28 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



limits. In 1830-31, as many as twelve railway com- 

 panies were chartered by the Legislature of Pennsyl- 

 vania. By the close of the year 1832, Pennsylvania is 

 said to have had sixty-seven lines of railway in opera- 

 tion. In the same year, the principal lines in Massa- 

 chusetts and New Jersey were also begun. 



The most important of these lines were designed to 

 connect the cities of the Atlantic seaboard with the 

 States west of the mountains. The Great West was 

 just beginning its wonderful growth in population and 

 prosperity, and each of the principal seaports of the 

 East became eager to secure the rich harvest offered by 

 the trade of the West. By means of the Western Rail- 

 way of Massachusetts, Boston was brought into direct 

 communication with the Erie Canal and the roads now 

 constituting the New York Central Railway, over which 

 the grain of the West was conveyed to Albany. This 

 induced the capitalists of New York to undertake the 

 construction of the Erie Road, which was begun in 

 1833, but was not finished until 1857. In order to 

 compete still more advantageously with New York, 

 Boston furnished the means for the construction of the 

 Michigan Central road, and its extension from Detroit 

 to Chicago, thus bringing the products of the West di- 

 rectly to Albany and thence to Boston. " It was also 

 sending out its long arms toward the Northwest, reach- 

 ing the outlet of the great lakes at Ogdensburg, before 

 this point was connected by railroad with the metropo- 

 lis of its own State. These enterprises stimulated 

 Pennsylvania to perfect her line of communication be- 

 tween Philadelphia and Pittsburg, which from Harris- 

 burg to Hollidaysburg was by canal, and thence over 

 the Alleghany Mountains by a succession of five in- 



