1 42 Hudson and Mohawk Rail Road. 



and most of the business, of the northern and western parts of the 

 state. The immense amount of transportation and commercial busi- 

 ness, and the great number of passengers with which it unavoidably 

 has to do, seem still to entitle it to its ancient name. 



The Mohawk Rail Road is of course crowded with passengers, 

 and it is thought will shortly be covered with cars bearing produce 

 and merchandize. When it was first opened to. the public, the cars 

 traversed it six times a day j now they traverse it eight times a day. 



Some account, therefore, of this interesting work, may not be en- 

 tirely unacceptable. 



The Company was chartered by the Legislature of New York, in 

 1826, with a capital of f 300,000, with liberty to increase it to 

 ^500,000. This increase has recently taken place. Commission- 

 ers were appointed by the Governor under the act, to appraise the 

 damages done by taking the land along the route of the road, and 

 the amount of the appraisement was to be lodged in the bank to the 

 credit of the owner. 



Not till 1830 was any thing like a fair beginning made. By the 

 spirited exertions of some few capitalists in New York, the stock was 

 taken up and an impetus given to the project. The surveys were 

 first made by Mr. Fleming, who left the employ of the Company in 

 1829. Mr. Jervis, the present intelligent engineer, succeeded him 

 in 1830. He had previously acquired reputation in the service of 

 the Hudson and Delaware Company. Lines were run at different 

 periods north and south of the old Schenectady turnpike road, but 

 all the surveys seemed to eventuate in favor of the southern route. 

 There the approach to the river was easiest, the ground requisite for 

 the termination of so important a work was to be had at a moderate 

 price, and but one principal street of the city was crossed by the 

 track. The route adopted by the Company upon the recommenda- 

 tion of Mr. Jervis, was generally three fourths of a mile north of 

 Mr. Fleming's line, except at the two terminations. It is believed 

 that no part of Mr. F.'s plan has been adopted. 



In the month of June, 1830, an advertisement for contracts was 

 published, and proposals were accordingly received on the 15th of 

 July following. On the J 7th of the same month, contracts were 

 made for the grading, for the stone blocks, broken stone and part of 

 the timber, &c. On the 12th of August, same year, the ground was 

 broken at Schenectady, in the presence of a large concourse of peo- 

 ple, and an address was delivered by C. C. Cambreleng, Esq. who 



