A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 48

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188

USA > New York > A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 48

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Railroad matters on Long Island remained substantially unchanged until 1872. Prior to that date the late A. T. Stewart had pur- chased a large tract of land known as the Hempstead Plains, lying in the town of

Hempstead, and proposed to develop the same by building houses and locating improve- ments on the lands. There was no railroad through this tract of land, except the short cross road from Hempstead to Mineola, be- fore referred to. He began active negotia- tions, first with the Long Island Railroad Company, and afterwards with the Flushing & North Side Railroad Company, to form a connection with either road as he could nego- tiate the best terms with. It resulted in a contract to form a connection with a pro- posed road, that Stewart was to build, with the Flushing & North Side Railroad, and in 1871 the Central Railroad Company of Long Island was organized. The proposed line was to run from a point on the line of the Flushing & North Side Railroad east of the Flushing Creek drawbridge, running thence easterly to the westerly boundary of the land of A. T. Stewart, and thence easterly through said lands to a point near Farmingdale, and thence to Bethpage, with a branch from the main line to the village of Hempstead. This road was constructed in all its parts, and proved a most disastrous enterprise to the Flushing & North Side Railroad Company, who were under contract to operate the road. In building that part of the line between Flushing and the westerly boundary of the land of A. T. Stewart, the road passed through the high lands forming the center of Long Island, and in making the cut on that portion of the line there was executed the largest and most expensive piece of earth- work on Long Island. This road was opened on January 1, 1873. The branch line from Garden City to Hempstead is the same line that is now operated to that village. It ran a short distance easterly from the old branch of the Long Island Railroad, and is now the only line that the Long Island Railroad Com- pany operates into the village of Hempstead on the north side. That part of the old Mineola & Hempstead branch, built in the early days of the Long Island Railroad, lying south of the Stewart line and between that line and the village of Hempstead, was aban- doned about 1878, and has never been opened or operated since.

The traffic on this central railroad of Long Island, otherwise known as the Stewart line, between Farmingdale and Flushing, in- cluding that from the village of Hempstead, proved entirely unremunerative, and the man- agement of the Flushing & North Side Rail-

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road, determining to try and secure further traffic for this line, entered upon the scheme of extending the line to the south side of Long Island, and organized the Central Rail- road Extension Company. The articles of. association for this new company were filed in April, 1873. The location of the line was from a point near Farmingdale, running southeasterly, crossing the South Side Rail- road about one mile west of Babylon, and run- ning to the Fire Island steamboat dock. The road was constructed and put in operation to the highway leading to the dock, thus forming a through line from Babylon, through Garden City, Flushing, reaching Hunter's Point, and landing its passengers on the north side of the ferry. Considerable traffic was thus drawn to the road, but, while operated from Babylon in competition with the South Side Railroad, the rates were low and the effect was damaging upon the South Side Road. It should be noted, in passing, that the opening of the branch road from Garden City to Hempstead practically destroyed the business of the Long Island Railroad to that village.

There now developed a distinctive systen of railroads on Long Island, connected with the North Side roads, and it was deemed de- sirable to combine them into one system. The management contemplated further exten- sions, and organized the North Shore & Port Washington Railroad Company, and the Ros- lyn & Huntington Railroad Company. They then proceeded to consolidate these corpora- tions, called the Flushing, North Shore & Central Railroad Company. This was ef- fected by agreement of consolidation made the 19th day of June, 1874. The position of this corporation at that date was as fol- lows: It owned a continuous line from Whitestone to Hunter's Point, with a pas- senger and freight depot on the north side of the ferries. It also had a branch from Great Neck to the junction of the main line in the village of Flushing. It had a line from Babylon to Flushing, where it united with the main line. It also had a branch from Hempstead to Garden City. It should be stated, however, that at this time it held the real estate of the Stewart line, from the westerly end of the Stewart purchase to Beth- page, and also the branch into Hempstead, under a contract of lease with A. T. Stewart, and had not at that time acquired the title to the lands over which ite ran. It should

also be noted that the Port Washington Rail- road and the Roslyn & Huntington Railroad: were contemplated extensions easterly from Great Neck; but as they were never con- structed, they need not be again referred to in this history. The Whitestone & West- chester Railroad was a short line extending from the main station in the village of White- stone down to the water's edge. This road was actually constructed about 1883, and is now owned and operated by the Long Island Railroad Company.

Immediately upon the commencement of operations to construct the Central Railroad from the junction in Flushing to Garden City and Hempstead, and thence eastward on the Stewart property, the Long Island Railroad Company determined to deliver a counter- blow to that system of roads, and promoted the construction of the Newtown & Flushing Railroad, which corporation was organized in 1871. This line ran from a point of junction on the main line of the Long Island Railroad at Winfield to the village of Flushing, a dis- tance of about four miles. It thus formed, in connection with the main line of the Long Island Railroad, a rival line from Flushing to Long Island City, and tapped the most important railroad station of the North Side system. Immediately upon its opening the rates were reduced about one-half. It be- came a formidable rival to the North Side system at its most vital point, reducing the revenues of that road to a very material ex- tent. The cars run on this road were painted white, and it was familiarly called by the pub- lic the "White Line."

Again returning to the South Side Rail- road, to bring up the history of that division and record its progress in the contest for business on Long Island, it is proper to note that that corporation had no facilities on the waters of the East River for the transporta- tion of freight over its line, nor were they satisfied with their terminal facilities for the transportation of passengers through Brook- lyn from Bushwick to the East River by dummy engines. In looking for an outlet in another direction to relieve them from these two embarassments, thev organized the Hunt- er's Point and South Side Railroad Company in 1870. The articles of association proposed to build a road from a point on the South Side Railroad Company's line at Fresh Pond, running thence to the East River at a point between the Hunter's Point ferry and Ra-

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venswood, that being the name of the village next north of Hunter's Point, opposite Black- well's Island. Had this line been construct- ed in its entirety it would have crossed first the old line of the New York & Flushing Railroad between Winfield and Hunter's Point; secondly, the main line of the Long Island Railroad, and thirdly, the main line of the Flushing, North Shore & Central Railroad. Whatever may have been the ideas of its management as to the feasibility of the line contemplated, they never under- took to construct it in its entirety, but did construct their line from the point of junc- tion at Fresh Pond to the contemplated cross- ing of the New York & Flushing Railroad, which was then a branch lying idle and not operated. Having reached this point of junc- tion, and having already negotiated the pur- chase of the stock of the New York & Flush- ing Railroad, the Hunters' Point & South Side Railroad formed a connection with the New York & Flushing Railroad, and by this means secured an outlet on the property of the latter company. to navigable waters on Newtown Creek, with such rights as that company had south of the Long Island Rail- road station. They proceeded at once to put as much of this road as was necessary in or- der, so as to reach a freight dock which they constructed on Newtown Creek, and were thus in the field as competitors with the Long Island Railroad and the Flushing, North Shore and Central Railroad for the trans- portation of freight from all competitive points. They did not, however, change their terminal for passenger traffic. That con- tinued as above stated. By an enabling act, the South Side Railroad Company was au- thorized to purchase the stock of the New York & Flushing Railroad, the Far Rock- away Branch Railroad and the Rockaway Railroad, of Queens County, and the Hunt- er's Point & South Side Railroad.

In September, 1872, by the authority of this act, the Far Rockaway Railroad Company was consolidated into the South Side Railroad Company, and a proper certificate filed in the office of the Secretary of State on September, 1872. On the same day a similar certificate was filed in the same manner, consolidating the Rockaway Railway 'Company and the Hunter's Point and South Side Railroad Com- pany with the South Side Railroad Company. By these three acts the South Side Railroad Company became vested with the title of the

branch from Valley Stream to the western terminus on Rockaway Beach, and also to the branch from Fresh Pond to the junction of the New York & Flushing Railroad. For some reason, not apparent at this day, the manage- ment of the South Side Railroad saw fit not to avail themselves of the provisions of the act of the Legislature and complete the consoli- dation of the New York & Flushing Railroad with the South Side Railroad Company, and so that corporation continued outside of the corporate life of the South Side Railroad Com- pany until the same was absorbed at a later date.

The details of construction of all the steam roads on Long Island up to 1874 that have since fallen into the Long Island Railroad cor- poration have now been stated. A summary of the position of these roads in 1874 will be profitable to an understanding of subsequent events, for it was at about this time that the contest was most bitter and severe between the three systems that we can now properly desig- nate as the North Side system, the Main Line or Central system and the South Side system. To recapitulate and state the lines that were in active operation at this date, the North Side system had a line running from the north side of the East River ferry at Hunter's Point, running thence through Flushing and College Point to Whitestone; an extension from Main street, in Flushing, to Great Neck ; a branch from Flushing through Rocky Hill and Gar- den Citv to Babylon, and a branch from Gar- den City to Hempstead. The Long Island Railroad proper controlled what we have designated the Main Line or Central system, which consisted of a road from Hunter's Point to Greenport, with a branch from Mineola to Hempstead, a branch from Manor to Sag Har- bor, a branch from Jamaica to Far Rockaway, a branch from Hicksville to Port Jefferson, a branch from Mineola to Locust Valley, a branch from Winfield to Flushing, and a branch from Jamaica to East New York.

The South Side system consisted of a main line from Grand street, in the city of Brooklyn. through Bushwick, Jamaica, Springfield and Babylon to Patchogue, a branch from Valley Stream to Hempstead, a branch from Valley Stream to Rockaway Beach, and a branch from Fresh Pond to a point on Newtown Creek, in Long Island City. This summary gives a statement of all the lines of railroad in actual operation at the date spoken of, but does not include uncompleted parts of roads, nor

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projected schemes that had not to that date been constructed. A person who will take a map of Long Island and look at the lines as stated cannot fail to observe that the three systems of railroads cross and intersect each "other at numerous points, and competed on the same ground for travel and business that one railroad could easily handle. The effect of this situation was to have the sharpest kind of competition to secure the business, with the result that wherever competition could reach it was done at ruinous rates.

The first of these railroad systems to suc- cumb to the ruinous effects of this competition was the South Side system. It defaulted in the payment of interest upon its bonds, in 1874, and was unable to pay a large floating debt that had accumulated. Foreclosure proceedings were instituted upon a series of second mort- gage bonds to the amount of $1,000,000, and such proceedings were had that the road, its property and franchises were sold and bid in by parties representing the North Side system of railroads. The North Side system had been promoted and carried forward chiefly by Con- rad Poppenhusen, a gentleman of very large means, of the highest character and of a san- guine temperament. He had very limited ex- perience in railroad matters, and for a few years was a very important factor in railroad affairs on Long Island until he came to finan- cial grief.

Upon the purchase of the South Side prop- erty upon this foreclosure, a new corporation was organized, called the Southern Railroad Company. Its articles of association were filed in September, 1874. This new corporation succeeded to all the property and franchises of the old South Side Railroad, except a branch from Valley Stream to Hempstead, which had never been consolidated with the South Side Railroad. At this time it will be noted that the North Side system was now in harmony with the South Side system; that, while there was no actual consolidation, the same parties were owners of both systems of railroads. Considerable modification resulted from this uniformity of interests in the administration of the business of the two systems of railroads on the island. Very soon after the new corpora- tion was organized, it abandoned the branch from Valley Stream to Hempstead. There was a first mortgage upon that branch, which was subsequently foreclosed and the property sold. No attempt has ever been made to open that line of road since that date, and it is among the abandoned roads on the island. Another

change that was effected took place near Baby- lon. It will be remembered that when the Cen- tral Extension Railroad was constructed, it crossed the line of the South Side Railroad, continuing its way towards the Fire Island Dock. That part of it lying south of the South Side Railroad was abandoned, the track was taken up, and a curve put in at the junction, so as to make a connection with the South Side Railroad. No other material changes were made in this road until a subsequent event of great importance. For two years the fastest passenger trains were run from Patchogue to Babylon, thence over the Flushing, North Shore & Central Railroad, via Garden City and Flushing, to Hunter's Point.

Practically the railroad fight was now on against the Long Island Railroad by the com- bined roads on the north and south, although legally the two corporations, the north and the south, were still distinct properties. A war of rates continued with unsatisfactory results to the railroads. In 1875 the earnings of the Long Island Railroad were only $798,000; the Flushing, North Shore & Central, $429,691, and the Southern Road $340,000, making a total of $1,567,691. In 1876 a great change came, which was the precursor of the present Long Island Railroad system. Mr. Conrad Poppenhusen and a few of his associates bought out a majority of the stock of the Long Island Railroad, and thus for the first time . were all the railroad properties on Long Island brought under one harmonious control.

Immediately upon the control of all the railroads being substantially under one man- agement, changes were inaugurated to facili- tate business and combine the corporation under one management. To effect this object, a tripartite agreement or lease was executed between the three systems, by which the Long Island Railroad Company was the lessee of the North Side and South Side systems. This lease was dated in 1876. It is not out of place to state here that if these leases had been judi- cious and fair to all the corporations, at this point would have been established the perma- nent co-operation and the ultimate consolida- tion of all these roads. At the time the leases were executed, there were very sharp and con- flicting differences of opinion as to.the basis of the leases. On one side was a conservative element who contended for rates very different from those that were established by the con- tract. On the other hand, there was a sanguine element in the board who believed that if the whole system were relieved from the effects

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of competition the Long Island Railroad would be able justly and properly to assume the fixed charges established by the terms of the lease. The sequel showed that the conservative ele- ment was in the right, and that the sanguine element was doomed to a bitter disappoint- ment. The whole structure thus brought to- gether was doomed to fall apart, to be again reconstructed into the system now prevailing. The one weak point was the excess of fixed charges over and above that which the lessee road could, by any possibility, pay. It was the same rock upon which so many railroad schemes have been wrecked.

We will now turn our attention to changes that quickly followed the making of the lease, or tripartite agreement of 1876, many of which changes have remained to this day in the oper- ation of the road. The first change was to im- mediately stop the running of cars over the White Line, so-called, running from Newtown to Flushing. This line was soon thereafter entirely abandoned, and no attempt has ever been made to open it for public travel. The next most important change was to extend the western freight line of the southern system from the freight dock on Newtown Creek into the passenger station of the Long Island Rail- road, thus making it possible for the trains destined for the South Side system to depart from Long Island City and proceed via Fresh Pond to Jamaica, and from thence along the South Side Railroad. After this change was made, the continuance of transportation of passengers by dummy engines through the city of Brooklyn, from Bushwick to the East River, was discontinued, but the line from Fresh Pond to Bushwick was continued as a branch line or spur of the main line, a condition of things that still remains unchanged. Import- ant changes were also effected at Hunter's Point, which was then known as Long Island City, by connecting the line of the North Side division with the main line of the Long Island Railroad, and thus carrying the passenger trains of that division also into the Long Island Railroad depot on the south side of the ferry. A connection was also made between the tracks of the North Side division that ran to the north side of the ferry and the main line of the Long Island Railroad, and the property of the North Side division on the north side of the ferry became the principal depot for the receipt of freight for the united systems, and still continues the freight vard for New York freight. Another change of lesser importance,

but of great practical convenience, was effect- ed, by putting in a curve at Springfield Junc- tion, uniting the Rockaway branch of the Long Island Railroad with the main line of the Southern division, and transferring the through passenger business from the short line, cutting off from Jamaica to Springfield onto the Long Island main line as far as Rockaway Junction, and thence to Springfield on the New York and Rockaway Road, and from Spring- field eastward on the main line of the southern division. The effect of this was to get rid of one of two stations in the village of Jamaica, with its attendant expenses. Another change of minor importance was effected by abandon -- ing entirely the operation of the old line from Garden City to Hempstead. By these various minor changes two stations were gotten rid of in the village of Hempstead, one station in the village of Jamaica, and one station in the vil- lage of Flushing.

The roads were operated in this manner by the new management for about eighteen months, but the Long Island Railroad Com- pany became so embarrassed by the fixed charges and a rapidly accumulating floating debt that in the fall of 1877 it passed into the hands of a receiver, Mr. Thomas R. Sharp being appointed to that position. Then was entered upon a series of movements by bond- holders that would have dissipated and di- vided the scheme of union of the three sys- tems, except that the bondholders were 1111- able to see how it was possible to operate the separate divisions with anv better suc- cess than had been found in the former ex- perience ; and while they knew it was neces- sary to readjust matters, the general senti- ment on all sides seemed to be that there was no prosperity for the roads on Long Isl- and except by united management. The de- tails of the processes by which the new ad- justments were made would be tedious, and could only be fully stated bv reciting the pro- ceedings in full. The results only will be stated here. A mortgage on the Southern Railroad was foreclosed. thus cutting out the lease-hold right of the Long Island Railroad Company in that road, and temporarily sever- ing it from the Long island Railroad system. The purchasers under the mortgage foreclos- ure of the Southern Railroad of Long Island organized a new railroad corporation under date of November, 1870, under the name of the Brooklyn & Montauk Railroad Company, and took title to all of the South Side Rail-

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road system, except the line from Valley Stream to Hempstead, and also the line from Valley Stream to Far Rockaway, and thence along the Rockaway Beach, these properties not being covered by the mortgage fore- closed. The property covered by the mort- gage was the line from Brooklyn to Pat- chogue, and the branch from Fresh Pond to the junction with the New York & Flushing Railroad. The road from Valley Stream to Hempstead was mortgaged, and the bond- holders foreclosed that mortgage, but were never able to dispose of the line of road be- tween Valley Stream and Hempstead, and it has been abandoned to the present date. A mortgage upon the road from Valley Stream to Far Rockaway was foreclosed, and title to the same was taken by Henry Graves on such foreclosure. Thus Henry Graves be- came the purchaser of the line from Valley Stream to Far Rockaway. On the 19th day of December, 1882, Henry Graves conveyed this property from Valley Stream to Far Rockaway to the Brooklyn & Montauk Rail- road Company, and thus this branch railroad again became attached to the South Side sys- tem. The title to that piece of road from Far Rockaway westward along the beach passed to the Brooklyn & Montauk Railroad Company through the two foreclosures of the mortgage on the South Side Railroad and the mortgage on the Southern Railroad.

We will now turn our attention to the changes that were effected on the north side many of which were more radical than those effected on the south side. During the re- ceivership of Thomas R. Sharp, and about the year 1878, he determined to abandon the part of the line of the Central Railroad be- tween Flushing and the western line of the Stewart property, and effected a connection between the western end of the road on the Stewart property and the main line of the Long Island Railroad, thus bringing the pas- sengers who had formerly passed from Baby- lon westward to Long Island City, via Flush- ing, down on the main line to Long Island City. A foreclosure of the mortgage of the Central Railroad was effected in 1879, by which the title to that road passed to Egisto P. Fabbri. The policy having been entered upon of abandoning that line and yet pre- serving at each end of it a piece that might be of advantage to the contemplated system, Mr. Fabbri, in October, 1879, conveyed to the Long Island Railroad Company a por-

tion of the eastern end of the old Central Railroad between Creedmoor and the cross- ing of the main line of the Long Island Rail- road. A curve was put in between the main line and this piece of road, and thus the Long Island Railroad Company became entitled to the spur from Floral Park to Creedmoor. A piece of this road in the village of Flush- ing was at a later date conveyed to the Long Island City and Flushing Railroad Company.

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 48

Author: Ross, Peter. cn Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1188

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188