Niagara Falls 



1913 Though devoted to the history of the Niagara river ports and especially 



Cumberland j j ne r j se f the Niagara Navigation Company, this volume incidentally 

 contains interesting material, here and there, on travel conditions to, from 

 and around the Falls. 



The " Railroad Cars " were those of the " Buffalo and Niagara 

 Falls Railroad " opened in 1 836, then running two trains a day 

 each way between Buffalo and the Falls, leaving Buffalo at nine 

 in the morning and five in the afternoon. Manchester was the 

 name of the town laid out in the neighborhood of the Falls, where 

 from the abundance of water power it was expected a great manu- 

 facturing centre would be established. 



An advertisement in a later year ( 1 844) mentions the steamer 

 " Emerald " to " leave Buffalo at 9 a. m. for Chippawa, arrive 

 by cars at Queenston for steamer for Toronto, Oswego, Rochester, 

 Kingston and Montreal." 



The " cars " at Queenston were those of a horse railroad which 

 had been constructed along the main road from Chippawa to 

 Queenston, of which some traces still remain. The rails were long 

 wooden sleepers faced with strap iron. 



It was in this season of 1878 that the converging railways in 

 the districts spreading from the south and southwest towards 

 Buffalo, began a system of huge excursions for three days to 

 Niagara Falls and return, on special trains both ways, and at 

 rates for the round trip not far from, and often less, than single 

 fare. Most of these separate railways have since been merged into 

 some one or other of the main Trunk Lines, but then they were 

 independent and each sending in its quota on its own account to 

 make up a " Through Special." The most successful excursions 

 of these were the series which came every week from the then 

 Wabash District, from Indiana and the southwest, and were 

 known as the " Friendly Hand " excursions. The name arose 

 from a special trade mark which appeared in all the Wabash 

 folders and announcements, of an outstretched hand with the 

 thumb and fingers spread, on each of which was shown the line 



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