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Brief Statement of Facts,
IN REGARD TO THE
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TOGETHER WITH THE
act of incorporation.
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BRIEF STATEMENT OE FACTS,
IN REGARD TO THE
VENANGO RAILROAD.
At the last session of the Legislature of Pennsyl¬
vania, acts were passed incorporating the Venango
Railroad Company. "" The provisions of the charter are
broad and liberal, authorising the Company to build
a railroad from any convenient point on the western
line of the State, (thereby enabling them to connect
with any of the railroads of Ohio,) to any convenient
point on the fmrthern line of the State, or to any point
on the line of the Sunbury and Erie Railroad, and to
form connections with any other railroad chartered by
the State of Pennsylvania.
Surveys have been made during the past summer of
the proposed route, commencing on the west line of the
State, at Sharon, Orangeville, or Jamestown, as shall
be preferred by the Ohio companies, thence by tha
way of Franklin, Venango County, to Ridgway, on the
line of the Sunbury and Erie Railroad, making the
whole distance by the longest line, 130 miles, and by
the shortest about 120 miles. The grades are remarka¬
bly favorable for a mountainous country; not exceed¬
ing 40 feet per mile, except in two instances, and in
these cases for a few miles only, rising to the maximum
of 52$ feet per mile. Not 10 miles out of the whole
"•A'Ai MifvCTo'J, 'j. r
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road will be over 40 feet per mile. And in regard to
curvature, the characteristics are equally favorable: no
curves being used of less than 1500 feet radius, and
only two of less than 1900 feet.
It is a remarkable fact that this new line of road,
with its connections at either end, forms almost an air
line from the City of New York to Clevelandr, Toledo,
and Chicago. Other railroads have been projected and
built, both at the east and at the west, from local con¬
siderations merely, without any reference to the forma¬
tion of a great through line of travel. The Venango
Railroad supplies a connecting link, and to the surprise
even of parties most interested, the great chain of
communication is complete.
There are now in operation four great lines of rail¬
road communication between the East and West, viz:
the New York Central by Buffalo and Albany, the
New York and Erie, 70 miles south of the first named,
the Pennsylvania Central, 140 miles south of the New
York and Erie, and the Baltimore and Ohio, 70 miles
still further to the south. The new Air line, or Venango
Route, lies between the Penny si vania Central and the
New York and Erie, at about equal distances from
either, making with the others, five great trunk lines for
the travel between the east and the west, running nearly
parallel to each other, and about 70 miles apart. And
is it not an instance of the wisdom of an overruling
Providence, that the construction of this line has been
delayed until the present time? Had the Air line,
with its manifest advantages over all others, been first
constructed, some of the others would probably never
have been built. But as it is, while the more thinly
i
o
O
scattered inhabitants of this region have been too busy
in subduing the wilderness, to call the attention of
capitalists to their country, the enterprising inhabitants
of other districts have secured to themselves great lines
of communication, which are already developing all the
resources of the districts they traverse, and which will
soon command a remunerating income merely from the
local business they have created. And now, when all
these advantages have been secured, and when the
business of the several lines already constructed is in¬
creasing almost beyond their ability to transact it, the
time has arrived, under the guidance of Providence, for
calling the attention of the public to a new route, offer¬
ing far greater advantages for the through business
than any of those already constructed, and proving to the
community, like Eve to Adam, Heaven's last, best gift.
This new Air line is composed of the following
roads, viz:
New Jersey Central, from New York to Easton, . . 78 miles.
Lehigh, ") from Easton to
Catawissa, Williamsport, and Erie,) Williamsport, 150 "
Sunbury and Erie, from Williamsport to Ridgway, .102 "
Venango, from Ridge way to State Line, . . . -. 120 "
Cleveland & Mahoning, from State Line to Cleveland, 70 "
Total distance from New York to Cleveland, 520 "
The distance by the New York and Erie Railroad
from New York to Cleveland, is 611 miles; making a
difference of 91 miles in favor of the new route between
New York and Cleveland; or a saving of three hours
in time, and $1 50 in fare, upon the mere nominal dis¬
tance alone. To this is to be added howTever, the
advantages to be derived from the more moderate
4
grades and curves of larger radius employed upon the
new line; and also the very important consideration,
that there will he no transhipment by the new line, all
the roads being of uniform gauge from NewT York to
Cleveland; while upon either the New York Central or
New York and Erie, three transhipments are required,
each of which costs passengers a delay of about half
an hour, and adds to the expense of carrying freight as
much as 50 miles additional distance. By way of the
Pennsylvania Central Line, the distance from New
York to Cleveland is 582 miles, with grades of nearly
100 feet per mile in passing over the mountains;
and by way of Buffalo and Albany, the distance
between the same termini is 637 miles. So that with
whichever of the existing routes the new line is com¬
pared, the difference in its favor at once appears
conclusive; and its superiority to all others admits of
no argument.
We have considered the line as above described, with
reference only to New York and Cleveland: but it is
important to remark, that the same line is continued,
with the same uniform gauge still further west, viz. by
the Junction Railroad from Cleveland to Toledo, thence
by the Michigan Southern to Chicago, thence by the
Chicago and Galena Union Railroad to the Mississippi
River, and to the illimitable west. By the accompany¬
ing map, it will be seen that a straight line from New
York to Chicago passes almost exactly through Toledo,
Cleveland, and Franklin, and that the whole route is
probably as near an Air Line as any practicable route
can ever be found.
Nor is this great line to northern Illinois and Iowa,
5
vast as is the tide of business it must pour into our
road, the only tributary to the Yenango line. Already
railroads are in process of construction from New
Orleans to Nashville, Tennessee, and from thence
through the heart of Kentucky to Covington, opposite
Cincinnati, and also to Maysville on the Ohio River.
And in Ohio, a company is already organized, with
General Neil of Columbus at the head, to build a road
from Maysville, through Columbus, (where it connects
with the road already built to Cincinnati,) to an inter¬
section with the Yenango line either at Warren or at
the State Line, thus securing to us an immense business
from the South and Southwest. And it is worthy of
note also, that while the distance from New York, to
Cincinnati by Dunkirk and Cleveland, over the roads
already built and in operation, is 866 miles, the distance
between the same termini by the Yenango Route is
only 715 miles, showing a saving in distance of 151
miles, in time of 5 hours, and in fare of $2 50.
There is also now in course of construction, the
Franklin and Warren road extending from Warren,
Ohio, through the central part of the State by Galion
and Urbanna to Dayton, connecting with roads to Cin¬
cinnati, to Indianapolis, and to St. Louis. And still
another line is also commenced, intended to connect
with the Yenango line, viz. the Clinton line, passing
through the northern interior counties of Ohio to the
central parts of Indiana and Illinois, and not likely to
terminate even at the Mississippi River.
Ilere we have four great lines of Railroad communi¬
cation already commenced, with no small portion of them
even now completed and in operation, intending ex-
6
pressly to connect with the Venango Railroad. These
four lines with their connections and ramifications,
embrace the whole region of the West from North to
South, and collecting the travellers and gathering up
the produce from all quarters, will pour them in one
continuous stream, through this new artery of traffic,
into the commercial heart of the Western continent.
And from whatever point on the Mississippi River, the
great Railroad to the Pacific shall commence, the
Venango route must necessarily be the great trunk to
connect it with the East and North.
The vast business of the west in its continual in¬
crease has more than kept pace with the increase of
avenues constructed for its accommodation. This busi¬
ness has been found by careful ^observers to double
within five years. And the existing lines of transport
are at the present time unable to do all the traffic which
is offered them, from want of capacity'in the canals,
and of sufficient rolling stock upon the roads. Even
were the new line to commence business with a double
or quadruple track, there would be an abundance of
business for all the lines. Indeed, so great have been
the receipts upon the leading lines in the West, that
the companies have been anxious to conceal rather than
to publish the amount of their revenues. Still, divi¬
dends are often paid, amounting to 10, 12, and 16 per
cent per annum, and these too occasionally reinforced
by dividends of new stock free from assessment. The
last share list of the Railway Times, (Oct. 20th,) gives
the following market prices of shares in several ^vest-
ern roads doing the same business which will pass over
our road upon its completion, viz:
7
Roads.
Shares.
Bonds.
Cincinnati, Hamilton, & Dayton,
107
105 a 106
Cleveland, Columbus, & Cincinnati,
125 a 126
124 a 130
Cleveland, Painesville, & Ashtabula,
138 a 147
99 a 107
Columbus and Xenia.
118 a 120
116 a 118
Erie and Northeast,
124 a 125
Galena and Chicago Union,
135 a 137
95 a 130
Indianapolis and Bellefontaine,
105 a 110
106 a 1861
Junction, (Ohio)
105 a 107
104 a 108
Little Miami,
118 .
114 a 122
Michigan Southern,
124 a 124|
102| a 103
Terre Haute and Indianapolis,
1071a 1081
Toledo, Norwalk, and Cleveland,
145 a 150
N. B. The lower priced bonds
in the above
list are not
convertible.
■
The reported earnings of the Cleveland, Painesville,
and Ashtabula railroad, during the month of August
last, were over $1,000 per mile.
We may confidently expect a very large proportion
of the business.done upon all the above roads, will pass
over our new line; and to this is to be added the busi¬
ness developed by the new lines connecting with ours,
and also that to be derived from the vast deposits of
coal and iron lying along the whole length of the
Venango road. The amount of travel concentrated
upon the line from the West, the North-west and the
South-west, will be unprecedented in the history of
railroads in this or any other country on the globe; and
the resources of the line for revenue, which cannot be
diverted by competition, will prove a solid basis to the
enterprise, and will place the capital requisite for its
construction in such a position that it cannot fail to
reimburse its holders with an annual income exceeding
16 per cent.
8
One other consideration may be mentioned. By a
connection at Ridge way with the Allegheny Valley
Railroad, we are also brought into connection with the
New York and Erie Railroad and its numerous branches
extending northerly into the State of New York. By
this means we shall be enabled to accommodate the
travel from the south and west passing northerly, and
also to share in ,a business but recently commenced,
but which is destined at no distant day to become one
of vast importance, viz. the supply of coal to the inter¬
ior of the State of New York. Other railroads have
been commenced expressly for this object; to us it will
be merely an incidental business, but one which we can
transact easily and to any extent, having inexhaustible
supplies directly upon our line.
' We have thus far considered this road chiefly in its
relations between the City of New York and the West.
But to the City of Philadelphia, it is of equal importance.
The distance from Philadelphia to Cleveland by this
route will be but 480 miles, which by the Pennsylvania
Central it is 496 miles, with much steeper grades and
sharper curves. The Franklin Canal road is also soon
to be built connecting Erie and the Lake with Franklin
upon the Venango route, and affording another line
from Philadelphia to the Lake, of about the same
length as by the proposed route of the Sunbury and
Erie road. And by means of the road already built
up the Susquehanna River, and connecting at Williams-
port with this line of travel, the capital of the State
will be placed in communication with the northern and
western counties, and the mutual intercourse between
the inhabitants be rapidly augmented.
9
As tide-water is sooner reached at Philadelphia than
at New York, the former city may reasonably expect
to compete largely with the latter for the trade and
traffic destined to pass over the new route. And it
would seem also that this enterprise, opening a road
through a new and isolated region, and developing its
vast resources of agriculture and mineral wealth, would
arouse the state pride of Pennsylvania, and command,
if need were, aid from the State to foster its construc¬
tion. Here is a great trunk road, traversing the entire
length of the State from west to east, increasing the
population and wealth of the region it passes through,
and bringing the dwellers in the wilderness upon a
great highway of nations. What enterprise was ever
t offered to the consideration of Pennsylvanians more
deserving of their countenance and aid.
ARNOLD PLUMER, Franklin, Pa., President.
PETER LATIMER, Norwalk, Ohio, Vice President.
SAMUEL F. DALE, Franklin, Pa.
JOHN HOGE, Mercer, Pa.
J. PORTER BRAWLEY, Meadville, Pa.
JO^EL W. WHITE, Norwich, Conn.
Directors.
EDWIN C. WILSON, Franklin, Pa., Secretary.
EDWARD APPLETON, Boston, Mass. Chief Engineer.
Franklin, Venango County, Pa.,
October 25th, 1853.
}
2
AN ACT
/
to incorporate
THE VENANGO RAILROAD COMPANY,
Section 1.—Be it enacted by the- Senate and House of Repre¬
sentatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in general assembly
met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That
Arnold Plummer, A. P. Whitaker, Edwin C. Wilson, Robert
Crawford, John Hoge, Thompson Graham, John Forker, Hugh
Brawley, George Merriman, Alexander Powers, William McDiel,
William T. Clarke, and C. V. Kinnear, or any three of them are
hereby appointed Commissioners to open books, receive subscrip¬
tions, and organize a Company by the name, style, and title, of
"The Venango Rail Road Company," with all the powers, and sub¬
ject to all the restrictions prescribed by an act regulating Rail
Road Companies, approved the 19th day of February, one
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, except so far as they are
hereby altered and supplied.
Section. 2.—That the capital stock of said Company shall con¬
sist of three thousand shares of one hundred dollars each: Provi¬
ded, That said Company may, from time to time, by vote of the
Stockholders, at a meeting called for that purpose, increase their
capital stock so much as in their opinion may be necessary to
complete and equip the said road, and to carry out the true intent
and meaning of this act of incorporation.
Section 3.—That the said Company shall have the right to
build or construct a Rail Road writh a single or double track, as
they may deem expedient, and of width of gauge not exceeding
four feet ten inches, beginning at or near the borough sof Franklin,
in the County of Venango, or at the mouth of Big Sugar Creek,
thence by the best and most practicable route, so as to intersect the
12
Sunbury and Erie Rail Road, at any point they may think most
advisable: and from any point on the said Venango Rail Road or
route, thence by the best and most practicable route into the coal
field near Sandy Lake, Mercer County.
Section 4.—That at any time hereafter, the said Venango Rail
Road Company shall have the authority and privilege to extend
their Rail Road from the aforesaid borough of Franklin, or mouth
of Big Sugar Creek, by the best and most practicable route or
routes, so as to intersect the Allegheny Valley Rail Road, at any
point on said road that they may think most advisable, and shall
have the authority to increase their capital stock so much as in their
opinion is necessary to build, construct, and equip said extension in
the same manner as is prescribed and directed in the second section
of the act of incorporation.
Section 5.—That if the said Company shall not commence the
construction of said road within two years, and complete and open
the same for use with at least one track, within ten years, then this
charter shall be null and void.
W. F. SCHELL,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
THOMAS CARSON,
Speaker of the Senate.
Approved the 30th day of March, A. D., 1853.
Signed,
WILLIAM BIGLER.
13
AN ACT,
Repealing the Acts regulating the Gauge of the Track of Railroads.
Section 1.—Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represent'
atives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in general assembly
met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That any
Rail Road Company heretofore chartered, or which may hereafter
be chartered, is hereby authorized to construct or change their
gauge or gauges of road, to such a width as the Directors of such
Rail Road Company may deem expedient, and all laws inconsistent
with this provision, be and they are hereby repealed.
i SMITH SKINNER,
Speaker, pro tern, of the House of Representatives.
THOMAS CARSON,
Speaker of the Senate.
Approved the 11th day of April, A. D., 1853.
Signed,
WILLIAM BIGLER.
Section. 6.—That the Commissioners of the Venango Rail
Road Company, or any three of them, are hereby authorized to
open books and receive subscriptions at any time, at the Court
House in the County of Venango, that they may deem advisable,
until the amount of stock required by the act of incorporation is
subscribed, and that the number of Directors in said Company
shall be four, and one person for President, who shall be elected as
directed in the act of incorporation, to which this is a supplement.
Section 7.—That the aforesaid Company shall have the right
and power to borrow money, at a rate not over seven per cent, per
annum, to enable them to finish and equip their rail road, and give
mortgages or other securities for the payment thereof, and the same
to be convertible into stock as shall be agreed upon between the
said Company and the lender or lenders: Provided, That no bond
shall be issued for a sum less than one hundred dollars.
14
Section 8.—And the said Company shall have the authority
and privilege to extend their Rail Road to any point on the north¬
ern line of the state, and south-west or west by a route near the
borough of Mercer, to any point on the western line of Mercer
County, and from any point on said road or extension; and also the
right to construct and equip a Rail Road from any point on the
Sunbury and Erie, or the supposed route of the Sunbury and Erie
Rail Road, to the western line of the state, and form connection
for all purposes at any of the above points with any other Rail Road
that they may deem proper.
W. P. SCHELL,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
THOMAS CARSON,
Speaker of the Senate.
Approved the 20th day of April, A. D., 1853.
Signed,
WILLIAM BIGLER.
Pennsylvania, ss.
I do hereby certify, That the foregoing and annexed are true
and correct copies, as follows: The first of an act entitled " an act
to incorporate the Venango Rail Road Company," approved the
30th day of March, 1853; the second, of "an act repealing the acts
regulating the gauge of the track of Rail Roads," approved the 11th
day of April, A. D. 1853; the third, of section six, seven and eight,
of a supplement to the sixth section of an act, entitled "an act
authorizing the Commissioners of the incorporated districts of the
Northern Liberties and Kensington, to open a street to be called
Delaware Avenue, to the Venango Rail Road, and for other pur¬
poses," approved the 20th day of April, A. D., 1853; these
several acts were passed at the last session of the Legislature of
this State, and are now on file in this office.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand
.. and caused the seal of the Secretary's Office to be affixed,
' this twenty-third day of April, one thousand eight hun¬
dred and fifty-three.
C. A. BLACK,
Secretary of the Commonwealth.
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