History of Ontario Co., New York, Part 22

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CHAPTER XXII.

RAILROADS OF ONTARIO COUNTY : AUBURN AND ROCHESTER, BATAVIA BRANCH OF N. Y. CENTRAL, NORTHERN CENTRAL, GENEVA AND ITHACA, SODUS POINT AND SOUTHERN.

THE railroad has been the lever to advance civilization, enhance values, and de- velop a diversified industry. Along new lines to-day villages are springing into being, and advancing towards maturity with a rapidity that leaves the record of the past shaded and obscured. To the Empire State belongs the honor of early encouraging this great agency of commerce, and the railroad, in truth, has been a mighty power, conducing to prosperity. In 1826, the first charter in New York to build a railroad was granted to the Hudson River Railroad Company to con- struct a road from Albany to Schenectady, a distance of sixteen miles. Commence ment was made in 1830, and completion effected in 1831. The cars placed upon the track were drawn by horses. During the year 1831 an engine, named "John Bull," was brought over from England, placed on the track, and operated by John Hampson, an English engineer. The first steam railroad passenger train in America was run upon this road. The engine weighed four tons. There were two coaches and fifteen passengers. The coaches were modeled after the old stage- bodies, hung above the truck upon leather braces, and contained compartments and seats within and without. Tickets were sold at shops and stores. Brakemen used hand-levers to stop the train. Horses were used to draw the cars up the ascent

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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

in Albany, where the engine was coupled on, and at Schenectady there were two tracks, and a stationary engine at the top of the hill; strong ropes were used to haul up one train as the other was let down. The road was finished to Utica in 1837.

THE AUBURN AND ROCHESTER RAILROAD

was authorized by legislative act passed May 13, 1836. The people along the proposed route regarded it as a doubtful experiment, and were not easily convinced that it would be beneficial to the towns through which it passed, or a good in- vestment to stockholders. The capital stock was $2,000,000, which was in shares of $100, and each share was to be deemed personal property. Eleven commis- sioners were appointed to open books and receive subscriptions to the capital stock, viz. : Nathaniel Garrow and Asaph D. Leonard, of Auburn ; Samuel I. Bayard, of Seneca Falls; Samuel Birdsall, of Waterloo; Henry Dwight, of Geneva ; David McNiel, of Vienna; David Short, of Manchester; Francis Granger and Oliver Phelps, of Canandaigua, and James Seymour and Abraham M. Schemer- horn, of Rochester. These proved to be good men for the place. Acts of amend- ment relative to charges, amounts paid, and extension of time were passed Jan- uary 26, 1837, April 18, 1838, and May 10, 1841, and the company were allowed to connect with the Auburn and Syracuse road, at Auburn. The first officers of the road were Henry B. Gibson, president, and Charles Seymour, secretary and treasurer. Installments on shares were made as low as $2.50 to $5.00. A des- perate effort was made on the line to secure the amount necessary to make a survey, and this succeeded by selecting the route along the Canandaigua outlet to Phelps, thereby accommodating mill-owners and business men upon that stream. The directors employed Robert Higham as chief engineer, who at once began the survey and location of the road from Rochester to Canandaigua. The contract for grading the first seventeen miles east of Rochester was let to Vedder & Co., who broke ground in 1838 at "Slab Hollow," now called Railroad Mills. Hiram Darrow, of the town of Seneca, was foreman of the workmen, and afterwards a con- ductor on the road. James Biggins, agent at Fisher's Station, boarded the men. Bart. Vrooman was foreman and track-layer. A "pony engine," named the " Young Lion," built at the Norris shops, was the first locomotive placed on the road. It was brought on a canal-boat to Cartersville, as were the second and third engines, the " Ontario," run by William Hart, and the " Columbus," by Mr. Newell. Mr. Vrooman, conductor of the train used in construction, advanced with the com- pletion of the grading, and laid the ties, sleepers, and strap rails. In June, 1840, the annual report of the directors was published, and the early completion of the en- terprise promised. The iron for the distance between Rochester and Canandaigua had been procured at one-half less than it could have been in 1836, and the cost per mile of this section was not to exceed $14,000. The estimated income of this twenty-nine miles was put down at $7000 per mile. On September 7, 1840, Mr. Vrooman, in charge of his train, fell from a platform car under the wheels, which terribly crushed one of his legs. He survived the accident. William Wood, of Farmington, refused right of way, and the company for some time ran trains upon the track around his farm. By September 9, the road between the two villages was completed, and the Ontario Repository of the 16th, 1840, has the following editorial :

"The Railroad .- A train of cars (composed of the engine Young Lion and one baggage and one passenger car) left Rochester for this place on Thursday, September 10, but did not get through, owing to some hindrances on an unfinished part of the track. On Saturday evening the locomotive, with three cars, came in, and left for Rochester on Monday morning."

On September 22 the time-table was issued; there were "for freight and pas- sengers three daily lines." A rude depot was built west of H. B. Gibson's residence at Canandaigua. The old Tonawanda railroad depot was near the United States Hotel, and the Auburn and Rochester depot stood on the site of the present depot. The Rochester depot was a wooden structure, and the engine and four passenger coaches were stored therein at nights for months. The turn-table was at this depot. The first conductor upon the road was William Failing, and the first baggage-man was Heman G. Miller. The first baggage-man and depot-master at Canandaigua was Walter Corcoran. The fare to Rochester was, at first, nine shillings, then five, and again advanced to six. Each car had three compartments, and when another coach was added, passengers then, as now, sought seats at the rear end of the train. Incidental to running the first trains, it is said of Mr. Gibson, president of the road, that he was always at the depot to meet the train, and one day, excited, he told the engineer to "blow his bell and ring his whistle," to let the town's people know the train was coming. The train stopped one day at Freedom Station and took on "somebody's wood." Next day, when rushing along at ten miles an hour, the express was halted by a woman waving her apron and standing near that station. Failing asked "what was up?" The woman said the "conductor owed two dollars for wood." She was paid, and, as the train moved on, she cried after, " When you are out of wood, call again." Proposals to complete the road

to Geneva by May 15, 1841, were next in order. The work was carried rapidly forward, and the first passenger train east from Canandaigua was an excursion to the terminus at Seneca Falls, on July 4, 1841. The bridge over Cayuga lake was finished the last of September, and during November the road was completed to Auburn. A gravel train was occupied during the winter of 1840-41 filling the Padelford embankment, which was at first crossed on' trestle-work. Two tracks were built between Canandaigua and Geneva. One was soon taken up, and the other, the old "strup rail," was found sufficient for the business. Later, the Auburn and Rochester and Auburn and Syracuse roads consolidated. In 1853, the direct line from Rochester to Syracuse was completed: at first a single track, then consolidations, and a double track. Another consolidation, and the " New York Central" was established, and yet another, and Buffalo was linked with New York city, under the grand consolidation of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company, with many lateral branches all along the line.

THE NORTHERN CENTRAL RAILROAD

originated as the Canandaigua and Corning Railroad. On March 12, 1845, pub- lication was made of application for incorporation. The bill passed May 11, 1845. The capital was to be one million six hundred thousand dollars. Time was extended April 16, 1847, and again March 24, 1849. An adjourned meeting was held at the town-house at Canandaigua on May 30, 1845. J. M. Wheeler, M. H. Sibley, Jared Wilson, John A. Granger, and Oliver Phelps, a committee appointed February 27, submitted a favorable report, and another committee was appointed to procure a survey of the route. Marvin Porter was the engineer employed, and his work was completed in July. The total cost of building and furnishing the road was estimated at nine hundred and fifty thousand one hun- dred dollars. It long remained doubtful if the amount required could be raised. Meantime, meetings were held and the subject kept in mind. At an election held in 1849, among the directors are found the names of Francis W. Paul, W. M. Oliver, E. Smith, James Harris, and Judge Phelps. In 1850 the contract for the construction of the whole road was let to John S. King, who agreed to take one hundred and fifty thousand dollars stock in part payment. The breaking of ground towards the commencement of work took place at Penn Yan on July 4, 1850. In 1851 the enterprise was under full headway. On June 25 one thou- sand men were employed laying rails from Penn Yan to Jefferson, and grading near Canandaigua. The road was opened from Canandaigua to Jefferson (now Watkins) in September, 1851, the New York and Erie Railroad furnishing en- gines, cars, etc., for a specified rate per mile. The first engine, No. 94, with passenger cars attached, was run over the road, a distance of forty-six and seventy- four one-hundredths miles, on September 15. Time, two hours. Marvin Potter was the first superintendent, and three trains per day were run each way. A depot building was erected by Judge Phelps at Canandaigua, and this, on Decem- ber 23, was burnt in a large conflagration which destroyed much valuable property. The road connected with the Chemung Railroad at Jefferson, and changed name September 11, 1852, to Canandaigua and Elmira Railroad. The directors met at Penn Yan during September to appoint employees and to arrange to run the road on their own account. They appointed Coddington, of Canandaigua, and Gillett and Congden, of Elmira, conductors on the passenger trains. A. Crozier was conductor of the freight train, and the baggage-masters were Samuel Chissom and John Wakeman. William G. Lapham was the superintendent, and proved an energetic and efficient officer. On January 1, 1853, the company began to run their own trains. They had purchased six engines and a sufficient number of cars. The Chemung road was leased and under their control for an indefinite period. Two passenger and two freight trains were run the round trip daily. The road was sold to parties in Elmira, Penn Yan, and Providence, R. I., on April 23, 1857, and possession given May 1. Price, thirty-five thousand dollars, subject to half a million dollars due bondholders. The name was changed to El- mira, Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad. The total cost of the road, equip- ments, and other expenses, September 30, 1858, was two hundred thousand dol- lars. Earnings, seventeen thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine dollars and forty-six cents. Transportation expenses, eleven thousand nine hundred and forty-seven dollars. During the year, fifteen thousand eight hundred and fifty- two passengers had been carried, and four thousand two hundred and ninety-three tons of freight. The road is now run as a part of the Northern Central, terminus being at Canandaigua.

THE BATAVIA BRANCH OF THE NEW YORK CENTRAL

was originally known as the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad. A meet- ing was held on March 4, 1851, at Lima, relative to the construction of a railroad having six feet gauge, from Canandaigua to Niagara Falls, distance ninety-eight and one-half miles. The capital stock was to be one million dollars. At this meeting Henry Allen was chosen chairman, and E. S. Gregory, of Canandaigu",

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HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

secretary. Articles of association were drawn up, and stock to the amount of $100,000 being subscribed, ten per cent. was paid in. The following was the first board of directors: Of New York City, Wm. H. Townsend, E. C. Hamilton, Moses Maynard, Jr., H. A. Johnson, I. P. G. Foster, and John I. Fisk ; Isaac Seymour, of Peekskill; Augustus S. Porter, of Niagara Falls; Benjamin Pringle, of Batavia; Samuel Rand, Mendon ; Francis W. Paul, Canandaigua; George Wright, East Bloomfield; and Ira Godfrey, Lima. William H. Townsend was chosen president, and Isaac Seymour, treasurer. Marvin Potter was appointed superintendent on December 10, 1851. Various notices of the road appear in the State press. The country along the line is eulogized, and the route is especially noticed as direct. The average grade along the whole distance is sev- enteen feet to the mile. The estimated entire cost was two million five hundred thousand dollars. On March 18, 1852, a new board of directors elected Ben- jamin Pringle, president; Wm. H. Townsend, vice-president; Samuel Rand, secretary, and Isaac Seymour, treasurer. The road was opened to Batavia, fifty miles, January 1, 1853. Messrs. Douglas & Co., of Buffalo, took the contract from the Genesee river to Batavia, and broke ground at Stafford. The road was completed to Niagara Falls July 1, 1853, and to Suspension Bridge, one and one- half miles, on April 1, 1854. The first passenger train ran as an excursion train over the completed road on July 28, 1853. The passengers were the invited guests of John S. King & Co. Speeches were made on the occasion by various parties, of whom Lapham, of Canandaigua, seemed to be the most eloquent, and whose remarks were printed in the papers of that day. The road was sold March 22, 1857, to James M. Brown and others, and the name changed to Niagara Bridge and Canandaigua Railroad. It is now leased and run by the New York Central Railroad, and designated as the Batavia Branch.

THE GENEVA AND ITHACA RAILROAD COMPANY

was organized at Ovid, May 6, 1870. Nestor Woodworth, of Covert, was chair- man. The following directors were chosen : Thomas Hillhouse, William Hall, and Frederick W. Prince, of Geneva; Robert J. Swan, of Fayette; C. H. Sayre, of Varick; R. M. Steele, of Romulus; I. N. Johnson, of Ovid; C. H. Parahall and J. C. Hall, of Covert; N. Noble, of Ulysses, and C. M. Titus, A. H. Gregg, and John Rumsey, of Ithaca. Although the line of road is not in Ontario, yet its terminus at Geneva reaps the full measure of the enterprise, as was anticipated by its projectors. Work was begun and continued from Ithaca and Geneva until September 13, 1873, the working gangs met at Romulus, Seneca county. Trains ran to this point from both villages; the ceremony of driving the last spike was performed by C. M. Titus, president of the road. W. B. Dusinberre and F. Prince, of Geneva, were of the notables present. The first accident transpired October 9, 1873, at Romulus. Two construction trains collided, whereby several platform cars were smashed, and several persons made narrow escapes.

THE SODUS POINT AND SOUTHERN RAILROAD

was projected in the fall of 1851, from Great Sodus Bay to Seneca, a distance of thirty-four miles. Survey was made, directors appointed, and Dr. Cook was presi- dent. The difficulty attending the enterprise prevented its consummation, but the parties interested kept it alive until, during the summer of 1876, the work was completed, and trains placed on the track.

THE GENEVA AND SOUTHWESTERN RAILROAD

has had an experience similar to the pioneer roads of the county. The grading is well along, and the work approaches completion. The road, beginning at Geneva, traverses Middlesex in Yates, Naples in Ontario, and continues southwestward to Hornellsville, on the western border of Steuben county. While these roads have been built, and thereby enhanced the valuation of real estate, other projects have, from time to time, been canvassed and dropped. It speaks volumes for the enter- prise of Canandaigua and Geneva that so many efforts, partially successful, should have been made to link them to other thriving villages.

CHAPTER XXIII.

ONTARIO BANKS: STATE, INDIVIDUAL, NATIONAL, AND SAVING.

BANKS are to business what the heart is to the body,-the reservoir of surplus vitality, and the means of its dissemination. The system has been in vogue in the State of New York since the incorporation of its first bank, in New York city, on March 22, 1791. The capital was $900,000. Its charter was thrice extended, and it expired January 1, 1853.

The pioneer bank of Ontario County was organized at Canandaigua, on March 13, 1813, as the " Ontario Bank," one of the most successful institutions during its existence of its class, and a highly lucrative investment. Preliminary to its operation, Stephen Bates, Asahel Warner, Ebenezer F. Norton, James B. Mower, Oliver L. Phelps, Micah Brooks, Lemuel Chipman, Phineas T. Bates, Thaddeus Chapin, Reuben Hart, John A. Stevens, John C. Spencer, Matthew Warner, John Griffin, John Greig, and John Brocklebank gave notice of application to the Legislature, asking a charter for the Ontario Farmers' Bank, to be located in Canandaigua. No action followed. Again, on December 1 of 1812, notice was published, signed mostly by the same persons, for the incorporation of the Ontario Bank, with a capital of half a million. The act of incorporation paseed March 13, 1813, and the charter continued until January 1, 1856. Nathaniel Gorham was elected president, and William Kibbe cashier. The bank opened for the transaction of business in October, 1813, and appointed Tuesdays and Fridays as discount days. The first discount given at this bank was taken by Ebenezer Hale, the money being employed in building . house, which stood upon the site of the Congregational chapel. Mr. Kibbe was succeeded as cashier by Henry B. Gibson, in 1821. The affairs of the bank were found in a troubled state, but Mr. Gibson, who had been attached to a bank at Utics, and to Man- hattan Bank, New York city, soon infused new life into the institution, and so revived business relations and combinations that Canandaigua became the reputed home of wealth and prosperity. John A. Granger was elected director, on March 23, 1852, and was chosen vice-president. The company was allowed to establish a branch at Utica, on April 10, 1815, and this continued, until the charter ex- pired, as the Ontario Branch Bank of Utica. Up to 1830 the bank paid no taxes on its capital. The village trustees consulted John C. Spencer, and asked from him a written opinion of the bank's liability to pay taxes. He affirmed the trustees' right to levy a tax upon the bank, which resisted, and appealed to the Supreme Court. Mr. Spencer was sustained, and the bank after that paid taxes. The building used for the transaction of the bank business is yet standing on Upper Main street, and is occupied as a residence by the widow of Henry B. Gibson.

The Utica Branch Bank was established in Canandaigua as the result of an application made by the same parties who applied for the Ontario Bank, together with others. Notice was given December 1, 1812, by James S. Kipp, on behalf of these gentlemen and the Bank of Utica, that such an application would be made. Bank opened April 10, 1815. The institution was known as associate, and continued in successful business for a number of years, under the direction of William B. Welles and H. K. Sanger.

The Ontario Savings Bank was incorporated on April 30, 1830. The cor- porators were N. W. Howell, H. F. Penfield, John Greig, Jared Willson, William B. Welles, John C. Spencer, Oliver Phelps, Phineas P. Bates, and Walter Hub- bell. In 1832 Thomas Beals became treasurer, and under his management the institution flourished until 1855, when it was wound up, and Mr. Beals continued the business of banking as an individual until his death, in 1864.

Geneva National Bank was first incorporated on March 28, 1817, as the Safety Fund Bank of Geneva, with four hundred thousand dollars capital. Henry Dwight was the first president, and James Reese the first cashier. The charter expired December 31, 1852, and on the following day, January 1, 1853, a new organization was effected, with a capital of two hundred and five thousand dollars. It was changed to a national bank April 1, 1865. The following is a list of the officers of this institution from formation to the present : Presidents, Henry Dwight, Charles A. Cook, William E. Sill, William T. Scott, S. H. Ver Planck; Cashiers, James Reese, Benjamin Day, Charles A. Cook, William E. Sill, William F. Scott, S. H. Ver Planck, Samuel Southworth, and M. 8. Sanford. Operations were commenced in the building now occupied by Z. T. Case as a dwelling, immediately south of Trinity church. It was afterwards moved to the present residence of the Misses Sutherland, on the south side of the square, and subse- "quently located in the building now occupied by Dr. Dorchester on Main street In 1863 it was changed to its present location, on the corner of Senecs and Ex- change streets. This bank was one of the most important institutions in western New York, and tradesmen of Rochester and Auburn, then scarcely villages, trans- soted business at the old Geneva Bank.

The First National Bank of Geneva was organised November 17, 1863, with fifty thousand dollars capital ; William Richardson president, and Thomas Raines (subsequently State treasurer) cashier. In April, 1864, a controlling interest was purchased by A. L. Chew, Congdon Wheat, and Phineas Prouty. Mr. Chew became president, and Mr. Raines remained cashier till 1865, when he was succeeded by the present cashier, William T. Scott. This bank has been a pros- perous and paying institution since its organisation. Stockholders have received a dividend of ten to twelve per cent. annually, while a surplus of twenty thousand dollars has accumulated.

Among banks which have closed their career prior to the inauguration of

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PLATE XIII.

COLONEL LANSON DEWEY, of East Viotor.

ISOLATED examples are no criterion from which to draw conclusions of American progression. One from the ranks fitly represents the life and career of the citi- zen of to-day. Lanson Dewey, born April 2, 1805, was the oldest son in a family of nine children. His father, Thomas Dewey, born April, 1777, and his mother, Polly Fox, were natives of Hartford county, Connecticut. A farmer by occupation, Mr. Dewey, having little upon which to depend aside from the labor of his hands, early taught his children to take their part in farm work. The family lived in Smith- field, Madison county, from 1814 till many years later. Lanson engaged in farm labor and in lumbering until the spring of 1825, when he came to Hopewell, On- tario County, and worked for a brother-in-law. His term of service expired in the fall, and he set out pen- niless to " win his way." He was not strong physi- cally, but tenacious and determined of purpose. His first public position was that of constable and collector in the town of Victor, to which he was elected in the spring of 1829. In the spring of 1834 he removed with his wife Mary Ann, daughter of Jabez Felt, to East Victor, and located upon the farm at present oo- cupied by him. His children are all living. Bernard, the oldest, is a doctor in Iowa; the others, Eugene, Gertrude, Ellen, and Ida, are settled in the vicinity of the homestead. Life to Colonel Dewey has been be- yond his anticipation, and retrospection is attended with few regrets. In healthfulness and in property he has been prospered, and amid clouded and bright days the latter have been most numerous. Two traits are indices of his character, patient industry and strict

temperance. In early manhood, subject to temptation, he never indulged in the use of liquor, and a sound mind in a healthy body are the legacies of early to later years. From circumstances rather than choice, employment has been more than aught else of a politi- cal character. There have been few town's offices he has not been repeatedly called to fill, and during the last forty years Colonel Dewey has been more or less active in public life. Affiliating with the Whig, and then the Republican party, he has been energetic in official duty, and labored heartily for the welfare of the community and the good of the nation. He may be regarded as an actor rather than speaker, and whether as magistrate, supervisor, or assemblyman, he is recalled more for what he was than for what he may have said. Eleven years a supervisor, six years chair- man of the board, the most earnest efforts were put forth to recruit the national army and fill the quotas of the town. He has for the past forty years been a member of the Universalist society, to which he has given of his means, and whose principles he heartily endorses.

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History of Ontario Co., New York, Part 22

Author: Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages: 391

Author:
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 391