USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > History of Providence County, Rhode Island, Volume I > Part 35
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A line of sloops also ran to Hartford, of 50 to 75 tons capacity. In this line were the "Commodore Perry," Captain Aborn; the "Rising Sun," Captain Thomas Farmer; the schooner "Two Brothers," Captain Henry Farmer; the " William H. Bunn," Captain Arnold Irons; the " Emily," Captain Alfred Smith; the " Fair Haven," Captain Sidney Smith. These vessels would bring here hay and flagging stone.
In the bay there were also regular packets running to Bristol, Wickford and Newport. These were of about 30 tons capacity. The cargo from Bristol would comprise onions, which had then attained quite a reputation, potatoes, carrots, beets and all kinds of vegeta- bles. The cargo to Bristol would be groceries, molasses, sugar, coffee, tea. etc. From Wiekford the cargoes would consist of wood, eggs, farmers' produce, and the cargo from here, groceries and supplies. In the Bristol line may be named the "Emeline." Captain William Miller; the schooner " Chief," Captain Williston; the sloop " William H. Allen," Captain Allen Usher. The onions from Bristol would be sent to the West Indies, where they would be sold at an im- mense profit. In the Wickford line were the " John Curtain," Cap- tain Gardner, the "Resolution," Captain Holloway. .
There was also the Fall River line, comprising sloops of 25 to 30 tons capacity, among which were the "Minnie Chace," Captain C. Rickerson; the "Argonaut," Captain Borden; the "Caroline," Captain Dyer. They would take from here groceries and bring back nails, serap iron, cotton waste, etc. One or two sloops also ran to East Greenwich, from which they would bring produce and take back groceries and supplies.
All of the wharves for the vessels before mentioned were above Adams' elevator, on both sides of the river, and the docks then presented busy scenes, as the sloops, schooners and ships from near and far brought in their valuable cargoes. The lumber, as before stated, would be rafted up into the Cove to the yards bordering on that sheet of water, which was then clear and pure. The unload- ing of the goods brought from abroad, and the loading of large ships which were to convey domestic products to every clime, gave em- ployment to a large number of men and boys, while citizens of every class crowded to the docks and remarked on the value of this or that
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commodity, and when goods were sold off the ship, as they frequently were, were not slow to see a good bargain and make the most of it.
Forty or forty-five years ago quite a whaling business was carried on here, the ships engaged therein being of 400 to 600 tons capacity. Among the whaling agents were Amos Everett, who had the ship "Envoy," Captain Clark; Pierce & Bullock, who were agents for the ship "Ocean," Captain Swift, the " Richmond" and the "Hope;" Thomas and William Fletcher, agents for the "Bowditch," Captain Sowle, and the "South America," Captain Sowle; N. F. Potter, agent for the "Cassandra," Captain Nichols; William Earle and Lloyd Bower, agents for theship " Lion," Captain Howland: Israel L. Joslin, agent for the bark "Lexington," Captain Jayne: Walker Humphrey, agent for the " Brunswick " and the "Balance." Nearly a half million dollars was invested in these ships and the traffic was for a long time a remunerative one. A voyage would consume from two to four years.
The fish trade, which is now almost wholly carried on in stores, was formerly conducted in an altogether different manner. The schooner "Caroline," which was built in 1832, was made into a barge in 1840, for the sale of all kinds of fish, having been bought by Captain John P. Merriam and located on the west side, at the first wharf below the Weybosset bridge, called Carpenter's wharf. Fish would arrive in vessels from Boston, Cape Cod. Block Island and other fishing ports, and be unloaded into this barge which remained there until it be- came rotten and worm eaten, and was then taken away and broken up. After the "Caroline" was removed, a large schooner of 180 tons, called the brig "Confidence," purchased in Newport by Cap- tain Samuel Bailey, was devoted to the fish trade. She was 100 feet long, and had to be sawed in two so as to be accommodated to the length of the wharf, which was 80 feet. This craft remained there until the comparatively recent improvements were made at the Craw- ford street bridge, when she was removed below the Point street bridge. She is now utilized as an oyster receiver at Bullock's point. On the east side of the first wharf below the bridge was located the old brig " New England," which had made nearly 60 voyages from the isle of Cuba to Providence, bringing over 20,000 hogsheads of molasses, honey and sugar. She was occupied by John S. Parkhurst as a wholesale and retail market for beef, pork and all kinds of meat and vegetables. She remained there as long as she could float and was then replaced by another dismantled schooner, the " Aliza A. Endicott," occupied by E. A. Andrews, dealer in produce of all kinds. A large and prosperous business was done in all of these vessels.
From 1849 to 1851, when the California gold fever broke out, com- merce decreased rapidly. Some of our largest and best ships, barks and brigs were fitted out for San Francisco and never returned; and when the Southern troubles came on, our ships were captured, burnt
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or sunk, and many sold to British account to prevent seizure: and by this time all of our commercial capital had been transferred to manu- factures. Other causes that have operated in the decline of our com- merce have been the introduction of railroads, the sending of the products of the West to the seaboard, especially to New York and Boston, where rail connection with the rapidly developing territory of this country has been more direct and speedy. As those cities in- creased. the foreign commerce of intervening and neighboring ports necessarily decreased. The foreign commerce of the country has necessarily become concentrated at a few great ports and its early New England centers have been wholly abandoned. To-day there is not one ship that is wholly owned in Providence. Many of her cap- tains, however, did noble service elsewhere, and a number of Provi- dence vessels for a long time took part in the commerce of New York. Among these may be named the clipper ship " Comet," Captain E. C. Gardner; the "Valparaiso," Captain Benoni Lockwood; the "Can- dace," Captain Nathaniel Abbott; the ship " Haidee," Captain Joseph Tillinghast.
In May, 1828, the " Board of Directors of Internal Improvements " of the commonwealth of Massachusetts applied to the general as- sembly of Rhode Island for leave to make surveys in this state for the purpose of constructing a railroad between Boston and Provi- dence, and for authority to construct such a railroad. Feimission to make the surveys was given, and the following month the general assembly passed an act authorizing the commonwealth of Massa- chusetts, or any corporation in that state, to lay out and construct a railroad from Boston to Providence. The following year this board made a report to the general court of Massachusetts describing the surveys made and the plan of the railroad. This was to consist of two continuous rails of granite, surmounted by straps of iron their whole length, over which cars were to be drawn by horses. The steepest declivities were to be surmounted by inclined planes and stationary power. The commission add that on the railroads recently built and then building in England and France, "it is proposed to make use almost exclusively of locomotive engines or carriages moved by steam placed within them." This was the year that Stephenson's " Rocket" was built in England, and made its appear- ance on the Liverpool & Manchester railway, and was just before the first locomotive was put into use in this country. Nothing ever came directly of this survey, and the authority given by the Rhode Island legislature was soon after repealed.
In 1831 the Boston & Providence Railroad Corporation was incor- porated by the general court of Massachusetts to construct a line of railroad beginning at or near the city of Boston to the state line in Pawtucket or Seekonk. Surveys were made by Captain William Gibbs McNeill, assisted by General William Raymond Lee, and the
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work was begun under this authority in Massachusetts. It was not until 1834 that the general assembly of Rhode Island passed the act to authorize the entrance of the road into this state. The corporation was here entitled the "Boston & Providence Railroad and Trans- portation Company," to build a railroad to intersect at the state line with the road of the Boston & Providence Railroad Corporation, and extend to tide-water in the city of Providence. In the meantime the franchise of the Massachusetts corporation had been sold out at auction, in 1832, the assessments levied upon the original subscribers to furnish the money for the building of the road not being paid. The parties upon whom the task of completing the road then devolved pushed forward the work. The line entered this state by the drawbridge at India Point, the town of East Providence, then Seekonk, being at that time in the state of Massachusetts, and the terminus of the road was at India Point. In June, 1835, the line was completed, with the exception of the Canton viaduct, and the first train passed over it from Providence to Boston on the 2d of that month, being drawn as far as the viaduct by horses, on account of the non-arrival of one of the locomotives, built in Philadelphia.
On the 11th of June the road was opened for traffic; it was the sec- ond of the New England roads completed, the Boston & Lowell being the first by about one month. Mr. T. B. Wales, of Boston, was the first president of the Boston & Providence, General William Ray- mond Lee its first superintendent. In accordance with the require- ments of the Rhode Island charter, a ferryboat was established in 1838 between the India Point station and the terminus of the New York. Providence & Boston railroad, at Hill's wharf, on the other side of the harbor; this was maintained until the removal of the roads to the Union depot. A line of steamboats was also provided to run in connection with the Boston & Providence to New York, of which the ill-fated " Lexington " was the first. In 1848 the " branch route." entering Providence by the way of Pawtucket and over the track of the Providence & Worcester railroad, was constructed and opened for travel May 1st. The obvious advantage of this " branch " in pro- viding for an uninterrupted connection with New York, and avoiding the inconvenient ferry at India point, was immediately recognized, and all trains were run to the new passenger station, which was com- pleted during the summer of 1848. In June, 1853, the clumsy and in- convenient organization of the company as two separate concerns was done away with by an act of the Rhode Island legislature, providing that the Providence & Boston Railroad and Transportation Company should be named the Boston & Providence Railroad Corporation, and that it should unite with the Massachusetts corporation, the stock- holders in one becoming stockholders in the other. In 1872 the con- trolling interest in the Providence, Warren & Bristol railroad was purchased, and the following year in the Fall River, Warren &
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Providence railroad. This latter was subsequently transferred to the Old Colony railroad.
The history of the Boston & Providence railroad is a record of almost unvarying prosperity. The road was first built in a very thorough manner-the last of the original iron rails, made after the design of General Lee, were not taken up till 1860- and this excel- lence has always been kept up. Financially its record has been the purest and soundest. Its capital has been increased under authority of the two legislatures from one million dollars to four millions.
An act of the general assembly of Rhode Island passed at the June session, 1832, incorporated the New York, Providence & Boston Railroad Company, with power to construct a road from the city of Providence to the Connecticut line at Westerly. The capital stock in this original act was fixed at $1,200,000 and the control of the road vested in nine directors. Messrs. Charles Dyer, Daniel Jackson, John S. Crary, Frederic A. Norton, Courtlandt Palmer, Samuel F. Denison, Charles H. Phelps, Gurdon Trumbull, and Robert N. Fos- ter were named in the charter to occupy this position for the first year. Their first meeting was held in New York in January, 1833, and books were ordered to be opened on March 4th, in Providence, for subscription to stock. John S. Crary was chosen as the first president. By an act of the Connecticut legislature in May, 1832, the New York & Stonington Railroad Company had been incorporated, to run from Stonington to the Rhode Island line. By the union of these two, as provided by both legislatures, the New York, Provi- dence & Boston railroad was thus formed to run from Providence to Stonington. This provision was accepted at a meeting of the stock- holders held in Providence, September 24th, 1833. The road was opened for travel November 10th, 1837, A. S. Matthews being the first superintendent. Its Providence terminus was situated at Hill's wharf, on the west side of the harbor, and the roadbed extended up the shore from where the company's coal wharf is now situated, near Sassafras point.
Previous to the commencement of traffic, arrangements had been made with the Boston & New York Transportation Company for a line of boats to ply between Stonington and New York, thus afford- ing continuous connection between Providence and the latter city. The charter of the Boston & Providence Railroad Company also re- quired that regular communication should be kept up between their depot, then at India point, and that of the New York, Providence & Boston railroad; and a steam ferry boat was run to furnish this con- nection. The business of the road began favorably, though the com- pany labored under more or less financial difficulty from the outset. In March, 1839, the trustees, under the second and third mortgages, took possession of the road in consequence of the failure to pay prin- cipal or interest on large amounts of its bonds which had fallen due.
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It remained in their hands for nearly five years, during which time the embarrassments of the company continued, and the interest on the bonds could not be paid. Suits were brought and judgments ob- tained in the Connecticut courts, and at one time there was danger that the operations of the railroad might be suspended altogether. In 1843 an arrangement was made whereby new bonds were issued to the holders of the defaulted bonds and the debt reduced one-half. The directors in the same year took possession again of the road and property of the company.
A few years later the question of joining with the Boston & Providence and the then unfinished Providence & Worcester roads in a union passenger station was proposed. The necessary extension of the New York, Providence & Boston from Hill's wharf was com- pleted in May, 1848, and regular trains passed over it on the first of that month, forming an uninterrupted connection with the Boston & Providence road, avoiding the transfer by ferry across the harbor. The union passenger station was not occupied till later. In January, 1858, the connections of the road were further increased by the com- pletion of the New London & Stonington railroad, and by the exten- sion of its own tracks to Groton. Thus, by means of the ferry at this point, the all-rail connection to New York was formed over the "Shore Line." In 1860 the steamboat terminus of the road was like- wise removed from Stonington to Groton. It was changed back in 1865. In 1865, also, the line of the road was extended by the pur- chase of the railroad from Stonington to New London. In this and the following year two of the sound steamboats which had been run by the Merchants' Navigation and Transportation Company, form- ing the Stonington line to New York, were lost. This practically re- stilted in the failure of that company and the suspension of the boat line for over a year. In January, 1868, the new boats of the Stoning- ton Steamboat Company began their trips. Of this company the New York, Providence & Boston Railroad Company owned more' than a five-sixths interest, and thus a constant connection with the railroad was insured.
Ever since the compromise was made in 1843 the financial condi- tion of the railroad has been good, and its operations uninterrupted. Its important connections have been of great service in furthering the trade and prosperity of Providence. Its capital has been in- creased by legislative authority from $1,200,000 to $3,000,000.
The Providence & Worcester Railroad Company was incorporated by the general assembly of Rhode Island at its May session, 1844, with a capital of $1,000,000. The two preceding railroads had been several years completed and in successful operation, and their value thoroughly tried. The stock of the proposed road was soon taken and organization effected, Mr. Alexander Duncan being chosen first president. The first meeting of the directors was held in Providence,
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May 20th, 1844. By 1847 the road was far advanced toward comple- tion, and on September 27th of that year it was opened for travel as far as Millville, a distance of 20 miles. October 23d the entire line was opened. The occasion was celebrated by an excursion of the stockholders over the road on a special train and by the ringing of bells and firing of cannon all along the route. Trains were there- after run " with great regularity," according to the directors' reports.
The Worcester road was the first one to run to the center of the city at Market square, and through their initiative the Union passen- ger station was built and the other roads brought to the same point. This involved questions of filling in the Cove, enclosing it with a wall, etc., conditions which were imposed by the city council and which soon became somewhat complicated, and in regard to which there was considerable dispute. It was not till 1850 that a final agree- ment with the railroad company was arrived at and the question finally settled. In 1856, the city council authorized the Worcester road to extend its tracks down South Water street to the Boston & Providence road at India point, and an arrangement made with the Providence, Warren &. Bristol for the use of its tracks. The later history of this railroad has been an uneventful record of prosperity: it has always kept a high financial standing, and has developed a large volume of local traffic. Its capital stock has been increased from $1,000,000 to $2,500,000.
No other of the railroads centering in Providence have experi- enced such vicissitudes and undergone so many transformations as has the Providence, Hartford & Fishkill road. Its charter was origi- nally granted by the Rhode Island legislature under the name of the Providence & Plainfield railroad, in June, 1846, with a capital of $1.000,000. The initiative in this step was taken by several promi- nent manufacturers of Providence, to afford communication with the large manufacturing interests scattered through the western portion of this state and eastern Connecticut; and likewise with a view to a junction with a road to be constructed in the latter state. Steps were taken in the Connecticut legislature looking to this end by the revival in 1847, by the legislature, of the old charter of the Manchester rail- road, granted in 1833, authorizing the construction of a railroad to the town of Willimantic, to be called the Hartford & Providence rail- road, to unite with other railroad companies, if so desired; with special reference to a junction at Plainfield with the Providence & Plainfield road. In 1849 the Hartford & Providence road was united with the New York & Hartford railroad, with authority to construct a road to the state line, the destined terminus being Fishkill, N. Y .. on the Hudson river. At this time the name was changed to that of Hartford, Providence & Fishkill, and the capital fixed at $3,000.000.
In 1851 the union of this road with the Rhode Island portion of the line was effected. and the same name retained. William Sprague
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was first president and S. Asburner first superintendent. The rais- ing of funds to carry on the work was found rather more difficult in the case of this railroad than of any other of those connected with Providence; and in 1850 and 1851 the cities of Hartford and Provi- dence were authorized by the legislatures of Connecticut and Rhode Island to exchange their bonds for those of the railroad to the amount of $590,000 each. These were secured, the Providence loan by the first mortgage on the portion of the line in Rhode Island and a second mortgage on the portion in Connecticut, and the Hartford loan by the reverse. The construction of the line proceeded, and in October, 1854, the first passenger trains were run between Providence and Hartford, and between Hartford and Waterbury in January, 1855.
During the panic which swept over the country in 1857 this inter- est, among others, was unable to meet its indebtedness, and the triis- tees under the two mortgages took possession, of the property, the trustees under the Rhode Island mortgage granting their control to the Connecticut trustees to operate the road. It was conducted in this way until 1878.
In August, 1862, the stockholders of the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill railroad had leased it for 99 years to the Boston, Hartford & Erie railroad. This latter company mortgaged their entire property for $20,000,000, which mortgage provided that any default in payment of principal or interest, the bondholders should foreclose and form a new corporation. This foreclosure was made in 1873, and the hold- ers of the Boston, Hartford & Erie mortgage bonds were organized as the New York & New England Railroad Company, and in 1878 took possession of the old Hartford, Providence & Fishkill road, which, up to that time, had been operated by the trustees of its own mortgages. In 1881 the New York & New England finally carried out the idea of the original incorporators of the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill by completing the line to Fishkill on the Hudson river, and establishing a connection by ferry with the Erie railway, open- ing a through line to the West.
In January, 1884, the property was placed in the hands of a re- ceiver by order of Judge Shipman, of the U. S. circuit court of Con- necticut. Under successful management the finances of the road were put in such shape that it was restored to the stockholders in January, 1886.
The Providence & Bristol Railroad Company was incorporated by the general assembly of Rhode Island at the October session, 1850, with a capital of $300,000, and in Massachusetts in 1851, with a capi- tal of $2,500,000, which two years later was reduced to $750,000. A committee of citizens of Providence, Warren and Bristol was organ- ized in 1852, and were active in causing surveys and estimates for the proposed railroad to be made by George S. Greene. engineer. The estimate was favorably received, and, with the understanding that
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connecting roads would be built from Warren to Fall River and from Bristol to Newport, the Providence & Bristol railroad was begun; the same year, by legislative enactment, its name was changed to " Providence, Warren & Bristol." It was opened for travel in July. 1355, the first president being Thomas F. Burgess, and the first super- intendent, George S. Greene. The new road at first owned no rol- ling stock, but hired its equipments of the Boston & Providence railroad. Its trains were run to East Providence, and from there were hauled by horses up South Main and South Water streets to the Providence & Worcester depot. The company opened the pres- ent depot of their own at India point in 1857. The opportunities of the road were further increased in 1860, when the Fall River, War- ren & Providence road was opened, giving a connection with Fall River and Newport.
In 1872 the controlling interest in the Providence, Warren & Bristol railroad was purchased by the Boston & Providence railroad. and ever since it has been under their management, though the separate organization of the road has been maintained. In 1873 the Boston & Providence road also bought the Fall River, Warren & Providence road, but sold it the following year to the Old Colony railroad.
A few hundred feet of the present roadbed of the Providence, Warren & Bristol railroad formerly constituted the Seekonk Branch railroad, which at the time of its erection aroused a great excitement among the railroad interests of this city. The man at the head of this enterprise was Tristam Burges. He obtained a charter in 1836 from the Massachusetts legislature- the east side of the Seekonk river being then in Massachusetts-and constructed a railroad from "Old Wharf Point," about where the Marine railway now stands, to "some convenient point on the Boston & Providence railroad." which then ran to India point through the town of Seekonk. The intention was to establish a line of steamers to New York, with connection to Boston over the Boston & Providence road, by forcing the latter company under the law as it then existed to give the trains of the Seekonk branch road the right of way over their track. In the char- ter it was provided that no stockholder in the Boston & Providence road should ever own stock in the Seekonk branch. Completed after great opposition, the enterprise proved a failure, and in 1839 the road was sold to the Boston & Providence and was used as a siding.
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