History of Cattaraugus County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 14

Author: Franklin Ellis and Eugene Arns Nash
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" Why is there not a fair prospect of as extensive a mart and large city at the intersection of the Genesee Canal and railroad with the Allegany River as any in the interior of America ? It will have at least as many advantages as Buffalo."

The survey was made by Major Hughes, under direction of the United States Topographical Department, and com- menced at Olean, July 17, 1837 (he having previously surveyed the upper river from Potato Creek), with no refer- ence to the project of slack-water navigation, but with view to ascertain the practicability of rendering the river navi- gable for steamboats, by narrowing and thus deepening the channel at certain points where rapids occur. His report was very favorable. After particularizing in it the results of his observation and survey, he said : " From the foregoing facts it must be apparent that there can be no serious difficulty in improving the navigation of the Alle- gany River for steamboats from Pittsburgh to Olean, or Potato Creek, some twenty miles higher up; and I feel confident in asserting that the expense of the improvement will be very small when compared with the vast importance of the great interests which it is calculated to subserve." After having given the results of his estimates of the cost of the work on that part of the river below Warren, Pa., he continues : " A further sum of $438,733 would com- plete the works to Olean, or to the mouth of Potato Creek, and construct such piers in the river as the wants of com- merce might require, at certain points, for artificial harbors, particularly at the debouche of the Gencsee Valley Canal, which will be either at Olean or at Allegany City, a few

miles lower down ; possibly it may terminate at both these points, thus making a total probable cost of the improve- ment, $877,466, of which not over $100,000 could be advantageously expended the first year, and of this a con- siderable portion would be spent in procuring the necessary boats, machinery, and tools, opening quarries, and making those very minute examinations which should always pre- cede the location of works of this description." Another object had in view in this survey (and also its result) is men- tioned in Major Hughes' report as follows : " By my instruc- tions from the Topographical Department I was required to examine into the practicability of constructing a canal along the valley of the Allegany. As far as the Broken Straw there never was a better valley for an independent canal, and on the northern side too, fortunately, is the best ground for the purpose. The worst side-hills might be avoided by making the dams for the feeders immediately below them. The fall of the river is such, generally, that only a few miles of guard-bank, to protect the canal from freshets below the feeder-dams, will be necessary."

The mill-dams, mentioned by Major Hughes as being the chief obstructions in the upper river, were regarded with great hostility by those interested in the navigation. Meet- ings were held to take measures to rid the river of these, and, in particular, a " river convention," held at Ellicottville, Nov. 29, 1837, resolved, that having commenced a war against these unlawful obstructions, they would never aban- don the contest until the object was accomplished. Finally, actions were brought against some of the proprietors of these dams, and, after long litigation, the matter was defi- nitely set at rest by a decision in favor of the Hemlock Mills, as defendant, it being shown conclusively that the dam of the Hemlock Mills was an absolute advantage instead of an obstruction to navigation. This decision was rendered at the October term of court, at Ellicottville, in 1843.

The "Allegany Slack-Water Navigation Company" was incorporated by act passed May 1, 1839, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, in fifty-dollar shares. The corporators named in the act were Samuel Budlong, Philan- der Raymond, Samuel W. Bradley, Timothy H. Porter, Dudley C. Bryan, and others, and the five gentlemen named were the first directors, with Mr. Bradley as president of the board. The object of this company was to improve the Allegany River by means of locks and dams, and they were "authorized to construct and maintain for a period of thirty years a slack-water navigation on the Allegany River, from the village of Olean up to the Pennsylvania line, by dams of suitable height, and locks of dimensions to admit the free passage of such boats and craft as may navigate the Gene- see Valley Canal ;" and they were allowed "to charge and collect reasonable rates of toll on the transit of all property passing thereon, to be assessed by the Canal Commission- ers." The "Allegany River Slack-Water Improvement Company" was a projected organization to slack-water the river from Olean down to the (contemplated) Buffalo and Pittsburgh railroad-crossing of the Allegany, and to this end a survey of that portion of the river was made in June, 1851, by Messrs. P. White and A. C. Bishop, the latter of the Engineer Corps of the Genesee Valley Canal. Little came of this project more than the survey mentioned.

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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Schemes for steam navigation on the Allegany, instead of dying out as would naturally be expected on the opening of the Erie Railroad, seem to have been revived in consequence of that event; for on the 2d of August, 1851, about three months after the opening of that road, we find that a meeting was held at Portville pursuant to adjournment, and having for its object the formation of a company for the purpose of building and running a steamboat or steamboats on the river. Smith Parish was called to the chair; An- drew Mead and W. F. Wheeler were made Vice-Presidents, and Lemuel Smith, Secretary.

"The subscription committee reported about six thou- sand dollars of stock subscribed, and the committee to draft articles of association reported progress.

"After hearing and discussing several propositions from ship-builders, machinists, and other practical men in relation to the size, draught, tonnage, amount of steam-power re- quired for a boat, etc., etc., it was Resolved, That the amount of subscriptions already received warrant us to pro- ceed to elect a President and Board of Directors to take charge and manage the affairs of this company.

"Resolved, That a committee be appointed to nominate such officers. E. Willard, L. Smith, and A. S. Arnold being appointed such committee, reported the following officers : Lemuel Smith, President; Asa P. Stetson, Vice- President; Andrew Mead, Smith Parish, John Midaugh, Solomon Startwell, John C. Devereux, Jr., and Eleazer Har- mon, Esq., Directors.

" The report being adopted, the officers announced by the committee were appointed." This project, of course, came to naught, like those of the carlier days; but for fully ten years after this time there were many who professed to have faith in the ultimate accomplishment of the old delusive dream of the profitable navigation of the upper Allegany River by steam.

In the mean time the progress made in the construction of the canal had been most discouragingly slow, after the completion of the first section in 1840. When the com- missioners made their report of that year on the progress of the work, to the effect that excepting the reservoirs and a small amount of other work the remainder of the line was all under contract, it was added that the (then) prices of labor and provisions were low, enabling the contractors to carry on the work to advantage, and that " no difficulty need be experienced in completing the canal by the end of the year 1842;" but when the promised time came it saw the work virtually suspended, and then for many years the friends of the enterprise experienced to the full that sick- ness of heart which comes from hope deferred. At last, in the year 1851, a quarter of a century from the time of the first survey by Engineer Roberts, another division was com- pleted, and opened to Oramel, seventy-eight miles from Rochester. It was extended to Belfast, two miles farther, in 1853, and to Rockville, eighty-three miles from Roches- ter, in 1854.

The canal was completed to Olean in 1856, and the first boat upon it entered Cattaraugus County on Saturday, the fourth day of October. A notice of that event appeared in a Cuba newspaper (the American Banner) of the next week, as follows: " By the perseverance and energy of

Superintendent Chambers, a boat left Oramel on Friday morning for Hinsdale. It arrived at Cuba on Friday even- ing about five o'clock, and was received with great rejoicing, the firing of cannon, etc., by the people of the village. Quite a large number of persons were on board, accompanied by a band of music. An American flag floated on the breeze, and cheer upon cheer went up as the boat passed along. At six o'clock the people of Cuba formed a proces- sion, preceded by a band of music, and marched to the boat. S. M. Russell, Esq., called the meeting to order in a few brief and appropriate remarks, after which he introduced Gen. C. T. Chamberlain, who addressed the meeting about half an hour in a neat and feeling speech. Speeches were also made by M. B. Champlain, Wilkes Angel, and others.

" On Saturday morning the boat passed on as far as Hins- dale. The low stage of the water below Hinsdale prevented the boat going as far as Olean, and it accordingly returned the same evening to Cuba.

" A large amount of lumber is already on the banks of the canal, ready for shipment, and we may expect a large lumber business will be transacted all along the line."

The rejoicings at Olean and other points were as enthusi- astic as at Cuba and Hinsdale. But the end was not yet. An act of the Legislature was passed in 1856, authorizing the extension of the canal to Mill Grove in the town of Portville, and was soon after built to that point, where it entered the slack-water of the river, at Mill Grove Pond, 12 miles above the point where its junction with the river had first been contemplated. This extension was made with the consent and approval of the people of Olean, who after- wards had cause to regret that the original plan had ever been changed.

Thus, after a period of twenty years had elapsed from the actual commencement of its construction, the Genesee Val- ley Canal was completed to the Allegany. It opened a new outlet for the lumber of Cattaraugus County, and in this and other ways proved advantageous to the community, but it never realized a tithe of the expectations which had been based upon its construction, and possibly never reimbursed the State for the outlay necessary to keep it in repair.

After having been in operation for twenty-two years with these results, the canal was finally closed and abandoned Sept. 30, 1878, under authority of an act of Legislature providing for the sale of the lateral canals, and requiring the abandonment of this, at the time above named. By that law provision is made with reference to water-privi- leges, so as to protect present occupants. The material, locks, and bridges are to be sold at public auction after due notice. Where the canals run through farming lands the land is to be conveyed to the adjacent owner. Streams which have been diverted from their natural courses, when not otherwise needed or used, are to be restored to their natural channels, so as not to flow into the prisms of the abandoned canals. The beds of the canals may be disposed of to railroad companies. No person or corporation shall have any claim against the State for or by reason of the abandonment or discontinuance of the said canals or any of them.

The abandonment was enforced in the face of strong dis- approbation, expressed by public meetings and otherwise.

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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.

It has inflicted great wrong in many cases upon private and local interests ; and is regarded by many as a manifest out- rage against a class of business men who had been induced to embark in enterprises and make investments in good faith, on the implied pledge of the State to continue and maintain the work.

CONNEWANGO CANAL PROJECT.

The Canal Commissioners were directed, by act of Legis- lature passed May 3, 1839, to cause a route for a canal to be surveyed from the Erie Canal, at or near Buffalo, on the most eligible route to the Allegany River, at the State line, near Warren, Pa. The survey was made in the summer of 1839 by Davis Hurd and Erastus Hurd, two experienced engineers, whose report to the commissioners was presented to the Legislature Feb. 8, 1840. The canal was to follow the shore of Lake Erie from Buffalo to the valley of Cattaraugus Creek, and from thence two routes were reported, one of which passed through the county of Cattaraugus, viz. : " up the valley of Cattaraugus Creek to the village of Lodi fourteen miles twenty-one chains, and thence diverging to the south, it ascends through the valley of Thatcher's Brook to the dividing ridge which separates the waters of the Cattaraugus from those of the Connewango, from which it descends along the valley of the Connewango to the State line." The total length of this route, from Buffalo to the State line, was eighty-two miles sixty chains, and the estimated cost of a canal of ordinary size along this route was $1,947,637.41 with wooden locks, or $3,156,525.04 with stone locks. By adopting the Connc- wango Creek as a canal for about eighteen miles, a reduc- tion of $57,151.29 was estimated; but by that means the route would be lengthened three miles forty-eight chains. This canal project never progressed beyond the favorable report of the engineers.

THE ERIE RAILWAY .*

The one enterprise of internal improvement which sur- passes all others in importance to the southern tier of coun- ties of New York, and particularly to Cattaraugus ; the project whose completion was the dawn of prosperity to this sequestered region, and whose benefits to this county have been greater than those resulting from any and all public works within its boundaries, is the Eric Railway.

At the very early time when this great enterprise was conceived and commenced, the public mind in general re- garded the project as altogether chimerical, and its authors as visionary schemers who had undertaken a work imprac- ticable in itself, if not impossible; and that even if it were within the bounds of possibility to overcome the barriers which nature had placed in the way of its accomplishment, the expense incurred must be so vast that no adequate re- turn on the outlay could ever be reasonably expected. The

incredulity and ridicule thus encountered was no small ob- stacle to success; and in addition to this, and to the natural obstructions which barred the way of the enterprise, it was, from first to last, surrounded by more formidable financial embarrassments than have often been met in the prosecu- tion of a similar work. Its financial difficulties, however, great as they were, and may still be, were never commen- surate with the physical obstacles which were surmounted or removed by the indomitable energy of its constructors. " Scaling lofty mountains, skirting rugged precipices, skim- ming through fertile valleys, and bridging broad rivers ; connecting the Hudson and Susquehanna, the St. Lawrence and the Ohio, and spreading its terminal branches along the shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario, well has it been said that this magnificent monument of national enterprise is as important in our civilization as was the Appian Way, in the ' most high and palmy days of Rome.'"

" The Legislature of New York, by an act passed April 24, 1832, incorporated Samuel Swartwout, Stephen Whit- ney, and their several associates as 'The New York and Erie Railroad Company,' with authority to construct a single, double, or treble railroad or way from the city of New York to Lake Erie; commencing at the city of New York, or at such point in its vicinity as shall be most eligible and convenient therefor, and to continue said railroad through the southern tier of counties, by way of Owego, in the county of Tioga, to the shore of Lake Erie, at some eligible point between the Cattaraugus Creek and the Pennsylvania line; with power to transport, take, and carry property and persons upon the same, by the power and force of steam, of animals, or of any mechanical or other power, or of any combination of them, for the term of fifty years."

By the terms of its charter, the company was obliged to commence operations within four years ; to complete one- quarter part of the road in ten years; one-half in fifteen years; and the entire length in twenty years. Their author- ized capital was $10,000,000, but they could commence operations upon receiving subscriptions to the amount of one million.t The State reserved the right, after the ex- piration of ten, and within fifteen years from the comple- tion of the road, to take it with its fixtures for public use, on paying the cost of it, with interest added at fourteen per cent. per annum. The company organized in 1835, with James G. King as president.

The first experimental surveys were made in 1834, by the State, under the direction of Benjamin Wright, C.E., with whom there were afterwards associated in the work Moncure Robinson, of Pennsylvania, and Jonathan Knight, of Maryland. Charles Ellet, Jr., had charge as division en- gineer of the surveys between Owego and Lake Erie. It was then proposed to fix the Lake Erie terminus of the road at Dunkirk or Portland Harbor; and Mr. Ellet re- ported to his superior that, in order to reach either of these termini from the summit dividing the waters of the Alle- gany from those of Lake Eric, it would be necessary to

t Timothy H. Porter and Henry Saxton were appointed commis- sioners to open books and receive subscriptions in Cattaraugus County. The subscriptions here, however, did not reach a large amount.

* This name, though not the present title of the road or of the com- pany operating it, is applied here because it is the one most familiar in the community, and is still in general use. The first name of the line was " The New York and Erie Railroad," and so it continued till after its completion, when it was changed to that of "The Erie Railway," a name universally known in this country, and hardly less so in England. It has been changed recently to that of " New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad."

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HISTORY OF CATTARAUGUS COUNTY, NEW YORK.

resort to the expedient of an inclined plane, at a point about five miles (in a right line) distant from the lake.

The portion of the report of Messrs. Wright, Robinson, and Knight (made to the president and directors of the company, Sept. 3, 1835) which refers to the construction of an inclined plane at the place above mentioned is as fol- lows :

" The descent to Lake Erie would, on the line deemed by the chief engineer the most eligible of those surveyed, be effected principally by a single lift of five hundred and six feet. Had an inclined plane or planes been found indispensable at the Shawangunk, it would not probably be advisable at this point to avoid a graduation, on which auxiliary power would bo requisite,-the plane which has been pro- posed. It will certainly, however, be a material object to get rid of the only plane, in relation to which there appears to be a question, on the proposed line of railroad. Should it be found necessary to intro- duce it, either trains of cars must be divided in passing it,-in which case much delay would arise and the capability of the road would bo seriously impaired,-or, if the whole train were taken up at once, a strength and weight unnecessary on other portions of the railroad must be given to the couplings of all the cars and carriages employed on the line, and of the locomotives and tenders which may ascend and descend the plane.

" To avoid, if practicable, these inconveniences, it is recommended that further examination, preliminary to a location, be made between the Allegany River and Lake Erie. If it should result from them that a line, in other respects equal, and not exceeding in graduation fifty or sixty feet per mile, can be obtained between the summit and Lake Erie, the undersigned, under all the circumstances of the case, would deem it more advisable to adopt it, and to look to the use of auxiliary power upon it, than to introduce the inclined plane which has been proposed.

" A review of some of the experimental lines traced by the chief engineer in 1834 encourages us to believe that such a line may be practicable, and that the change of plan recommended may be attended with a reduction of distance of from cight to ten miles. If it should appear to be otherwise, or that an inclined plane or planes are un- avoidable, the undersigned would then recommend, if ground suitable for the purpose can be obtained, a division of the elevation into two inclined planes. The capability of the road would in this way be less impaired, the risk of serious accidents diminished, and the wear and tear, as well as the first cost of the rope or chain employed, materially lessened.

" It will appear, on a review of what has been above stated, that stationary power will not be requisite on the line of proposed improve- ment, unless in the neighborhood of Lake Erie, and future surveys may perhaps show that it can be dispensed with at this point."

As indicative of the ideas then prevailing, even among accomplished and experienced engineers, in reference to railroad tracks and locomotive power,* a further extract is given from the report. It shows, among other facts, that the original plan of the Erie road contemplated the use of a wooden rail, capped with flat-bar iron, for all the road except the eastern division. The report proceeded as fol- lows :

"The undersigned, after a careful consideration of the subject, would recommend for the portion of the railroad west of the mouth of the Callicoon, as being sufficient and more economical than any other, a superstructure of wood and iron, consisting of the usual cross-sill, the longitudinal wooden rail, and framed in the usual man- ner by notches and keys. Such a superstructure for a single track, executed in a superior manner, would cost about three thousand dol-

lars per mile, and would admit of the use of locomotive engines of six tons weight, and capable of drawing on the level parts of the road loads of sixty tons at the rate of seventeen miles per hour, or on grades of twenty-five feet per mile the same loads at a speed of seven or eight miles per hour.

"To transport such loads at somewhat diminishod speed on the steeper portions of the eastern division would require engines of eight tons, and this weight of locomotive the undersigned deem it most ex- pedient to employ on this portion of the railroad. To sustain the action of such a locomotive the plate-rail does not appear to be ade- quate. It will be more judiciously determined after the definitive location of the road what form of bar and what form of securing it will be best adapted to the character of the roadway which may be obtained. It will be sufficient at this time to say that the malleable bar or edge-rail will be requisite east of the Callicoon .. If, on a definitive location, this portion of the line should be materially re- lieved as to curvature, a rail similar in its section to that of the Cam- den and Amboy Railroad, but weighing about fifty pounds to the yard, will probably be most expedient. If not, it will be advisable to adopt a rail of such form as may be more easily and accurately sprung into the curves adopted on different points of the roadway. . . . One or, at most, two auxiliary engines only will be requisite on the whole length of the contemplated work, and the load of an engine, at the rates of velocity which are proposed (which will be equal to an average speed of from twelve to fourteen miles per hour), will, on both the eastern and western divisions of the railroad, be sixty tons gross, or, allowing thirty-three and one-third per cent. for the weight of cars, about fifty tons net. Should a higher velocity be deemed ex- pedient, with a view to the better accommodation of the travel, there will be no difficulty in obtaining it by a corresponding diminution of tonnage. Supposing a reduction of one-half in the weight of the load, or the useful effect of a locomotive, this would still be equivalent to the transportation of two hundred passengers and their baggage.

"The above results are certainly more favorable than we should have anticipated from the general character of the country through which the proposed improvement is to be conducted, and will proba- bly be considered by the board of directors affording additional in- ducements towards the prosecution of the important work committed to their charge."

In accordance with the suggestion, made in the report of Judge Wright and his associates, for a further examina- tion of the route between the Allegany and Lake Erie, preliminary to a final location, the company, in 1836, em- ployed Captain Tallcott and Major Courtenay, of the United States Engineers, to revise the surveys through Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties, for the purpose of ascertaining if the inclined plane at the western end of the road could not be avoided. These engineers, after exam- ining the entire country, finally discovered a line between Mud Lake summit and Dunkirk which, although very expensive, would admit of a grade of sixty-eight feet per mile; and they recommended the company to adopt this line, as being the best that could possibly be obtained be- tween the Allegany Valley and Lake Erie.

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History of Cattaraugus County, New York, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 14

Author: Franklin Ellis and Eugene Arns Nash Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: Franklin Ellis and Eugene Arns Nash
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: