280 



The Mohawk and Hudson Rail Road. 



Aug. 5, 1833, a communication was presented to the 

 common council in respect to the rail road entering the 

 city through State street. It was submitted to a committee 

 who reported that they thought the company might safely 

 be allowed to approach the basin from G-ansevoort street 

 under proper restrictions. 



1836. An effort was made before the common council 

 to permit the laying of rails from Gansevoort street to 

 Ferry street, to admit trains to reach the Greenbush ferry. 

 The property holders held this project some- time in abey- 

 ance, being opposed to the passage of trains through their 

 streets. It was finally accomplished in 1839, and a depot 

 improvised where the Taylor Brewery now stands. 



The terminus at the head of State street was then aban- 

 doned, and the State street portion of the road having been 

 indicted as a nuisance, the authorities proceeded to take 

 up the track from the dock westward through State street 

 to the junction with Lydius street, and horses were used 

 only to draw the coaches to the foot of the inclined plane 

 at Pearl street. Having fought a campaign with the city 

 in laying the track down State street to fulfil the require- 

 ments of their charter, so greatly to their disadvantage, a 

 new war arose when they proceeded to take up the track. 

 A meeting of citizens was called by the Board of Trade to 

 condemn the change of terminus and the abandonment of 

 the depot at the head of State street. On the following 

 day another meeting was held by another class of citizens, 

 who deprecated the proceedings of the Board of Trade, and 

 sanctioned the change made by the rail road company. 

 The opposition, unable to change the action of the direct- 

 ors of the road, organized a line of stages to compete with 

 them, and pitted horse power against the power of steam ; 

 and the last of the stagers, Joseph Webster, who had wit- 

 nessed the entire decadence of a great enterprise, found 

 himself quite suddenly reinstated in his old occupation. 

 Active in this opposition was John L. Schoolcraft. A lively 



