History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I, Part 55

Author: Shaw, William H
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: [United States :]
Number of Pages: 840

USA > New Jersey > Essex County > History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I > Part 55
USA > New Jersey > Hudson County > History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I > Part 55

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Temporary railroad offices were located in Taylor's Hotel. The company proceeded at once to make arrangements to rebuild the depot.

The principal freight improvements are located at HIarsimus Cove, a short distance north of the passen- ger depot. They have been made at a cost of several millions of dollars, and exceed in their magnitude anything of the kind on the Continent. The general plan of these improvements embraces a frontage of about eleven hundred feet on the Hudson River. From this front extends: First. stock-yards, thirteen hundred by two hundred and twenty-five feet; con- nected with, and in front of which, is an Abattoir, two hundred and twenty-five by two hundred feet. These yards can receive and deliver five hundred cars of stock daily. Second, a water slip one hundred and eighty feet wide, and fifteen hundred feet long, which runs the entire length of the Abattoir and stock-yards. Third, a pier fifteen hundred by two hundred feet, on the rear of which is a grain elevator, six hundred by one hundred feet. Fourth, a water-slip extending the length of this pier. Fitth, freight sheds, one thousand by one hundred and twenty-five feet; a grain pier and covered sheds, five hundred by sixty feet, from which one hundred and fifty car loads of grain can be transferred daily, and a warehouse live hundred by one hundred and twenty-five feet, and eighty feet high. Sixth, and last in the series, are tracks connected with floats, on which cars are trans- ferred to barges and carried across the river to and from New York.

At the Meadows are located the new repair shops, round-house, freight buildings and coaling platforms of the Railroad Company, covering fourteen acres of ground. Nearly the whole distance from Jersey City to Philadelphia, the road bed is laid with four tracks by which the freight and passenger business of the road are separated, each running over its own track to its destination.

A new bridge over the flackensack, sonth of the old bridge, was completed in May, 1884, which straightens the track for nearly two miles and gives accommodation for the passenger trains, leaving the about two thousand feet long with a draw two hun- dred and sixty feet in length. With the exception of the draw, the bridge is built on piling, and seems to be of exceptionalstrength. The draw isan iron truss con- struction, swinging on a tura-table and is operated by

steam power. Every appliance that ensures the safety of trains has been adopted, and the opening of the draw automatically turns the signals to show that there is danger, and drops the shield signals over the tracks through which a locomotive must break its way before it can get too near the bridge to stop, even at high speed.

The Board of Directors of the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company was elected on the 27th of May, 1884, as follows: John Jacob Astor, Johu C. Barton, Joseph D. Bedle, Wm. Bucknell, A. L. Dennis, Charles E. Green, F. Wolcott Jackson, Robert Lenox Kennedy, Thos. M.Kean, John G. Stevens, Robert 1ª. Stockton and Samuel Welch.

Mr. John G. Stevens is the President, A. L. Dennis, Vice-l'resident ; and F. Wolcott Jackson, General Superintendent.

The National Docks Railway branches off from the main tracks at Point of Rocks, and runs to Cavan Point, a distance of three miles. It was built under the provision of the general railroad law, and completed in 1881. The line is used principally for the transportation of oil and freight, and is operated by the Pennsylvania Road.

The capital stock is $300,000; floating debt $796,295; cost of road and equipment $1,089,837.12.

The New York, Susquehanna and Western Rail- road Company is a part of the old Midland Railroad, to Middletown, N. Y., extending from Marion to the State line, a distance of 71.1 miles, with a branch from Ogdensburg, (54 miles from New York) to Gravel Place, Pa., beyond the Delaware Water Gap, a dis- tance of 50 miles; also a branch from Columbia Junction to Delaware, N. J. The road has its termi- nus at the Jersey City Depot, of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The Midland was chartered in 1870, and opened in 1872. On the 30th of March, 1875, it was placed in the hands of a receiver, and was sold under foreclosure on February 21, 1880.

The Directors of the N. Y. S. & W. R. R. Co., in 1884, wore : Charles Seidler, of Jersey City ; William S. Dunn, Frederic A. Potts, Henry Marks; S. V. White, Simon Borg, Charles Minzesheimer, llenry P. Tallmadge, of New York City ; Garrett A. Hobart, of Paterson, N. J .; R. K. Dow, John F. Farrell, of Claremont, N. H .; R. S. Chapel, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; John I. Blair, of Blairstown, N. J. Frederic A. l'otts is President; Wm. L. Dunn, Vice-President ; J. P. Rafferty, Secretary and Transportation Agent; Charles V. Ware, Treasurer. The principal offices are at 98 Liberty Street, New York.

The report of the Company for the year ending old bridge free for freight trains. The structure is . December 31st, 1883, was as follows : Capital stock

issued for value, $21,000,000; bonded debt, $6,850,000 ; temporary loan for Company's purpose, $199,000 ; temporary loan to purchase control of Middletown, Unionville and Water Gap Road, $126,220, temporary loan to purchase control of Lodi Railroad, $12,000.

197

ANCIENT STAGE LINES AND ROUTES.

Cost of road and equipments, $25,213,538,87. Income from passengers, $199,969.67 ; from freight, $650,764 .- 36; from other sources, $152,929.07. Expenditures during the year for working the road, including repairs, maintenance of way, motive power and cou- tingencies, ¿651,131.18.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad also uses the Penn- sylvania depot, and track as far as Metuchen, for the conveyance of passengers direct to and from New York.

Morris and Essex Railroad .- The Morris and Essex Railroad was projected in 1835. Several prom- inent citizens of Morristown started the enterprise, and held meetings and appointed committees to solicit aid and support from the neighboring towns. In re- sponse to their appeal, a meeting was held at the South Ward Hotel, Newark, on Wednesday, January 14th, with Stephen Dodd, as Chairman, and Peter Fairchild, Secretary. Resolutions were adopted ex- tending the cordial approbation of the meeting to the projeet of the "Morristown Railroad," and Messrs. J. M. Meeker, J. P. Jackson, and Moses Bigelow were appointed a con.mittee to present the subject to the Legislature. Messrs. Stephen Dodd, L. A. Sykes and W. B. Kinney, were constituted a standing committee to act with the committee at Morristown. Their endeavors were crowned with success by the passage of the bill to incorporate the Morris and Essex Rail- road, by the Assembly on the 27th of January, and on the 20th the bill was returned from the Council with amendments which were agreed to by the lower house, and the bill was finally passed. The charter author- ized a capital stock of $300,000, with authority to inerease to $500,000. The Company was authorized to lay out and construct a railroad or lateral roads from one or more suitable place or places in Morris- town, to " intersect one or more suitable place or places in the railroad known as the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company, at Newark or Elizabeth- town." Among the provisions of this charter, which are pernliar in comparison with modern ideas of con- structing railroads, were the following sections :

"Section 10 provides that the President and Diree- tors of the said company shall have power to have constructed, or to purchase with the fund- of the company, and to place on any railroad constructed by them, all machines, wagons, engines, carriages or ve hicles for the transportation of persons or any species of property thercon as they may think reasonable, expedient or right. Provided they shall not charge more than at the rate of six cents per mile per ton for the transportation of property on the said road or roads, or six cents per mile for carrying each passenger on said railways in the carriages of the company, or three cents per mile for each ton of property trans- ported, or three cents per mile for each passenger carried on said railways in the carriages of others, and three cents per mile for each empty carriage.

"Se tion 14 enacts that the rond or roads authorized, by this act be, and the same are hereby declared, a

publie highway, and shall be constructed with a track for one or more horses and free for the passage of any railroad carriage thereon with passengers or property upon payment of the tolls prescribed by this act. Provided always that said carriages so used thereon shall be of the same description in the formation of the wheels and the length of axle as those used by the company, and shall be so regulated as to the time of starting and rates of travelling as not to interfere with the carriages of the company.

"Section 15 requires the President and Treasurer of said company to file, under oath or affirmation, a statement of the amount of the cost of said road, in- cluding all expenses, in the office of the Secretary of State, and annually thereafter the President and Treasurer of the said company shall, under oath or affirmation, make a statement to the Legislature of this State of the proceeds of said road, and as soon as the net proceeds of said road shall amount to seven per centum upon its cost, the said corporation shall pay to the Treasurer of this State a tax of one-half of Que per centum on the cost of said road, to be paid annually thereafter on the first Monday of January of each year, provided that no other tax or impost shall be levied or assessed upon the said company.

"Section 16 that at the expiration of fifty years the State may take the road upon paying to the company the value thereof, said valuation to be made by six persons, three to be appointed by the Chief Justice of the State and three by the company."

The commissioners to open the books of subscrip- tion to the capital stock were, James Cook, William X. Wood, of Morristown : William Brittou, of Madison ; Jeptha B. Munn, of t'hatham ; Israel D. Condiet, of Springfield; Isaac Baldwin, of Newark, and John .I. Bryant, of Elizabethtown. The books were opened on the 9th of March at Morristown; on the 10th at Elizabethtown, and on the 11th at Newark.

The company was organized by the stockholders at Chatham on March 23, when Jeptha B. Munn, John S. Darcy, Israel D. C'ondiet, Jonathan C. Bonnel, Alfred Bishop, William Britton, JJames Cook, Lewis Condiet and William N. Wood were elected Directors. Dr. Lewis Condiet was elected President, and William N. Wood Secretary.

On the completion of the road to Newark, a connec- tion was made with the New Jersey Railroad by a track laid through Brond Street to the d'entre street depot. Early in 1855 the branch road from East Newark and the bridge across the Passaic, perfecting the junction of the Morris and Exsex with the New Jersey Rail- road, was completed by the latter company at an ex- pense of about $200,000. Superintendent Jackson, in reporting the completion of this work, stated "the expenditure for the construction was greatly aug- mented by the heavy charge for the right of way, the expensive viadnets over the turnkpike and roads, and the costly bridge over the river, with pivot draws of two openings of fifty feet cach."

198

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

In 1860 the Hoboken Land and Improvement Com- pany obtained a charter for a railroad connecting Newark with Hoboken, which was completed on No- vember 19, 1862, when the trains of the Morris and Essex Road were run direct to Hoboken through the Bergen Tunnel. The road extends from Hoboken to Phillipsburg, a distance of eighty-three and sixty-eight one-hundreths miles with the Boonton branch, diverg- ing at the western end of the new tunnel, thirty-four and fifty-four one hundredths miles additional. It was leased to the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company December 10, 1868, at an annual rental of seven per cent. per annum on the stock and bonds, and is equipped and operated by the lessee. The total receipts in 1882 were $4,262,901.40 ; expen- ditures during the year for working the road, including repairs, maintenance of way, motive power and con- tingencies, $2,631,911.53.

Boonton Branch .- The construction of the Boon- tou branch was begun immediately after the lease was consummated. The new tunnel through Bergen Hill was commenced in the summer of 1873 and completed in 1877. On the 12th of May of that year, it was formally opened by running a special train to Den- ville, via. Newark and Morristown, returning by way of Boonton and Patterson. A number of prominent railroad men participated, among whom were Samuel Sloan, President of the road; Moses Taylor, William E. Dodge, John Brisbin, Percy R. Pyne, W. Walter Phelps, M. Massey, A. L. Dennis and others. The tunnel and Boonton branch were opened for regular travel May 24, 1877.

Since the lease the company have bought all the land of the Jersey Shore Improvement Company, by which large terminal facilities at Hoboken have been seenred. A ship canal was constructed at the time the tunnel was being built, and a large grain elevator was erected in 1884-5. A new round house with forty-seven engine stalls was also built in 1884.

The whole amount of capital stock paid in is $15,- 000,000 ; bonded debt, $23,073,000; cost of road, $24,- 235,077.10; cost of equipments, $12,976,664.74. The income from passengers during the year 1883 was $1,29%,800,01 ; from freight, $2,933,399.23 ; from other sources, $266,131.85. Expenditures during the year for working the road, including repairs, maintenance of way, motive power and contingencies 82,937,113.20. A dividend of seven per cent. was paid to the stoek- holders in 1883, in cash amounting to $1,050,000.

The Newark and Bloomfield Railroad was chartered March 26, 1852, and was opened on July 1, 1856.

The road extends from Roseville Junction to Mont- clair, a distance of four and a quarter miles. It was leased to the Morris and Essex Railroad Company at an annual rental of six per cent. per annum on its capital stock of $103,850, and is operated by the Del- aware, Lackawanna and Western t'ompany.

The Directors of the Morris and Essex Railroad

Company in 1884 were Samuel Sloan, Moses Taylor, Wiliam E. Dodge, Percy R. Pyne, George Bliss, Wil- liam Walter Phelps, B. G. Clarke, M. T. Pyne, of New York City; Aaron Robertson, of Beattystown, N. J .; S. Griffith, Beach Vanderpool (recently de- ceased,) of Newark; M. M. Shippen, of Hoboken; A. Reasoner, of Morristown. Samuel Sloan was President ; Fred F. Chambers, Secretary and Treasury ; Andrew Reasoner, General Superintendent. The offices of the company are at No. 26 Exchange Place, New York.

New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad .- Under the management of this road are included several short railroads terminating in Jersey City, which were originally constructed as separate enter- prises for the accommodation of local travel. The first of these were the Paterson and Hudson River Railroad, a project originating principally in Pater- son, the large manufacturing interests of which suf- fered as did those of Newark from the need of im- proved facilities for communication with New York. Application for a charter was made to the Legislature in 1×30, but after repeated attempts to secure its pas- sage, the bill was laid over until the next session. In September, 1830, the friends of the bill appointed a committee of seventy-five to further the project, and adopted resolutions by which they pledged themselves to use all honorable exertions to secure the election of such representatives from the township and county as would favor the passage of a law to authorize the construction of such a railroad. The agitation was kept up with considerable energy, and a strong rally was made on the opening of the Legislature in 1831. On the 13th of January the bill passed the Assembly thirty-seven to three, and on the 21st it was approved by the Council. The occasion was celebrated in Paterson with great rejoicing, and two sumptuous banquets were provided in honor of the great event. Books for subscription to the capital stock were opened at the Passaic Hotel on the 2nd of March, and no difficulty was met with in securing the necessary means to proceed with the construction of the road. The stockholders made choice of the following gentle- men as Directors: Philemon Dickerson, Rosewell L. C'olt, Robert L. Stevens, Robert C'arrick, Samuel F. Mott, Mark W. tollet, and James L. Morris, Phile- mon Dickerson was elected President, and E. B. D. Dayton Secretary. The road was completed as far as Aquackanonk, a distance of four and a half miles in 1832, and a trial trip was made on the 5th of June, when the Commissioners of the New Jersey Rail- road and other distinguished citizens were invited to take an excursion over the road. The cars were de- scribed as " elegantly furnished " and capable of con- taining thirty or forty passengers. They were drawn with the utmost facility by a single horse, and a par- ticipant in the excursion avers the time occupied in making the trip was only righteen minutes, without any extraordinary effort. The road was completed to

199

ANCIENT STAGE LINES AND ROUTES.

tlw junction with the New Jersey Railroad at Bergen Hill (now Marion,) in 1834, and in March 1835 the Directors made a report announcing that arrange- ments had been made to change the motive power to steam :

" From recent advices through thehr agent they expect that one of MI Stephenson's most improved engines will be in readiness as early as the first of May next, to ply regularly between the Junction and Paterson The experiments of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad having proved the practicability of using anthracite conl for the generation of steam in lo- comolive engines, that fuel will be used on this road. '

The Board state that their contract with the New Jersey Railroad secured to them the common use of that road from the Junction ; and an avenue was per- manently secured for them to both ferries at a com- munted toll of six cents for each passenger, and twelve cents for each ton of merchandise. The New Jersey Company covenanted "that within five years, and a- much sooner as it conveniently can be done, they will lay down two permanent tracks from the Junction to Jersey City, at a grade not exceeding forty feet to the mile, and also that within such reasonable time as it can legally be effected, and not exceeding five years, they will construct a branch of their road, with two sets of tracks from some suitable point east of the Junction to the lloboken Ferry."

In 1853, the Erie Railway Company was authorized by an act of the Legislature to operate railroads in New Jersey, and after securing a lease of the l'aterson and Hudson River and the Paterson and Ramapo roads, the two forming a direct line to Sufferns, N. Y. the old terminus of the Erie Company at Piermont was abandoned, all the traffic of the rond being carried to Jersey City.

The directors of the New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad Company are: Theron R. Butler, Charles Dara, James J. Goodwin, John F. Pierson, Harrison Durkee, R. Suydam Grant, Hugh J. Jewett, John T. Johnston, Jacob HI. Schiff, Elwin D. Morgan, William L. Strong, of New York City ; Solomon S. Guthrie of Buffalo; Homer Ramsdell of Newburgh, N. Y .; F. N. Drake of Corning, N. Y .; Cortlandt Parker of Newark, N. J. ; Thomas Dickson of Seran- ton, Pa .; I. Lowber Welsh of Philadelphia. The officers are : Il. J. Jewett, President ; George R. Blan- chard and Robert Harris, Vice Presidents; A. R. Macdonough, Secretary ; B. W. Spencer, Treasurer ; E. T. Bowen, General Superintendent ; John N. Abbott, General l'assenger Agent. The principal others are in the Coal and Iron Exchange Builling, Cortlandt Street, New York.

The report of the Paterson and Hudson River Rail- road for 1883 is as follows: capital stock $630,000; rost of the road including land, depot buildings and appartenances, $630,000. No funded or other debts. Income-rent of the road $53,400; Dividends 4 per cent., January 3, 1883, $25,200; July 3, 1883, 4 por cent. $25,200, total $50,400.

The Long Dock Company, incorporated in 1856,

built the Bergen Tunnel, which was completed in 1.861. The first passenger train passed through it on the Ist of May in that year and thenceforward the business of the road has been transacted at the Long Dock.

The completion of the tunnel was the occasion of au interesting visit on February 6, by the members of the Legislature and a number of railroad magnates. They landed at Long Dock and passed slowly through the dark passage without interruption. This was at that time the most extensive work of the kind in the Union. It is 4,300 feet long, passing through solid rock. The excavation cost about one million dol- lars exclusive of the land. It was commenced in 1856, but the commercial crisis of 1857 caused a sus- pension of the work. It was again commenced in 1859, and continued to its completion in 1861.

The Northern Railroad Company of New Jersey extends from Bergen Junction to Sparkill, N. Y., a dis- tance of 21 } miles. It was incorporated on the 9th of February 1854, completed October 1, 1 59, and leased in 1869 to the Erie, which operates the road under a contract for which the company receives 65 3'% per cent. of the gross earnings. The capital stock issued is $1,000,000, bonded debt $368,000, floating debt $70,756.79. Cost of road and equipments $548,095.16. Its income in 1882 was about $300,000, and expendi- tures $254,809.93.

The Paterson. Newark and New York Railroad is also leased to and controlled by the Erie Company at an annual reutal of $35,000. The road was chartered to run from Paterson to Newark, about Il miles. It was opened in 1868 and was connected with the Newark and Hudson Railroad, extending from Bergen Junction to the foot of Fourth Avenue, Newark, a distance of 52 miles. This was also leased to the Erie at a rental of $33,000 per annum, and is operated and equipped by that road. The organization of each of these roads is maintained separately but consists of the same board of Directors as follows : Cortlandt Parker, President ; A. R. Macdonough. Secretary : Bird W. Spencer, Treasurer ; Hugh J. Jewett and Lansing Zabriskie.

These also constitute the Board of Directors of the Long Dock Company.

The capital stock paid in is $250,000; bonded debt $500,000 ; cost of road and equipments as settled August %, 1879, by decree of Judge Sendder, $545,433.29. Re- cripts in 1883 from passengers $58,628.24; from freight $58,169.74; from other sources $116.35; total $116,914.33. Expenditures $65,924.13. For the New - ark and Hudson portion of the rond the capital stock is $250,000; bonded debt $250,000; cost of road as settled by decree of the court $355,056.18. Income from passengers $28,153.97 ; from freight $24,751.11 ; total $52.905.08. Expenditures $34,562.27.

The New York and Greenwood Lake Railway runs from Jersey ('ity to the State line on the northern boundary of Passaic County, a distance of forty-three miles, passing through the village of Arlington. in

200

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Kearny township, crossing the Passaic by a handsome . Jersey Railroad at the crossing at Elizabeth, and the iron bridge on stone piers near the mouth of Second , traffic of the road was carried direct to Jersey City River, and runs through Bloomfield, Montclair, Little Falls, and Meads Basin, thence running due north for Greenwood Lake. It was built as the Montelair Railway and suffering many vicissitudes, it was sold at foreclosure sale. through Newark. In 1860, the company was anthor- ized by the Legislature to extend their road to Jersey City by building a bridge across Newark Bay. The opposition to this enterprise was very hitler, but the company eventually triumphed in the courts, and the bridge, which was two years in construction was form- ally opened on July 29, 1864. About six hunded invited guests, including members of the Legislature, Railroad officials, Stockholders, Aldermen, and various local dignitaries, took part in the opening ceremonies, which were conducted by John Taylor Johnston, the President of the road. The bridge is 9,756 feet in length with a pivot draw 216 feet long, supported on a central pier, leaving two openings of 75 feet cach. The bridge is well secured with abutments and cribs to prevent damage by ice, and wide enough for a double track, which runs the entire length. The cost of construction was $250,000. At the same time, the road to Jersey City, through Bayonne and Greenville was opened, and the coal doeks at Port Johnson, the Abattoir and other points of interest were inspected. By this route, the distance from Elizabeth to New York is eleven miles; by the way of the New Jersey Railroad it is fifteen miles.

The road cost $2,849,617.61; and was sold for $156,000,00. Its receipts from passengers in 1883 were $58,234.01, from freight $74,936.32, from other sources $0.799.62, total 172,965.95. The expenditures were $166 493.49. The officers and directors of the com- pany are : Abram S. Hewitt, President; Bird W. Spencer, Treasurer; A. R. Macdonough, Secretary ; Cortlandt Parker, II. J. Jewett, Edward Cooper, Ed- mund T. Bowen, Smith Ely, and Tappan Bowne. The Greenwood Lake road is a popular line in the summer time for excursionists and fishermen. The trains are run at such hours as to give pleasure seekers a long day at the Lake, or among the romantic hills sur- rounding it.

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History of Essex and Hudson counties, New Jersey, Vol. I, Part 55

Author: Shaw, William H Publication date: 1884 Publisher: [United States :] Number of Pages: 840

Author: Shaw, William H
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: [United States :]
Number of Pages: 840