History of Monroe county, New York with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, Palatial residences, Part 17

Author: McIntosh, W. H. cn; Everts, Ensign, and Everts, Philadelphia, pub
Publication date: 1877
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Ensign and Everts
Number of Pages: 976

USA > New York > Monroe County > History of Monroe county, New York with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, Palatial residences > Part 17

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In 1837 a bill was passed in the legislature authorizing the Utiea and Schenee- tady railroad to carry freight, and the aet was shortly afterward so amended as to concede the privilege of transporting baggage free. Meantime, work upon the Rochester and Auburu railroad had been vigorously pushed hy various contractors. . The contract for grading the first seventeen miles east of Rochester was let to Messrs. Vedder, Vedder & Co. Hiram Darrow, a Seneca farmer in Ontario, was the "boss," and later was conductor. Bartholomew Vrooman, of Canaud.igna, had helped to build the Albany and Schenectady road, and was employed ay fore- man and track-layer. James Bjugins kept the first boarding-house where work began. The first locomotive was called the "Young Lion,"-a "pony" engine from the Norris shops. It was brought west on a canal-boat, and used for con- struction. Asa Goodale was the engineer, and Joseph Iloffman was the first fire- man. Other engines were the Ontario and Columbus, later received. The Ou- tario was ruu by William Ifart, and the Columbus by Newell. Closely following the grading came the laying of the track. On September S, 1840, the first time- table was published. Trains were to run on September 10, leaving Rochester at 4 A.M. and 5 p.M., and, on their return, leave Canandaigua at 6 .A. M. and i P.M. A train left Rochester on the morning of September 10, as advertised, in charge of William Failing, who is yet living. Heman Miller was baggage-man. The " Youug Lion" reached Canandaigua Saturday evening, and returned to Rochester on Monday. A second time-table, fall arrangement, for freiglit and passengers, went into operation September 22. Thee trains were run daily, leaving Rochester at 4.30 A.M., 10 A.J., and 5 P.M., and Canandaigua 6.30 A.t., 2.30 P.M., and at 5 P.M. The first coaches were conveyed un canal-boats from the shops of Lyon, of Utica, to Rochester. They were unloaded at the I'nited States hotel, and drawn to the depot by horses. The first car-load of freight shipped on this line was of mutton tallow, loaded at Victor, and drawn to Rochester. As winter came on, trains were withdrawn. William Failing was placed in charge of a construc- tion train at Canandaigua, and worked upon a fill known as the Padelford em- bankment. So steadily did the work progress during the winter and ensuing spring that, on Monday, July 5, 1811, an excursion train from Rochester passed over the road to Seneca Falls and returned. The bridge over Cayuga lake way finished the last of September, and by November the road was open to Albany. The director of the road in 1437 were Henry Dwight and Robert C. Nichols, of Geneva; James D Bemis, Alexander Duncan, and Peter Townsend, of Conandai- gua; lames Seymour, of Rochester. Henry Pardee, of Victor; David Short, of Manchester; David M.Neil, of Phelps; John Sinclair, of Waterloo; Samuel J. Bayard, of Sencea Falls, and one or two others. On March 30, James E. Bomis

HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

was chosen president. On July 24, 1837, wooden rails were employed till iron could be obtained. A double track was laid in 1344 between Cauardaiuna and Geneva, but ere long one of them was removed, a single track being found suffi- cient. The construction of that road was of the crude order. Six by six seant- ling were fastened to the ties by L-shaped chairs, placed outside the rail, and spiked to it and the tie beneath. Upon the scantling, up with the inner edge. a strap of iron, two inches wide and three-fourths of an inch thick, was spiked. The first engines were single-drivers, with small trail cars under the cah, which 'consisted of a roof from which hung oil cloth as a protection from the weather. The first cars were four-wheeled. A dark-hued second-class train was put on and run for a time, but the " Ilyena train," as it was terme.l, became popolar from its low fare, and was withdrawu. In 1843 the cars were low and ill ventilated. There were no projections over the platform to protect the brakemen. Engines with four drivers were placed on the road. Smoke-stacks were made upright from the boiler one-fourth their length, then bent backward at an angle of forty- five degrees for half their length, then vertical and in the shape of an inverted cone. This bend was to arrest sparks. There were no pilots The first track was soon superseded by an eight by eight inch timber track, with a narrow strip upon the eentre ot the wooden rail. the same width of the imon strap mail above. An iron rail was lail in 1848, and this and other roads were provided with strel rails in 1875. In this connection we quete the language of O Reilly, made use of in 1838 as a prediction apparently visionary yet practicable and probable. " As the whole route between Auburn and Albany will be completed about the same time as the Rochester and Auburn Railroad. we may anticipate that, in the course of three years. the journey between Rochester and New York will be made by railroad and steamboat within twenty-four hours, or between sunrise ou one day and the same period the following day."

The Tonnwanda Railroad was chartered April 24, 1832, for fifty years. The capital stock was $500.000, in shares of one hundred dollars each. The entire cost of construction, for right of way. cars, locomotives, depots. etc., was over seven hundred thousand dollars. The president of the company was David E. Evans ; the vice-president, Jonathan Childs : the treasurer, A. M. Schermerhorn ; and the secretary, Frederick Whittlescy. The road superintendent was David Scott; engineers, Messrs. Hayden and Smith : agenty and collectors on train were Messrs. Lyman, Fitch, Dauerry, and Wilbarky. The agent at Rochester was A. Sprague, and the road engineer was Elisha Johnsou. On November 21, 1834, the road was completed west to South Byron, in Genesce county, twenty- four miles from Rochester. Business was reported promising, and a fair returo for investment. The speed attained was an average of a mile in two and a half minutes. Regalar trips with a locomotive were announced for December 16, 1836, from Rochester to Byron, and seven miles' staging to Batavia. On April 4, 1837, great expectations began to be cherished from the passage of a train with fifteen freight ears, on which there were conveyel one handred barrels of flour, besides other produce, and passenger cars. from whose passengers a toll of' one bandred dollars was taken for the trip. On May 8, 1837, a meeting was called at the court-house in Rochester. Silas O. Smith was called to the chair, and Messrs. Sage, Barton, Haight. E. D. Smith, and Daniels were appointed com- mittee on celebration. The excursion took place May 11, 1835. The rate was thirty miles an hour. The day was fine. The train was crowded. They reached Churchville in forty minutes. At Batavia, the terminus, the road was lined for a mile with people, and the arrival of the train was greeted with the firing of cannon and continued cheering. The object of the road was the transportation of passengers principally, but the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser thus anticipated : " The carrying of produce and merchandise will be a very important item of receipts. It will give, by comparison of business done upon the road last fall, an aggregate of more than ten thousand tons annually, requiring at last one hundred freight ears, drawn by locomotives. It will. at any rate, atd in defraying, if it does not quite defray, the expenses of passenger trains, and leave almost the entire income from passengers a clear profit." The passenger cars upon the road were about fifteen feet in length, with two cross-seats at each- end, holding three or four persons each. - There was an upper story in the centre for the same number, and the space underneath was appropriated to baggage. A car would contain twenty-four passengers. The construction of the road was anomalous. There were shopers twenty feet long,-large lage flattened on one side .- there were a three by four pine scautling and a two and a half-inch strap rail spiked down together. This was found liable to sake-heads or loose ends, and a three- inch thicker band was substituted. Finally, the Trail was obtained. The mad was completed to Buffdo in 1840, and was roomdilated with the Attica and Buffalo road in 1850. As opportunity for contrast, receipts of the road from Rochester to Byron for the first two weeks of operation in 1836 are given: "September 2:31, 6 tons silt ; 234, 500 H. freight : 24th. firight, 25 ets. ; 20th, passengers, 25 ets. ; 27th. passengers, $1.50, and freight, 600 lbs .; 25th, passen-

gers, 50 ets. ; 29th, passengers, $1.00 ; 30th, $1 00 ; October 1st, 18 bbla. salt. ; 3d, 75 cts., 3 bbls. salt ; 4th, passengers. $1.03, 17 bbls, salt, freight, 200 lhs." From such beginnings has the present grown.

The Buffalo und Rochester Ruitrend Company was organized October 8, 1850. The capital was $1.825,000. The company was formed by the consolidation of the Tonawanda and the Attica and Butldo Railroad Companies, At a meeting held December, 1550, the following-named directory were chosen : Dean Rich- mond, Ilenry Martin. F. H. Tows, Guus B. Rich, D. W. Tomlin-oo, Joseph Field, Frederick Whittlesey, Asa Sprague, George II. Mumford, Heman J. Red- field, James Brisbane, Samuel Dana, and Wmu. F. Weld. At a meeting of these directors Joseph Field was elected president ; Dean Richmond, vice-president ; Ilenry Martin, superintendent ; F. Whittlesey, secretary ; and J. C. Putnam, treas- urer. The road was opened for business in 1852, and a year later was with others consolidated to form part of the New York Central.

The Niagara Falls Branch of the New York Central was began as the Lock- port and Niagara Falls Road, organized April 24, 1834. with $175 000 capital. On December 10, 1850, a company of New York capitalists purchased the Lockport and Niagara Falls Road, and set about the improvement of that portion and the construction of a road vastward to Rochester. It was conditioned that the local subscription for the Niagara Falls, Lockport, and Rochester Railroad should be $225,000, while the capitalists promised the complement of eost. The amount was promptly raised. At a meeting of the stockholders the following directors were choseo : Joseph B. Varnam and Edward Whitehouse, of New York; Watts Shermao, of Albany ; Freeman Clarke, Silas O. Smith, and A. Boody, of Rochester; Alexis Ward and Roswell W. Burrows, of Albion ; and Elias B. Ilolmes, of Brockport. At a later meeting, J. B. Varoom was elected president; Alexis Ward, vice-president; and Freeman Clarke, treasurer. The length of the road is seventy seven miles. The road was opened in 1852, aod merged in the New York Central in 1853.

The Rochester and Charlotte was organized with a capital of $100,000, on May 3, 1852, and shortly after its completion in 1853 was consolidated with the New York Central. The Rochester and Syracuse Road was chartered August 1, 1850, and a company formed with a capital of 81,200.000. Consolidated in 1853.

The New York Central Ruitroud is the result. of the consolidation of the various roads hitherto noted, together with others, thereby to obtain uniformity of time, rates, and general management. The act allowing the consolidation passed the legislature April 2, 1853, and was carried into effect on May 17 following. The united capital amounted to 823.085,600, and debts were assumed equal to $1,947,815.72. Stock was taken at various rates, according to the standing of each road, and each stockholler received a like amount of stock of the new com- pany at par, except the Troy and Scheucetady road, which was valued at seventy- five dollars per one hundred dollars, and twenty-five dollars was required as difference in exchange of stock. Bunds bearing semi-annual six per cent. interest were issued for differences, these honds being payable May 1, 1853. The statis- ties of the road for the year ending September 30, 1858, give, length of track, 355.88 miles; side track. 311.80; capital stock authorized by law. 821.182.400 ; fonded debt, $14,402,634.69; total cost, 830.732,517.54; earnings for year end- ing September 30, 1858, $6,528, 112.70 ; running expenses, 83,487.202.67 ; divi- dends, $1,919,564 .; passengers, 2.124,439 ; tona freight, 142,691,178. Statistics of the condition and business of the New York Central and its branches, in 1874, indicate the progress of the age and the growth of railroad improvements. The total length of the road was 740.17 miles; the length of double track was 465.30 miles; the length of three-track road was 23.69 miles; the length of four-track road was 222.19 miles; the main track is laid with steel rails, weighing sixty- five pounds per yard ; there were. besides. 200.03 miles of leased road ; the total length of all the tracks was 2359.39 miles; the capital stock amounted to 889,428,300, including 8439,100 of consolidated certificates uot then presented for conversion ; the floating debt was a trifle ; the average rate of interest on the funded debt is sis and one-half per cent. : the total cost of the road and equip- ments was stated to be 802,506.503.97, a heavy increase over a previous report ; the number of miles run by passenger trains during the year was 4. 135,221 ; by freight trains, 0,980,040; miles ran by switching and working trains, 4.220, 1+2; total distance run, 18,636,703, sufficient to compass the earth five hundred atl forty-five times; passengers carried, 9,878,352: freight carried, G.111,658 tons; the total average of tous carried one mile was 3,391,500,707 ; average rate of passenger trains in motion. thirty miles; of express train-, thirty-five in motion ; and of freight trains, fifteen miles; of freight carried, twenty-even-one-hundredths was vegetable food, and nin teen-one-hundredths manufactures; the rate of fare, first-class way, was two cents per mile , the earnings were $31,650,386.72; ex- penses of transportation. $1-,38 -. 257.56, net earnings, $13.262,089.16; tho dividends equated 87.136.881.60. The following details are of interest: pas- senger earnings per train urile, $1.69 ; expcuses, 81.03; freight, per ton per mile,

HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

earnings, 82.03; expenses, 81 37. The Central di pot at Rochester is rich in retai- niscence and mutations The site was occupied by Meests. Evard Peck and Walter 8. Griffith, and is located between the west bank of the Genesce and Mill street, upon which it fronts. The oll de put was erected in ISED. It was a long, low, wooden building, within which were six tracks, the freight yard, and all else of pertinence to a terminus. A single track led out towards Canandaigua. To the west there was nune. At the northwest cora r stood the oll turu-table. Superintendent Robert Highum was succeeded by Ass Sprague, followed by Charles Dutton. The first paymaster was ficorge A. Leet, then followed by A. J. Hurlow, succeeded by Win, J. Hurd. The first depot master was Joho Shol- tus, followed by S. C. Donelly. The first ticket agent was Julen B. Robertson, and his immediate successor was C. A. W. Sherman. In 1>31, Mr. C. A. Jones finished the depot now standing. The old one within was demolished. Many men are now employed about the place. Win. Il Smith, the depot master, has a hundred men employed about the depot. The baggage handled averages fifteen hundred pieces daily. I. James has been baggage recorder for fifteen years, and Albert Coursen, baggage-ealler. There is more baggage handled bere than at any other in the State, save at the Grand Central, New York. Alwut the depot are car inspectors, car cleaners, police, and gitemen, the last two in the dirvet interest of the traveling publie. Men serve here for life. Robert Ray has served over forty years, Jatues Gleason twenty-eight years, and others nearly as long. The greatest sale of tickets for any day was to attend the State fair. in 18G4, when the amount reached 85000. Through the southern towns of Rush and Mendon, winding ca-tward from the Genesee to Canandaigua, is a railroad built by a company incorporated December 10, 1850, as the Canandaigua aud Niagara Falls Railroad Company. The capital was one million. The road was . opened to Batavia, a distance of fifty miles from Canandaigua, by January 1, 1853; to Niagara Falls, forty-seven miles farther, by July 1 following; and to the Sus- pension bridge, one and one-half miles. on April 1, 1854. The road was sold, on March 22, 1857, to James M. Browu and others, and the name changed to Niagara Bridge and Canandaigua Railroad. The road is now merged in the New York Central,

The Rochester und Genesce Valley Railroad extends southwestward from Rochester to Avon, a distance of 18.25 miles. It traverses the towns of Brighton, Henrietta, and Rush, and its course in the latter towa is near the easteru bank of the Genesee river. The movement to construct the road was made at a meeting held December 27, 1850, where John Vernam was chosen president, Wm. F. Cuyler, vice-president, and B. Y. Howard and J. R. Boud, secretaries. At an adjourned meeting, held in the village of Mount Morris, on January 15, 1851, articles of association were drawn and adopted. and a board of thirteen directors appointed. It was decided to namne the road the " Genesce Valley Railroad." John Vernam was chosen president The subject was agitated, but nothing accomplished for some time. On March 19, 1:51. the following board of directors was chosen : James Falkner, Charles II. Curral, Jamies S. Wadsworth. John Ver- Dam, Daniel Fitzhugh, Allen Ayrault, Elijah F. Smith, William Pitkin, Azariah Boody, Aaron Hrouson. Levi A. Ward, and Freeman Clarke. The directors elected James S. Wadsworth, Esq .. president of the board. and Freeman Clarke secretary and treasurer. It was agreed. by subscription to articles of association, - that the capital stuck should be $800,000, and the title of Rochester and Genesce Valley Railroad was adopted an corporate name of the association. Committees on subscription were appointed. The question of funds was the occasion of con- eiderable controversy, and the citizens of Rochester becoming interested, it was proposed to vote upon a proposition to appropriate 8300.000 in aid of the proposed road. The vote was had September 30, 1551, and was greatly iu favor of the movement. Work was cotumeneed in 1852. and the road was opened tu Avon in 1854. In the fall of 1858 there had been paid in 8555. 150.10. and there was outstanding a debt of $150,000. The caruings for the year ending September 30, 1858, were $37,280.57.

The Lake Ontario Railroad, from O-wego to Lewiston, through the northern towns of Monroe, was completed early in 1976. The evatractors were the firm of Jolin Hunter & Co .. of Stirling. Among officers of the road were James K. Ford, chief engineer ; J. W. Moak, superintendent; and II, II. Houston, road- master. The line extends through a well-known fruit region, and promises a remunerative traffic.

The State Line Rudtried, from Rochester to Salamanca, is yet in process of construction. To this enterprise Rochester orale liberal advancement, and will doubtless derive much benefit from its speedy completion. The city has among its estimated assets stock in the Rochester and State Line Railroad to the amount of $400,000. The estimated cost of construction is $1352,010. It is ex- pected that one result of building the road will In a chrapening of the coal product,-an item of interest to the entire community. Under the supervision of C. S. Martin, chief engineer, the road was in running order to Le Roy in the

fall of 1875, and the rest of the road is prepared for the track-loyers The prin- cipal engineering work was the construction of a trestle eight hundred and fifty fret iu length, spanning a ravine, toor miles from Warsaw. The trestle Irus an altitude of seventy-six feet, with twenty feet fill, through which piles were driven tu solid earth.

The Rochester, Nanda and Pennsylvanin Railroad received and from Rochester to the amount of 8150,000 ; but, so far as known, the project halts in its career. Centering in Rochester, traversing the towns of Monroe in every direction, the network of railway lines, while drawing their support from the commerce existing between this and other great cities, in torn contribute, by fieility of couinsunica- tion and cheap transportation, to remunerate the citizen for his outlay of means, and to upbuild the great and growing interests of one of the finest of American cities.

The Electric Telegraph .- Indispensable to the systemu of railway management, a valuable adjunct to the business wian and the daily press, is the telegraph. Its transactions are a good reflex of the wealth and commercial pro-purity of the city. The first telegraph office opened in Rochester, between 1844 and 1845, was located in the basement of Congress Hall. It was opened by the New York, Albany and Buffalo Telegraph Company, whose headquarters were in Utica. After a brief occupancy of this room the office was moved to Reynolds' Arcade, where, for a short tiure, it occupied the rooms at the north end of the west gallery. Its next removal was to rootn No. S, later in use as D. M. Dewey's bookstore, and again, in 1850-51, it was transferred to No. 11. At this time the office was managed by George E. Allen, of Utica; and the first operator was a young man natued Barnes. Alles was succeeded in 1832 by S. S. P'ellet, who had previously been engaged as line repairer and assistant operator. Pellet was assisted by Emmet Allen, who served until January, 1854. Mr. Pellet resigned the man- agement in December, 1553, and was succeeded by A. Cole Cheney, who has been operator and manager till the present time, -- a period of twenty-three years. Records prior to 1853 were mislaid or lost. Assisted by Goveruor Henry R. Seiden and Judge Samuel Lee Seiden, Henry O'Reilly built and organized the first section of the telegraph range of about eight thousand miles, whereby Phila- delphia, and other sea-board towns, were connected with all sections of the United States, as then existiug. The original name of the organization was the " Atlantic, Lake, and Mississippi Telegraph Range," but the early papers uf Rochester head their dispatches " O'Reilly's Telegraph." Mr. O'Reilly is still engaged in the business of quickeuing andI cheapening telegraphie correspondence. A. C. Cheney received tive dollars and fifty cents the first day of superintendence in the office at Rochester ; the heaviest receipts any day in the month were nineteen dollars and eleven cents. The amount for the first mouth was two hundred and twenty-seven dollars and sixty cents. The office labor for the first six months of 1854 was performed by Mr. Cheney and two messenger boys. Que assistant was Mirfished after this till March, 1856 ; increase of business required the addition of another. In 1860 the New York, Albany and Buffalo Telegraph Company was consolidated with the Western Union, the present efficient organization. More room was needed between 1863 and 1864, and the instruments were re- moved to a room on the upper gallery, over the present receiving office. The room still above this was taken for a battery-room, and a tower, thirty feet bigh. was erected over it to receive the wires from the street, through which they passed to the switch-board in the operating-room. During 1834 the number of mes- sages sent from the Rochester office was 7612, and the number received was 7800. The total cash receipts for the same year were $4523.94. The number sent in 1874 was 56,072, and the number received was 57.000; aod the total cash receipts were 835, 449.76, -- a nine-foll increase in twenty years. The force in 1853 was the operator and the two messenger boys ; later we fiud a force of fifteen assistants and eight messenger hoys. In 1853 only five wires were used; there were in 1874 thirty-four on the switch-board, requiring sixteen -instruments to work them and four main batteries. George R. Redman, hook-keeper of the office, began as a messenger in 1861, and delivered the first message from Cali- foruia to a lawyer named King, then in practice here.

CHAPTER XXIL

STATE AND COUNTY INSTITUTIONS IN MONROE: THE ALMSHOUSE-THE IN- SANE ASYLUM -- THE COUNTY PENITENTIARY AND THE WESTERN HOUSE OF REFUGE.

MAN'S inhumanity to man has made countless thousands mourn, and his humanity, progre -- ing by successive gradations to its present altitude, has brought comfort to thousands, who may well bless the benevolent spirit of the age. The

HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK.

primary provision consequent upon the organization of towns was the appropria- tion of funds to support the poor, and ax population increased, the wlvantages of a special institution under efficient officials became apparent. The idea of self- support, so far as practicable, lel to the purchase of a farm, upon which buildings were erected, in size commensurate with the demand. and supplied with superin- tendents of undoubted qualideations.

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History of Monroe county, New York with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, Palatial residences, Part 17

Author: McIntosh, W. H. cn; Everts, Ensign, and Everts, Philadelphia, pub Publication date: 1877 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Ensign and Everts Number of Pages: 976

Author: McIntosh, W. H. cn; Everts, Ensign, and Everts, Philadelphia, pub
Publication date: 1877
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Ensign and Everts
Number of Pages: 976