' r ft / PHILADELPHIA AND WILKESBARRE SHORT LINE RAILROAD. A.3ST ACT TO INCORPORATE / ) - "THE COUNCIL RIDGE AND WHITE IIAYEN RAILROAD COMPANY." Approved March 10th, 1859. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A STATEMENT RESPECTING THE PROPOSED ROAD, BY SOLOMON W. ROBERTS, U CIVIL ENGINEER. \ PHILADELPHIA: HE SY & MARKLEY, PRINTERS, GOLDSMITHS HALL, LIBRARY STREET. 1859. 2771 ■Iffl y PHILADELPHIA AND WILKESBARRE SHORT LINE RAILROAD. ACT TO INCORPORATE " THE COUNCIL RIDGE AND WHITE HAYEN RAILROAD COMPANY." Approved March 10th, 1859. ' >'' i' TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A STATEMENT RESPECTING THE PROPOSED ROAD, BY SOLOMON AY. ROBERTS, CIVIL ENGINEER. PHILADELPHIA: CRISSY & MARKLEY, PRINTERS, GOLDSMITHS HALL, LIBRARY STREET. 1859. I i-IL X^7 V/ • fes /,< ' ( > £0 / LIBRARY BUREAU OF RAILWAY ECONOMIC!*. WASHINGTON. O- C it 1 «■ <^4 Cj (£+ o COUNCIL RIDGE AND WHITE HAVEN RAILROAD, i STATEMENT. An Act to incorporate the Council Ridge and White Haven Railroad Company, was approved by the Gov¬ ernor of Pennsylvania on the 10th day of March, 1859. The proposed road is a short line in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, the preliminary surveys for which have recently been made. Its length will depend somewhat upon the exact points which may he selected as its termini on a final location, in connecting with other roads already constructed; hut it may be stated in general terms that it will not he less than eight nor more than twelve miles long. Its primary object is to supply the only link which is now wanted to complete a chain of railroads, of uniform gauge, between Philadelphia and the Wyoming Yalley at Wilkesbarre. The line thus formed between those points will be about fifty miles shorter than the railroad routes now traveled by Bloomsburg or by Scranton. The preliminary surveys were made in October last, under the supervision of the undersigned, by Mr. Martin Coryell, Civil Engineer; and they show that for two 4 hundred thousand dollars the work can be accomplished, and the whole distance by railroad from Philadelphia to Wilkesbarre can be reduced to about 140 miles, whereas the distance is 188 miles by the shortest railroad route now traveled. The importance of the object and the moderate cost at which it can be effected, induced an application to the Legislature for a charter for the purpose, which has been obtained, and a copy of which is printed herewith. The law authorizes any or all of the companies owning the other links in the proposed chain of railroads to aid in its construction. It is very important to those companies that this road should be made, and made promptly, and as there need be no very heavy work upon it, it may be constructed in one season if the means can be provided. One end of the road will be at the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company's town of White Haven, and the other end will be in the Sandy Creek or Black Creek coal field, in the neighborhood of Jeddo or Fillmore. The railroad from Wilkesbarre to White Haven belongs to and is worked by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com¬ pany. The new link is wanted to convert the old road into a thoroughfare, and will add very much to its value; and the rolling stock of the old road can be run to advantage over the new one. The time-table should be so arranged as to accommodate the people of the Mauch Chunk, Beaver Meadow, Ilazleton, and Council Ridge coal fields, and to give direct connections for passengers and merchandise with White Haven and Wilkesbarre, so as to open a thoroughfare through the heart of a populous coal region. The new tunnel through the 5 Council Bidge, which has just been constructed by the Lehigh Luzerne Bailroad Company, will greatly facili¬ tate this. The construction of a railroad along the river Lehigh, from White Haven to Penn Haven, would require so much rock excavation, and would be so expensive, that no party appears to be willing to undertake it at present, and whenever, at some future time, it may be constructed, the short and cheap line now recommended would serve as a feeder to it. The Council Bidge and White Haven Bailroad will add largely to the value of tracts of coal land through and near which it will run; and there is reason to believe that a considerable coal trade will come upon it, in addition to the through business in passengers and miscellaneous freight, which it is so important to the roads which it will connect to obtain. The rapid development of the population, and of the mining and manufacturing interests in the great Wyo¬ ming coal field, centering upon Wilkesbarre, Pittston and Scran ton, makes it very important to the merchants and business men of Philadelphia to secure a direct railroad connection with that region by the proposed road, which can be accomplished at so small a cost and in so short a time. The whole cost of the preliminary surveys was three hundred and seventy-five dollars, which was contributed by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and the Beaver Meadow, Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Luzerne, and North Pennsylvania Bailroad Companies. The grades and curvatures will be similar in their general character to those of the Beaver Meadow Bail¬ road. 6 It will be seen, by reference to the accompanying copy of the act of incorporation, that the charter is liberal in its provisions. The shares are of fifty dollars each, and a subscription of four hundred shares, or twenty thousand dollars, with two thousand dollars paid in, will be sufficient to obtain the letters patent and organize the Company. The Board is to consist of seven Directors, who are to elect one of their own number President. The organization ought, of course, to be made upon a very economical scale. The requisite powers to borrow money, issue bonds, and execute mortgages, are given in the charter. In the opinion of the undersigned, the work should not be put under contract until good, reliable subscrip¬ tions to the stock have been obtained to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. With that amount of cash means from stock subscriptions, the bonds of the company would suffice for the balance; but if the cor¬ porations and individuals who are interested in having the road made, can be induced to take two hundred thousand dollars of the stock, the road can be made without debt. It is probable that, after obtaining stock enough to organize the Company, it will be best to make subsequent subscriptions depend upon the condition that at least $100,000 shall be subscribed before the work is put under contract. A map of the proposed road may be seen at the office of the North Pennsylvania Railroad Company. SOLOMON W. ROBERTS, Civil Engineer. Philadelphia, March 30th, 1859. AN ACT To Incorporate the Council Ridge and White Haven Railroad Company. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the author- ity of the same, That James Cox, Algernon S, Roberts, Samuel Moore, William W. Longstreth, J. Gillingham Fell, Franklin A. Comly and Thomas E. Potter, of Philadelphia, Asa Packer, of Carbon county, and Ario Pardee, Asa L. Foster, Ziba Bennet, H. B. Wright and V. L. Maxwell, of Luzerne county, or any three of them, be and they are hereby appointed Commissioners to open books, receive subscriptions, and organize a company by the name, style and title of the "Council Ridge and White Haven Railroad Company,1" with all the powers, and subject to all the provisions and restrictions pre¬ scribed by an act entitled "An Act regulating Railroad Companies," approved the nineteenth day of February, Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred and forty- nine. Sect. 2. That the capital stock of the said company shall consist of four thousand shares, of fifty dollars each; Provided, That said company may, from time to time, by a vote of the stockholders, at a meeting called for the purpose, increase their capital stock to an amount not exceeding in the aggregate eight thousand shares. Sect. 3. That the said company shall be and is hereby authorized to borrow money to an amount not exceeding 8 its authorized capital stock, and to issue bonds or certifi¬ cates of loan therefor, either with or without coupons, bearing interest at a rate not exceeding seven per centum per annum, and to mortgage its property for the security of said bonds; Provided, That no bonds shall be issued without the consent of the stockholders, and none for a less sum than one hundred dollars; And provided further, That the declaratory act passed the twenty-fifth day of February, one thousand eight hundred fifty-six, respect¬ ing the interest on loan certificates issued by any railroad or canal company; together with the eleventh section of the act of July twenty-sixth, one thousand eight hundred and forty-two, referred to therein, shall extend to and be applied to the bonds or certificates of loan issued under the present act. Sect. 4. That the affairs of the company shall be managed by a Board of seven Directors, one of whom shall be President, which Directors shall be elected by the stockholders, in the manner provided in the " Act regulating Railroad Companies" aforesaid. Sect. 5. That the said Company shall have the right to build and construct a railroad from a point on and connecting with the " Lehigh Luzerne Railroad," north of the tunnel through Council Ridge, in the county of Luzerne; and thence by such route as the Directors of the said Council Ridge and White Haven Railroad Company may deem most expedient, to a point on and connecting with the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, at or near White Haven, in the county of Luzerne; Provided, That the whole length of the main line of the road so to be constructed, shall not exceed twelve miles, and that branch roads for the accommodation of the 9 coal region may be constructed, not exceeding in the aggregate twelve miles more. Sect. 6. That the terms and conditions of an act entitled a An Act concerning the Lehigh Luzerne Kail- road Company," approved the sixteenth day of April, 1858, authorizing the companies owning connecting lines to aid in the construction of its road to a limited extent, be and the same are hereby extended and made appli¬ cable to the Council Kidge and White Llaven Kailroad Company. W. C. A. LAWRENCE, Speaker of the House of Representatives. JNO. CRESSWELL, Jr., Speaker of the Senate. Approved the tenth day of March, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine. WM. E. PACKER. AN ACT Concerning tlie Lehigh Luzerne Kailroad Company, approved the 16th day of April, 1858. Section 1. He it enacted, &c., That in order to finish the railroad and tunnel of the Lehigh Luzerne Railroad Company, now in the process of construction, it shall be lawful for railroad, coal and navigation companies con¬ necting therewith, or forming continuous lines of trans¬ portation between the coal lands of Luzerne and Carbon counties and the city of Philadelphia, or the Delaware 10 division of the State canal, to subscribe to or invest in the stock and bonds of the said Lehigh Luzerne Railroad Company, or any railroad that may hereafter be con¬ structed between White Haven, in Luzerne county, and Penn Haven, in Carbon county; Provided, That no company shall make such subscription or investment for an amount greater, respectively, than ten per centum of its authorized capital. COPY OF AN ACT Of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, approved on the 25th day of February, 1856. Section 1. Be it enacted,