the same somewhat, as in doing so a trait in Mr. Ogden's character and conduct presents him in very bold and advantageous relief, when compared with that of some of his associates. Chicago at that time was a comparatively small and very ambitious city. It had three divisions, occasioned by the river and its North and South branches, which run almost at right angles with the main river, leaving east of them the North and South divisions, and west of them the West Division, extend- ing the whole length of the city. Such divisions always create local jealousies, and the selfish interests excited are often difficult to manage or control. Mr. Ogden resided on the north side of the river, -as did three other directors, Walter I .. Newberry, Thomas Dyer, and John B. Turner. Two, Thomas Drummond and Charles M. Hempstead, lived in (alena, and one, Thomas 1). Robertson, in Rockford, while the five others, Benjamin W. Raymond, George Smith, Charles Walker, James II. Collins, and J. Young Scammon, lived in the South Division, which was then, as now, the principal bus- iness and commercial portion of the town. Mr. Ogden being especial- ly identified with the North Side could not exercise as much influence in obtaining subscriptions to stock in the business portion of the town as some of the sith Side directors, as he was accused, by those who never suppose other than solely selfish motives can influence action, of 'wanting to build a railroad that wild never pay, to help him sell his lots." The groremen on the North side natural desired the road to ennes the North Branch, and locate its depots or stations in the North Division; while the West Siders could see no necessity of expending money to cross the river, because the West Side was the largest division of the city and the nearest to the country. In the railroad work, either because Ogden and Scammon had more time to devote to it, or for some other reason, they became the specially active representatives of the road on their respective

sides of the river. The out-of-town directors could rarely attend its meetings, or only when very important questions demanded their presence. These two men gave very much of their time to the en- prise; Mr. Ogden receiving a small salary in stock, and the writer no compensation, except for legal services when required by the board. Ogden and Scammon traveled over the country together; visited Albany and Boston in the interests of the road in company with the late Erastas Corning, then president of the New York Central Railroad and the controlling spirit in the Michigan Central, the only road then in operation west of Lake Erie. They hoped to interest the Boston gentlemen who were stockholders in and en- gaged in extending the Michigan Central to aid in building the Galena. They called upon the Michigan Central directors, and es- pecially upon William F. Weld, an iron merchant in Boston, who had then the reputation of being ' the Railroad King.' They were very kindly received and entertained by John M. Forbes. then a director of the Michigan Central, and a wealthy East India mer- chant, and since long identified with the Chicago Burlington & Quincy road, and one of its principal stockholders. . Mr. Weld said to us : 'Gentlemen, I do not remember any enterprise of this kind we Boston people have taken hold of upon statistics. You must go home, raise what money you can, expend it upon your road, and when it breaks down, as it surely, or in all probability will; come and give it to us, and we will take hold of it and com- plete it, as we are completing the Michigan Central. A resolution was then formed though not publicly expressed, that the Galena should not break down. We came home, sought and obtained sub- scriptions to the stock of the road upon the pledge that the stock should never be endangered until it rose to par, and the holders had an opportunity of selling their shares at that price. This pledge was kept.

"An opportunity occurred, as we were commencing the work, of buying the old strap rail which was being removed from the Rochester & Canandaigua road, to be replaced with T iron, to- gether with two little second-hand passenger cars and two like engines, for $150.000, on a credit of five years, if the writer recol- lects correctly, provided two of the directors would endorse the bonds. This would require each of the thirteen directors to make himself responsible for a little over one-sixth part of that sum as guarantee of the Calena company. There was one director who said 'he never endorsed other people's paper,' and declined to do so, though he was subsequently made president and claimed credit for building the road, with what propriety and how justly, in com- parison with the endorsers, let others judge. All the others made the requisite endorsement, with the understanding that we were to stick together and re-elect the old board until these bonds should be paid. We went ahead with the road and had got out west nine or ten miles, across the wet prairie, to the sand ridge, where the teams from the country met us, and transferred their loads to the cars, making the road pay as soon as the first section was com- pleted. We were so encouraged that we thought there ought to be no doubt about raising money to push the work. Mr. Ogden, as president, had boldly made some contracts with McCagg, Reed & Co., and others, for ties and lumber, based upon expectations of raising money in New York or at the East. A committee, consist- ing perhaps of Messrs. Ogden and Raymond, went to the East for that purpose. They returned unsuccesful. A meeting of the directors was called. It looked blue. To go ahead would endan- ger the stock. To stop entirely would be a fulfilment of the Rail- road King's prophecy. Mr. Ogden was embarrassed. He knew that many of the public had no faith in the railroad. and believed it to be, on his part, an undertaking to aid him in selling his town lots, they saying that he could well afford to lose his stock if it would help nim to seil his land. Most of the other directors were fearful. Mr. Raymond was hopeful, and Walker, Collins and Scammon, courageous. The latter said he believed arrangements could be made to defer or extend the contracts, and 10 bridge over the time till the installments on the stock that would be paid after the harvest should be realized, when the work on the road could proceed slowly, yet successfully. Mr. Dyer, who then owned the Lake House in the North Division, and was very anxious that the work should go on and the road be extended to the lake, su as It benefit his property, lost faith. The writer , "e ! in ' dilti Thomas.' He replied, 'If Mr. Scammon has y much faith in :le road, I move that a committee of five be appointed, with full power to do anything which they deem expedient in regard to the rond. and that Mr. Srammon be chairman ! " : 0 minutter, aladd lx antin rized to appoint his associates.' This was agreed to, and a committee, consisting of Mr. Seimoon, James 11. Collins, Charles Walker, Thomas Dyer, and Mr. Raymond. appointed to have charge of the subject, This committee gave the writer carte-blanche. He immediately applied to George smith, the only ban- ker in the place who could make such a loan, $20.000 for six months, to enable him to gu on with the road. Mr. smith declined, though director of the road, and desirous of seeing it completed. He was

251

THE RAILROAD SYSTEM.

asked why; if he had not the money. He replied, ' Yes, but I do not wish to lose it. I have no confidence in the road.' Mr. S. rejoined, 'Don't you think I can build the road to Elgin with the $363,000 stock subscriptions we have of farmers, which are good and sure to be paid ?' He answered, ' Yes, but you are not the president of the road.' Mr. Scammon rejoined. 'Don't you think Mr. Ogden can?' Mr. Smith said, 'He can, but he won't,' add- ing, 'Mr. Scammon, I will lend you the money.' The writer replied, 'Make out your note, and let me have it.' He did so, and the money was taken and placed in the treasury of the company, no other person in the road, except those connected with the loan, knowing from whence it came, except the treasurer the late Frank Howe. This, with arrangements that were made for extending contracts, enabled the road to meet its engagements, and prevented any suspension of work thereon. The road was pushed and com- pleted to Elgin. It did not cost much money in those days to build a flat railroad on mostly level land. Yet to obtain the Small amount necessary, required, at that time, more courage and per- severance than is now requisite to build a road across the continent. The careful economy exercised in the building of this forty miles was nevertheless very conspicuous. We had money enough only to build the track with very few accessories It was a single straight line-hardly mcre. Station-houses, sidings, turn-outs and turn-tables had to be, for the most part, deferred to the future,

" An incident occurs to the writer which may be worth recall- ing. Upon the completion of the road to Elgin, a general invita- tion was given for an excursion over the forty miles between Chi- cago and that place. Among the party was an Irish engineer, who had published, in Dublin, a work on railroad engineering, which he had with him in bright red binding. On alighting from the cars in Chicago, on our return, the writer asked him what he thought of our road. He replied : ' If it is the engineering you're asking about, I don't think anything of it. We would spend more in the old country, upon the engineering of a siogle mile, than you have spent upon your entire road.

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History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time, Part 68

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas Number of Pages: 1340

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 1340