248 The Story of The Bronx 



and application was made to the railroad commissioners for 

 a franchise. At the first public hearing, strong opposition 

 was manifested by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford 

 Railroad, the New York Central, the Union Railway Com- 

 pany, and the New York and Stamford, the last still to be 

 constructed. Mr. Gotshall stated what his company intended 

 to do; and these statements he supported with the strongest 

 kind of evidence, so that the citizens of the Borough and of 

 Westchester County were almost unanimously in his favor. 

 After the first hearing, the opposing roads, with the exception 

 of the New Haven, withdrew their opposition. Then followed 

 a fight for several years. The New York, Westchester, and 

 Boston Railroad then entered the field; but great doubt 

 existed as to the value of its charter, which had expired, so it 

 was alleged, because nothing had been done in the way of con- 

 struction within the time specified by law. 



The application of the Port Chester road to the Board of 

 Aldermen of the city for permission to cross the streets of the 

 Borough on its own right of way was held up for over a year, 

 while the application of the Boston and Westchester was 

 granted almost at once. The reason given by one of the 

 aldermen on the Committee on Railroads was "that the Port 

 Chester Company had not convinced him of its financial 

 responsibility, while the Westchester people came and showed 

 they had the money." Whereupon General Daniel Sickles, 

 then a member of the Board of Aldermen, who had asked the 

 question, simply said: "Oh!" 



To the author, who followed the various applications and 

 proceedings for several years, it seemed that the Port Chester 

 people, backed by the entire populations of the sections through 

 which the road would pass, tried to get its franchise without 

 "buying" it from the authorities, while the Westchester road 



