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of this railroad between the Hudson and Lake Erie had been agitated from New York City to Dunkirk.

As far as there is any record, the first public expression on the subject of a railroad to cover the ground subsequently occupied by the Erie, was given at a meeting held at Monticello, Sullivan County, N. Y., on July 29, 1831, which meeting was continued the next day, as the following proceedings from the record testify:

At an adjourned meeting of the inhabitants of the village of Monticello, held at Major S. W. B. Chester's on the 30th of July, 1831, relative to the project of constructing a railroad through the Southern part of the State of New York, pursuant to public notice, it was

Resolved, That we view with deep interest the project of constructing a railroad from the Hudson River, through the counties of Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Delaware, Broome, and Tioga to Elmira, and of a branch thereof to said Hudson River in the county of Orange, and that we will use our utmost exertions to further the undertaking.

Resolved, That John P. Jones, Platt Pelton, Hiram Bennett, Randall S. Street, and Archibald C. Niven be a committee to promote the said object.

There is no record of what that committee did to promote the object," but it is to be presumed that the publication, some weeks later, of a certain notice of application to the Legislature of New York satisfied the Monticello people that the work was going forward satisfactorily without the necessity of their promoting. It is to their lasting honor, however, that they were the first to put in tangible form an expression of appreciation of the practicability and importance of the great work under discussion, although it was then as yet without form or coherence, and although, under the influence of subsequent circumstances, they were not permitted to enjoy any direct benefit from its consummation.

About three months later than the Monticello meeting (on September 20), a meeting was held at Jones's Tavern, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, to discuss the question of a railroad through the Southern Tier of counties, between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. This meeting was called chiefly through the efforts of Richard P. Marvin, then a young and unknown lawyer, but who became a man of eminence, and, as Judge Marvin, had a reputation second to none in the State. Young Marvin had thought deeply on the question of bet

ter means of communication between tidewater and the Western part of the State, and was one of the first to foresee the superiority of a railroad for that purpose. Of this Jamestown meeting Hon. Elial T. Foote, who was the first judge of Chautauqua County, was the chairman. County, was the chairman. The result of the meeting was the drafting of the following notice by Mr. Marvin, which was published in the Albany Argus, then the "State Paper," and in the newspapers of the Southern Tier, such publication being a necessary legal procedure in those days:

RAILROAD.-Application will be made to the Legislature of this State at its next session for the passage of an act to incorporate a company to construct a Railroad from the city of New York through the Southern Tier of counties and the village of Jamestown to Lake Erie, with a capital of six millions of dollars, or such other sum as may be deemed

necessary.

September 20, 1831.

This notice to the Legislature was practically the first positive step toward the project of building a railroad between the Hudson River and Lake Erie.

Early in October, 1831, a notice signed by Philip Church and others was printed in the Allegany County newspapers calling a meeting to be held October 25, at the court house in Angelica, “for the purpose of adopting measures in relation to the contemplated railroad from the city or county of New York to Lake Erie, or the portage of the summit of the Ohio Canal" (the Redfield project). The meeting was held. Philip Church was chairman, and Asa S. Allen and Daniel McHenry secretaries. Philip Church made an address in which he said that he, with others, had been for a year past moving to form a company for the purpose of connecting the port of New York with Lake Erie, and had drawn a notice of application to that effect. He read the notice to the meeting, and a committee-Philip Church, Hon. John Griffin, B. F. Smead, J. B. Cooley, and George Miles-was appointed to draft resolutions expressing the views of the meeting, which was adjourned until the next evening, October 26. The result was that the plan of the National Railroad was ignored and Philip Church's idea approved. His notice of application for a railroad was adopted, and was published according to law. It was as follows:

NOTICE OF INCORPORATION.

over.

November 2, 1831.

To further the interests of such a railroad, citizens of Owego issued a call for a convention at that place, as being a central one and convenient for the purpose, to discuss the matter by delegates from all the counties interested. This was approved by all, and the date of the convention was fixed for December 20, 1831. The Pumpellys and Drakes of Owego, prominent citizens and large landowners, were the prime movers in the proposed railroad at Owego, and at Binghamton the Whitneys and other leading people brought their influence to bear in favor of it, although that community believed more in the value and importance of the Chenango Canal than they did in the efficacy of a railroad to enhance their interests.

The publication of the applications for a railroad charter had an effect on the people of the southern tier and interior counties of New York that was by no means assuring to the sponsors of the proposed company in the western counties. The railroad was to be nearly five hundred miles long, and that a work of such magnitude could be carried to a successful issue by one corporation these people doubted. The State itself, with all the strength of its government and the resources of its treasury, they argued, had been ten years in constructing the Erie Canal, and here was a work, seemingly as formidable, to be boldly undertaken by a private corporation. They affected to see only utter failure as the outcome of such an unheard-of project, and insisted that there should be at least two separate companies chartered. Conventions were held at various places in these and the adjoining counties, the delegates being composed of the representative men of those portions of the State, and strong protests were made against the single charter project. At a convention held at

Binghamton, December 15, 1831, at which the counties of Seneca, Tompkins, Tioga (which then included Chemung County), Broome, and Orange, in New York State, and the Pennsylvania counties of Wayne, Susquehanna, and Luzerne were represented, the plan of two charters instead of one was discussed and approved-that is, the convention advocated the application to the Legislature for a charter for a railroad from Owego to New York City, and approved of the project for a railroad from Owego to Lake Erie. At this convention, as at all the county conventions that had been held, delegates were appointed to attend the general convention of people along the line of the proposed railroads at Owego on December 20, 1831. As it was from the result of the action of this gathering of the representative men of the counties then interested in the undertaking that the New York and Erie Railroad Company and the railroad from the tidewater to Lake Erie were born, the proceedings of the Owego Convention, although only the cold, formal, official report of them is possible at this late day, are an important part of the history of Erie, and are reproduced here as they were published in the Owego Gazette of December 22, 1831, together with the comment of that newspaper on the gathering and its work:

THE PROCEEDINGS.

ber, 1831, George Morrell, of Otsego, was appointed President; Geo. McClure, of Steuben, James Pumpelly, of Tioga, and S. S. Haight, of Allegany, Vice-Presidents; D. G. Garnsey, of Chautauqua, Sherman Page, of Otsego, and John C. Clark, of Chenango, were appointed Secretaries.

The following-named gentlemen, on presenting their credentials, took their seats in the convention:

Chautauqua County.-D. G. Garnsey, R. P. Marvin, N. Hacocks.

Cattaraugus.-F. S. Martin, C. J. Fox, G. A. Crooker. Allegany.-S. S. Haight, D. McHenry, Philip Church. Steuben.-Wm. S. Hubbell, J. E. Evans, John Cooper, Samuel Erwin, Samuel Besley, Edward Bacon, O. F. Marshall, Thomas Awls, Wm. Lake, Geo. McClure, Z. A. Leland, Henry L. Arnold.

Tioga.-Wm. Maxwell, Lyman Covell, John G. McDowell, Isaac Shepard, Jas. Pumpelly, John H. Avery, Jonathan Platt, Stephen B. Leonard, E. S. Sweet, J. S. Paige, Charles Pumpelly, John R. Drake, L. A. Burrows.

Broome.-Horace Dresser, Davis C. Case, Theodore Pierson, Virgil Whitney, Levi Dimick, H. C. Bacon, Vincent Whitney.

Chenango.-John C. Clark, John Newton, Dexter Newell, Ira Church, Robt. D. McEwen, E. W. Corbin, Willis Sherwood.

Delaware.-Benning Mann, Wm. Webster, Hugh Johnson, John Baxter, Andrew Parish.

Otsego. Sherman Page, Isaac Hayes, Albert Benton, D. Lawrence, Wm. Angel, Peter Collier, E. R. Ford, Geo. Morrell, D. Hatch, S. D. Shaw.

Sullivan.--Randall Street, Platt Pelton.

Greene.-Wm. Seaman, Isaac Van Loan, Jas. G. Elliott. Tompkins-Henry Ackley, Jacob M. M'Cormick, Francis. A. Bloodgood, Ebenezer Mack, Julius Ackley, Wm. R. Collins, Levi Leonard, W. A. Woodward, J. B. Gosman.

Seneca. Seba Murphy, Jas. De Mott, C. Pratt, J. B. Farr, Nicoll Halsey, H. D. Barto.

T. B. Wakeman, Ira Clizbe, O. Beseley, of the City of New York, by invitation, took seats in the convention.

The following resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That Messrs. Morrell and Woodcock, of Tompkins County, Avery and J. Pumpelly, of Tioga, delegates appointed at a Railroad Convention held at Binghamton on the 15th instant, to attend this convention, be admitted to seats in the same.

Mr. Burrows offered the following resolution, which was adopted:

Resolved, That a committee consisting of one delegate from each county represented in this convention be appointed to report resolutions for the consideration of the convention.

The committee was announced from the chair as follows: Mr. Garnsey of Chautauqua, Crooker of Cattaraugus, Haight of Allegany, Leland of Steuben, Burrows of Tioga, Virgil Whitney of Broome, Clark of Chenango, Baxter of Delaware, Page of Otsego, Pelton of Sullivan, Seaman of Greene, Bloodgood of Tompkins, Halsey of Seneca, Wakeman of New York.

A communication addressed to the President of the Convention from Messrs. B. Robinson, E. Lord, Richard M. Lawrence, Robt. White, J. D. Beers, Wm. G. Buckner, Richard Ray, of the City of New York, on the subject of a railroad from Lake Erie to said city, was received, read, and referred to the above-named committee.

The committee appointed to consider and report to the convention the subjects which should particularly occupy their attention at the present meeting, respectfully report:

1st. That it is expedient that application be made to the Legislature of this State, at their ensuing session, for the incorporation of a company with the necessary privileges to construct a railroad from Lake Erie, commencing at some point between the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek and the line of Pennsylvania, and to run from thence, through the southwestern tier of counties, by the way of the village of Owego to the Hudson River, or to connect with railroads already chartered, or otherwise, as may be deemed most advisable with a view to reach the city of New York by the best railroad with a capital of $5,000,000.

2d. That a notice of the foregoing application, emanating from this convention, and signed by the officers thereof, be forthwith published in the public papers, as the law directs. 3d. That a committee consisting of five members be appointed to prepare and report to the convention a memorial to the Legislature, embracing the above-mentioned subjects. 4th. That Executive Committees be appointed in the several counties interested in this application, for the purpose of circulating and forwarding memorials, procuring the publication of notices, and doing such other things as may be necessary to forward the objects of this application.

5th. That a central corresponding committee be appointed and also committees of correspondence for each of the counties interested in this application.

All which is respectfully submitted,

D. G. GARNSEY, Chairman.

The following-named gentlemen were appointed a committee to draft the memorial to the Legislature:

Messrs. Burrows, Leonard, Drake, and Avery of Tioga, and Clark of Chenango.

The following-named gentlemen were appointed a corresponding committee:

Messrs. McClure of Steuben, J. Pumpelly of Tioga, V. Whitney of Broome, Clark of Chenango, Page of Otsego. On motion of Mr. Page, the following resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That the central committee be authorized to publish the proceedings of this convention, and notice of application in all the counties immediately interested in this project, also in the cities of New York and Albany.

The following-named gentlemen were appointed executive and corresponding committees:

Chautauqua County.-H. H. Camp, Sacket, W. Chester, T. A. Osborne, A. Diason, J. Mullet, O. Tinker, O. M'Clure, J. Van Buren, S. A. Crum, Asa Gage, L. Crosby, D. Sherman, Solon Hall, E. Convers, S. Tiffany, A. Plumb, T. Campbell, J. Wait, D. G. Garnsey.

Cattaraugus.-S. N. Clark, H. Sexton, A. Gibbs, D. Backus, A. Mead, F. S. Martin, H. Beach, P. Spencer.

Allegany.-S. S. Haight, J. B. Cooley, B. F. Smead, D. McHenry, G. Miles, J. M'Call, M. Smith, J. Griffin, S. King, A. C. Hull.

Steuben.-H. Matthews, N. Besley, J. R. Gansevoort, R. Roby, C. Cook, T. Raynolds, J. Van Valkenburgh, P. Swart, H. L. Arnold, Dr. Hunter.

Tioga.-J. R. Drake, G. J. Pumpelly, L. A. Burrows, Thos. Farrington, J. Fay, Thos. Maxwell, S. Tuthill, G. B. Baldwin, T. North, C. Orwin.

George Morrell of Otsego County was chosen to the chair left vacant by the resignation of Philip Church, and the Lord letter was referred to the Committee on Resolutions. If it were not the arguments of that letter that brought about the result accomplished it would be difficult to surmise what the cause of the change in the sentiment of the committee could have been. After a long and hotlycontested struggle in that committee, the resolution quoted above was adopted, as follows:

Resolved, That it is expedient that application be made to the Legislature of this State at its ensuing session for the incorporation of a company with the necessary privileges to construct a railroad from Lake Erie, commencing at some point between the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek and the line of Pennsylvania and to run from thence to the Southwestern tier of counties by the way of the village of Owego to the Hudson River, or to connect with railroads already chartered or otherwise, as may be deemed advisable, with a view to reach the city of New York, by the best railroad route, with a capital of $5,000,000.

subject, with the result that Church was named as one of the incorporators of the company in the charter presented to the following session of the New York Legislature; the Church application framed at the Angelica Convention in October, 1831, being adopted by the memorialists instead of the one drafted at the Owego Convention.

The people of Broome County and that part of New York had been for a long time striving for the building of the Chenango Canal, and the influence of the strong feeling in favor of that project figured prominently in the discussion of the proposed railroad, especially at Binghamton-so much so, that on December 23, 1831, three days after the convention at Owego, at a public meeting held at Binghamton, one of the resolutions adopted was to the effect that "we feel a deep interest in the contemplated railroad, but we feel a deeper interest in the contemplated Chenango Canal, and consider its construction of paramount importance."

An interesting reminiscence of those days of the Erie's origin is contained in a letter from Mrs. John Barker Church, a daughter-in-law of Philip Church, who, in the latter part of 1831, wrote to her father, Professor Silliman of Yale College, as follows: "Mr. Church goes to New York for the winter, endeavoring to make interest for the railroad, which is now a topic of much feeling throughout the country. If they get it, it will be indeed ‘annihilating all time and space. They talk most seriously of being able to go from Buffalo to New York in twenty-four hours! You may smile at this, but I assure you,