B 383662
ARTES
18370
SCIENTIA
LIBRARY
VERITAS
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
TGEBOR
´SI-QUÆRIS PENINSULAM·AMⱭHAM
CIRCUMSPICE
HE
2791
.E157
1917

EASTERN
RAIL ROAD.
THE EASTERN RAIL ROAD IS NOW OPEN BETWEEN
BOSTON & SALEM.
FOR THE PRESENT THE FOLLOWING ARRANGEMENT IS ADOPTED.
From Boston.
Parrenger and Baggage will be taken from the Company's Dot, va Lewis's wharf, at the following hours, via;
7 o'clock. A. M.
34 o'clock, P. M.
66
A. M.
P. M.
3
6
P. M.
P. M.
From Salem.
Trains will start from the Depot, foot of Washington-street, at the following hours, viz:
o'clock. A. M.
8
10 66
A. M.
45
A. M.
1 o'clock, P. M.
66
7
P. M.
P. M.
RATES
OF FARE.
Between LEWIS'S WHARF and SALEM DEPOTS,
Between BOSTON and LYNN,
Between BUSTON and MARBLEHEAD DEPOT,
Between SALEM and LYNN,
50 Cents.
Si Cents.
31 Cents.
25 Cents.
Ait the Trains will stop at the Lynn Depot and the Trains leaving Bosten at A. M. and 3 P. M.. and
Satgm at 3 A. M. and it P. M. will stop at the Marblehead Deper, to take and leave passagers,
The Coaches of the late Eastern Stage Company will be at the Depot in Salem to take passengers to the East-
ward on the arrival of the 7. 9. 12t and 31 Trains from Huston
essengers for Portsmouth and Dover, who take the 7 a'clock Trains from Boston, cen dine at either place
Passengers by the 9 o'clock Train will arrive at Newburyport at I o'clock, ard at Portsmouth at 4, P. M.
Passengers by like. 124 Train can dine ad Salem, oud then proceed to Portsmouth and Pertined the same evening in the Mali Slage
Passengers by the 34 Treia will be taken as far as Newburyport
Passengers by sither of the shove Trains will be taken to intermediate places, as usual.
ALL BAGGAGE WILL BE AT THE RISK OF ITS OWNERS.
STEPHEN A. CHASE, Superintendent.
cer 7, 1888.
FIRST TIME TABLE OF THE EASTERN RAILROAD.
From an original reproduced in the Boston Sunday Globe, May, 1910.
THE
EASTERN RAILROAD
Á HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF
EARLY RAILROADING IN
EASTERN NEW ENGLAND.
@carlnian
Crows
n
By FRANCIS B.
SALEM, MASS.
THE ESSEX INSTITUTE
1917
shield
BRADLEE
Reclas
4-26-30 A.V. M.
04-12-21ĉn
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Beverly, First Station in,
Boston, First Station on Causeway Street, .
Boston, Second Station on Causeway Street,
21
51
51
Brown, George Morgan, President, 1858-1872,
89
Chase, Stephen A., Superintendent, 1838-1842,
East Boston, Station in,
29
25
Kinsman, John, Superintendent, 1842-1855,
29
Lawrence, Samuel C., President, 1875-1876; 1887-1890,
89
Locomotive "City of Lynn ",
37
Locomotive "Excelsior, No. 39",
17
Locomotive "Marblehead ", built in 1838,
23
Locomotive "Marblehead ", No. 5,
37
Locomotive “Rough and Ready, No. 12",
17
Lynn, Second Station at,
33
Lynn, Third Station at,
49
Marblehead, First Station in,
Neal, David A., President, 1842-1851,
Newburyport, First Station in,.
Passes issued between 1846 and 1873,
Peabody, George, President, 1836-1842,
25
29
21
59
29
Portland, Station built in 1842 at,
35
Prescott, Jeremiah, Superintendent, 1855-1874,
89
Railroad causeway at Prison Point, Charlestown,
73
Railroad train about 1850, .
33
Revere disaster, Scene of the,
73
Salem, First Station in,
15
Salem, Second Station in,
35
Salem, The Salem and Lowell Station in,
49
Sanborn, Daniel W., Superintendent, 1879-1884,
89
Tickets used 1838-1855,
27
Tickets used about 1845,
69
Tickets used 1870-1878,
81
Time table, First, in 1836,
Tunnel in Salem, Model of,
1
•
15
372187
THE EASTERN RAILROAD.
A HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF EARLY RAILROADING IN
EASTERN NEW ENGLAND.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, which gave
New York City direct and cheap communication with the
great lakes and western states, was a great blow to Boston
and the smaller New England cities which could not be
reached from the interior by navigable streams or canals.
It was felt that if New England could not have easy com-
munication within itself and with the rapidly growing
West, this section of the country would soon lose its
commercial importance. A system of canals was talked
of which actually resulted in the Middlesex and other
shorter canals in Massachusetts, but the several projects
on the whole proved to be impractical from a commercial
point of view. The idea of a railroad was not new, but
few persons thought that steam locomotives could be used
as motive power. The Quincy railroad, the oldest in the
country, was in operation as early as 1826 for bringing
granite from the Quincy quarries to Boston by horse-
power. Two cars were considered a load for a horse
moving at the rate of about three miles an hour. The
successful operation of this enterprise gave the railroad
scheme a decided impetus, and on Jan. 12, 1829, William
Jackson delivered a lecture before the Massachusetts
Charitable Mechanic Association in favor of the State of
Massachusetts issuing bonds to build and own a railroad
between Boston and Albany, N. Y., the motive power to
be horses. Mr. Jackson probably was one of the first, if
not the original advocate of government ownership of
railroads in this country. The rapid development of the
(1)
2
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
steam locomotive, however, soon disposed of the scheme
of horse motive power.
66
The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company were the
first to operate a steam locomotive in the United States.
In 1827 they sent the eminent civil engineer Horatio
Allen to England to buy three locomotives and irons for
a railway which they built the next year from the termi-
nus of their canal at Honesdale to their coal mines. One
of these locomotives built by Stephenson arrived at New
York in the spring of 1829. Soon after another, the
Lion," also reached here, and in the latter part of the
summer Mr. Allen put it on the railway. This was the
first locomotive put into use in this country. The first
locomotive built in the United States was made in 1830
by Peter Cooper, the philanthropist, after his own design,
at his iron works at Canton, near Baltimore. It drew an
open car on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, filled with
the directors of that road, from Baltimore to Ellicott's
Mills, at the rate of eighteen miles an hour. As may be
easily imagined, New England was not far behind in
adopting these new methods of communication. On
June 14, 1830, subscription books to the Boston and Low-
ell Railroad were opened and 370 shares of $500 each were
taken, the whole number then being one thousand shares.
The organization of the Boston and Worcester road fol-
lowed, and the first train of passenger cars to leave Bos-
ton drew out on the morning of April 7, 1834, for Davis'
Tavern in Newton. The road was opened throughout its
entire length to Worcester on July 3, 1835. The original
capital in 1831 was $1,000,000. Soon after the road was
opened to Newton the company gave notice "that passen-
gers are not sent for, but seats are provided for all who
apply at the ticket office." This was in consequence of
the stage coach custom of calling for passengers. A little
later announcement was made, "In consequence of the
shortening of the day, the evening trip [to Newton] is
discontinued."
The Boston and Lowell and Boston and Providence
railroads also were opened to travel in 1835. Most of
the material and locomotives for these roads were brought
from England. The following, taken from the "New
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
3
·
Hampshire Telegraph" of Nov. 17, 1882, published at
Nashua, N. H., is of interest: "The ship Choctaw,'
at Boston from Liverpool, has on board another Locomo-
tive Engine with apparatus complete intended for the
Lowell Railroad. She has also brought for the same
purpose about 2000 bars of railroad iron." The original
sleepers on the Lowell road were of granite, but were
soon done away with as they were found to make the
track too rigid..
At first the stage companies did not anticipate any very
serious results from the new competition. A prominent
stage proprietor in Providence, R. I., said, shortly before
the opening of the railroad: "Let the train run off the
track when going thirty miles an hour and kill two or
three hundred people a few times and people will be ready
to stick to the stages."
Before the days of the railroad Salem had what was
for that time good stage service to Boston. Regular
coaches of the Salem and Boston Stage Company left
Salem at 7, 8, 9, 10 A. M. and 3 P. M., and left Boston
at 9 A. M. and 3, 4, 5, 6 P. M. Besides these, the
coaches of the Eastern Stage Company started from
Portland, Portsmouth and Newburyport and stopped in
Salem, so that in all over thirty coaches a day ran to and
from Boston. From Marblehead a stage was driven to
Beston daily and to Salem twice a day.
There
As early as 1832 there was a project for a railroad be-
tween Boston and eastern points, for in that year Thomas
H. Perkins, Philip Chase, George Blake, David Henshaw,
William H. Sumner, and others petitioned the Legisla-
ture to charter a railroad from Boston to Salem. *
were two plans, one route to end at Winnisimmet (Chel-
sea), and the other at Noddles Island (East Boston), and
then to ferry across the harbor to the city proper, but
owing to strong opposition from the Salem Turnpike and
Chelsea Bridge Corporations and from the ship-owning
interests in Chelsea, which were afraid that navigation
for vessels would be interfered with, the charter was
refused. There also were strong remonstrances from
*Senate paper No. 52, Session of 1833.
4
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
Lynn, as the several mills situated on the Saugus river
above the Salem turnpike were afraid that the proposed
draw bridge would prevent coasting vessels from loading
or discharging cargoes at their wharves. The whaling
industry of Lynn, then employing three vessels, were
afraid their business would be utterly ruined for the
same reason. At that time thirty stages ran daily be-
tween Boston and Salem, and the Senate committee
thought that should suffice. Doubts were expressed
whether the travel would be as great as the projectors of
the railroad estimated, and one member of the Senate
committee thought "that persons owning fine horses and
carriages would certainly not give them up to ride in the
dirty steam cars." Nothing daunted, however, George
Peabody, Stephen A. Chase, Larkin Thorndike of Salem,
Samuel S. Lewis of Boston and others again took up the
question of a railroad from Boston to Salem, and in
July, 1835, subscription books for stock were opened in
Salem and a committee appointed to obtain a charter
from the legislature and have surveys made for a railroad
from Boston to Newburyport. Colonel John M. Fessen-
den, a graduate from West Point in the class of 1824 and
a distinguished engineer, was chosen to plan the road.
He had already been employed as chief engineer by the
Boston and Worcester and Western railroads of Massa-
chusetts. It is interesting to note that most of our early
railroads were built by graduates of the West Point
Military Academy, who, at that time, were the most
capable engineers in the country.
By April, 1836, 8300 shares at $100.00 each had been
taken, and in a circular addressed to the stockholders the
committee say: "A few days after the meeting of the
subscribers, the General Committee was convened at
Salem. It was decided to employ Colonel Fessenden as
engineer, and he was directed to commence immediately
his surveys between Beverly and Newburyport, as much
more time would be required for a thorough examination
of that portion of the route than for the part between
Salem and Boston. Colonel Fessenden had previously
taken a plan and profile of the Salem Turnpike and had
examined with great care the several routes through
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
cr
Charlestown leading to the city with reference to a
terminus in Boston.
"The engineer soon gave his opinion in favor of East
Boston as the best route to be adopted, alleging the vari-
ous reasons contained in his last Report. The sub-com-
mittee repaired immediately to East Boston, and having
satisfied themselves that the opinion of the engineer was
supported by the facts in the case, their next object was
to avail themselves of the circumstances to make as
successful a negotiation as possible with the proprietors of
East Boston for a depot on their premises. It was well
known to the committee that the terminus of a railroad
on the Island would be regarded by the proprietors as a
matter of immense importance to their interests. A con-
ference was therefore proposed, and after several meetings
on the subject, the following offer was made by the East
Boston company in a letter directed to the chairman of
the committee, dated August 19, 1835:
"The undersigned Directors of the East Boston Com-
pany offer to cede without any compensation, other than
the location of the railroad to East Boston, as much land
on the Island on Chelsea Street until the intersection of
Decatur Street as may be necessary for the passage
of a railroad . . . making in the aggregate about 510,000
square feet, or nearly 12 acres, which they consider amply
sufficient for the accommodation of all depots and other
buildings that now are or ever will be required.'
"""
A meeting of the General Committee was held in
Ipswich August 27th, when the offer of the East Boston
Company was accepted, provided the width of land be
250 feet from Decatur to Webster Street and from thence
to low water mark be 300 feet; that the railroad com-
pany be furnished gratuitously with all the material
necessary for filling up the marsh and wharf,
and making the road, and that satisfactory arrange-
ments could be made for passing the ferry and the neces-
sary accommodations obtained on the opposite side. The
company readily assented, by a letter dated September
2, 1835, in which it was stated that "The Ferry Company,
as such, is distinct from the company owning the land at
East Boston. . . . The property of the Ferry is held in
6
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
trust, and to guarantee the exclusive right of ferriage to
the present company, every water lot is sold on the island
with the provision that no Ferry shall ever be run from
the premises, making this a condition of sale."
It was a difficult matter to determine prospectively in
what precise way the ferry would be used by the railroad
company, at the same time it seemed highly important
that some arrangement should be made by which the
railroad company, if chartered, should not be left at the
mercy of the Ferry Company, and accordingly a bond
was obtained from the proprietors for the sale of a major-
ity of the shares, in case they should be wanted by the
railroad corporation. A majority of the stock, 510 shares,
at par value, were to be paid for in railroad stock. In
addition to the boats, houses, ferryways, etc., a valuable
tract of land denominated on the plan "Public Garden"
was held by the Ferry Company.
The next object was to obtain a point of landing on
the Boston side. This was a matter not easily effected.
The wharf property lying opposite the proposed depot at
East Boston was extremely productive and daily increas-
ing in value. The Ferry Company landing occupied a
portion of the Lewis wharf premises, and this appeared
to be a favorable site for a passenger depot and was the
Boston terminus ultimately decided upon.
"The location of the route from East Boston to Salem
then became a matter for consideration. It was thought
that a route entering Salem on the south would not only
be the most direct, but by coming to deep water and
near the business part of the town, would afford greater
facilities for the transportation of merchandise and ac-
commodate passengers as well if not better than in any
other direction. The inhabitants of the eastern part of
Lynn have from the first manifested a lively interest in
the project and subscribed largely to the stock. It was
found that the location of the route through that portion
of the town would admit of a better direction across the
marshes, as well as accommodate the greatest number of
inhabitants. The attention of the Committee was next
directed to the passage through the town of Salem.
After minute surveys, three several routes were proposed
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
7
by the engineer, and the one named in the charter was
finally concluded on, after bestowing unwearied pains to
ascertain the feelings of individuals with respect to the
disposal of their property on other lines; and a convic-
tion that no route should be attempted in opposition to
the wishes of the owners of estates, as long as a line
could be found where the inhabitants would willingly
dispose of their property at a fair value. Such is the
case with the individuals on the proposed line through
Liberty street, but the Committee are still of opinion
that if a route can be found by which the curve in South
Salem would be avoided, and the viaducts for the Road
be constructed above the present bridge, such a route
ought by all means to be adopted. Between Salem and
Newburyport, the object of the engineer has been to
obtain the most direct route consistent with the con-
venience of the several towns through which it passes,
and very general satisfaction seems to prevail on the sub-
ject. According to the expressed wishes of the Sub-
scribers, means were employed to bring the subject of
the Railroad before the Legislature, at its September,
1835, session. Petitions were procured containing twelve
or fifteen hundred names, from the towns of Salem, Lynn,
Marblehead, Beverly, Ipswich, Gloucester and Newbury-
port, but the subject, it is well known, was referred to
the next session. This delay afforded to the adversaries
of our project ample time to organize and combine their
hostility, and accordingly when the subject was called up
in the January session, a most formidable opposition was
presented, and seemed for a while to threaten a speedy
annihilation of our hopes for a charter. After a hearing
of seventeen or eighteen days, before the committee of
the Legislature, during which time every possible objec-
tion was urged which the ingenuity of ten or twelve
professional gentlemen, with their friends, could devise,
a bill was reported in our favor. And here the Commit-
tee would bear testimony to the efficient aid they received
at this juncture from the able counsel, employed, and
from our skillful Engineer, whose promptness in meeting
and successfully repelling all objections to the Road,
started in the course of the inquiry, affords the strongest
8
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
possible proof of the accuracy and good judgment with
which his portion of the labor has been performed. Were
anything wanting to convince us of the importance of the
Road and its future value to the proprietors, the evidence
adduced in the process of this investigation can leave no
further doubt on the subject.
"The Report of the Engineer is already before the
subscribers, and the Committee refer to it with great
confidence as furnishing a perfect delineation of the route
and an accurate estimate of the probable expenses to be
incurred in the construction.
The net profits esti-
mated in the Report are based on the supposition that
110,000 will be conveyed annually in the cars. A refer-
ence to the evidence before the Legislature will convince
us that this estimate is extremely moderate. The number
of passengers between Salem and Boston, in stage coaches
alone, was estimated to be 77,500; those transported from
Newburyport amounted to 30,000 more, making an aggre-
gate of 107,500 who actually travel over the road in
public conveyances. Cannot we safely estimate that this
number would shortly double, if one-half of the expense
and what is of more consequence, one-half or two-thirds
the time were saved in travelling?
•
"Your Committee believe that little doubt can
exist of its [the railroad] final continuation to Maine. . . .
Steamboat after steamboat is placed on the line between
Boston and Bangor, and the more facilities are multiplied
the more they seem to be required by the public. No
one can doubt that a large part of this travel would go
upon a Railroad, if one were constructed to the east...
The Road from Newburyport to Portsmouth was sur-
veyed last year, and that portion of the survey between
Newburyport and the New Hampshire line was procured
from the engineer and presented to our Legislature to be
included in the act for our road. No favorable moment
for an effort to increase the amount of subscriptions to
the stock has occurred since the last meeting of the sub-
scribers. At that time other projects were starting with
a view to divide public opinion.
The number of
subscriptions has however sensibly augmented, and since
the arrangements with East Boston a considerable amount
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
9
has been contributed individually by the proprietors.
The number of shares now subscribed amounts to 8,300.
It will be recollected that the books have not as yet been
publicly opened in Boston, and as the estimate for the
cost of the road is only $1,300,000, it is not to be sup-
posed that much difficulty will be experienced in obtain-
ing the additional amount desired.
The terminus
of the road at deep water in Boston will afford easy
access to the great Western Railroad at the South Cove,
thus connecting by one grand chain the East and
the West, .. completing a great means of civilization
and improvement.
"In behalf of the Committee,
Salem, April, 1836.
George Peabody.'
"'*
The act to incorporate the Eastern Railroad Company
was signed by Gov. Edward Everett on April 14, 1836.
It provided that the capital was to be at least $1,300,000.
00, in shares of $100.00 each, with power to increase to
$2,000,000.00. Originally, the plan of the projectors
was to build a line extending to Salem only, but the
legislature would not grant a charter unless they agreed
to extend the road to the New Hampshire line. As it
was quite impossible to accomplish this by means of pri-
vate capital alone, the legislature on April 18, 1837,
passed "An Act to aid the Construction of the Eastern
Railroad". By this act the company was to receive the
sum of $500,000.00 in Massachusetts state scrip, bearing
interest at the rate of five per cent per annum and re-
deemable at the end of twenty years. As this sum did
not prove to be enough, the next year, April 25, 1838,
the legislature passed another act authorizing the issue
of $90,000.00 more of state scrip on the same terms.
The original route of the road from Boston to Salem as
abbreviated from the charter was as follows: Beginning at
the depot in Decatur street, East Boston, then running
from Chelsea street in a generally easterly direction,
crossing the westerly end of Belle Isle and Chelsea
river to a hill about half a mile east of Chelsea Meeting
*Report of the Proceedings of the General Committee of the Subscribers to
the stock of the Eastern Rail Road, Salem, 1836, 8 pp.
10
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
House, thence northeasterly to the left bank of the Saugus
river, easterly through Lynn, passing through the head
of "the Big Swamp," and continuing in an easterly di-
rection to Castle Hill and the depot in Washington street,
Salem. The original intention to have the road avoid
the curve in South Salem and pass through Liberty
street and at grade through the rest of the city, was
given up in favor of the present route on account of land
damages and other reasons. This necessitated the build-
ing of a tunnel under Washington street. From near
Castle Hill to the site of the present depot the road was
brought into Salem on a large, heavy, wooden trestle, as
the "Mill Pond" then extended over that part of the
city and was not filled in and the trestle done away with
until 1854. The distance from East Boston to Salem
was fourteen miles, and to Newburyport thirty-three miles
and 4123 feet, of which distance twenty-seven miles and
2987 feet were straight and the remaining six miles and
1136 feet curved on radii of from one to three miles in
length.*
The original rails were what is now known as the
"chair" type and were at a much greater elevation from
the bed than the kind now in use. This was thought to
be of great advantage, as the road was thus less likely to
be blocked by snow. The rail was heavy enough to
permit "chairs" to be placed three feet nine inches
apart, or four to each rail, instead of five, as then gener-
ally used. By this arrangement Colonel Fessenden
thought there would be a saving of "chairs," sleepers,
and expense of construction more than equal to the cost
of the extra weight of the rail.
Work was begun at the East Boston end late in the
fall of 1836, Stephen A. Chase, afterwards superintend-
ent, digging the first shovelful of earth. By the spring
of 1837 the construction gang had reached Lynn, and
David N. Johnson, in his "Sketches of Lynn," gives a
good account of their work as follows: "Gangs of Irish
laborers were set to work in several sections of the town
along the line of the road, and their work was watched
*From Col. J. M. Fessenden's Report on the Surveys and Definite Location of
the Eastern Railroad.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
11
with a high degree of interest by the boys, and with
hardly less interest by men of the largest size.
So
many men, and so many teams, and especially so many
three-wheeled carts-so many shovels, and so many
pickaxes, wielded by as many men working in the gravel
pits where the deep cuts were made through the high
land, . . . all tended to enliven the summer of that mem-
orable panic year. . . . Rows of men and boys sat along
the banks on the sides of the cut' without once think-
ing of charging the Eastern Railroad Company a cent for
their disinterested superintendence. . . . But the interest
heightened to the spectators as well as to many
others, when the shovels and pickaxes of the workmen
struck against the formidable ledges lying just east of
Green Street. The sight and operation of the gigantic
drills; the immense quantities of powder used; the
scampering away to a safe distance when the signal was
given that the fuse was about to be touched off; the mo-
ment of suspense while waiting for the charge to explode;
the fragments of rocks flying into the air like rockets, or
larger masses of rock forced through the covering and
thrown up above the top of the pit and burying them-
selves in the soft earth; all this was an excitement and
a diversion. of the summer of 1837."
By the spring of 1838 work had so far progressed that
it was certain the road would, before long, be opened to
travel as far as Salem, and on July 23rd the directors ap-
pointed Stephen A. Chase of Salem, superintendent. Dur-
ing August, the locomotives, with and without cars at-
tached, made trial and experimental trips, but the formal
opening took place on August 27, 1838, and is best de-
scribed by the Salem Register in its issue of the 30th.
nouncement.
"The celebration of the opening of the portion of this
important work already completed between Salem and
Boston took place Monday last agreeably to previous an-
There are three engines belonging to
the Company from the manufactory at Lowell,* finished
in the most perfect manner and named after the counties
of 'Essex', 'Suffolk' and 'Merrimack'. The cars, six-
teen in number, are extremely beautiful. They are, says
*The Lowell Engine Works.
12
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
the Boston Advertiser, mostly of a uniform appearance,
very commodious, of ample height and dimensions, neatly
finished, the seats covered with hair cloth and different
from those of the other railroads in this vicinity, particu-
larly in having doors at the ends by which a passage is
afforded from one end of the train to the other. They
have four wheels each.
"The road is constructed in the most substantial and
workmanlike manner and affords a view of various beau-
tiful prospects both of the country and the sea. After
leaving East Boston and what was formerly known as
Noddle's Island, it crosses an arm of the sea, over a costly
embankment, sustained by strong stone walls, and soon
reaches the vicinity of Chelsea beach. Passing along at
a short distance from the beach and nearly parallel with
it, it crosses the Saugus river on a very long and substan-
tial bridge, and after passing some distance in full view
of the sea, reaches the town of Lynn near the lower end
of the principal street where the Nahant and Marblehead
roads divide. Here is a stopping place and depot for the
accommodation of the inhabitants of that town. After
passing Lynn, the route affords another fine view of the
sea and also a view of some fine farms, and after cross-
ing by a bridge a branch of the harbor, it terminates for
the present at a point very near the Market House, the
Court House and the centre of Salem. It is proposed to
be extended, in its eastern course, by a sort of tunnel
through the very centre of the city, by which arrange-
ment a great circuit will be avoided, and a convenient
access is obtained to the very centre of population. At
ten o'clock, two trains started from the depot in Wash-
ington Street, with the stockholders of Salem and vicin-
ity, and repaired to East Boston, where they were met
by the Boston stockholders and other gentlemen invited
to participate in the festivities. After remaining upwards
of an hour, the whole, to the number of about five hun-
dred, were conveyed to Salem, where a dinner was pro-
vided by the stockholders of this city. The company
filled to overflowing three trains of cars, which proceeded
leisurely along at distances of a half a mile or more from
one another, thus giving an opportunity to notice the
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
13
work and view the prospects commanded by the road.
On arriving at Salem, the guests repaired in procession to
the passenger depot house, where a handsome collation
was spread for the accommodation of from six to eight
hundred persons. The mayor, Mr. Saltonstall, presided
in the most acceptable manner with his accustomed
felicity. . . . After the divine blessing had been invoked
by the Reverend Dr. Flint of this city and ample justice
had been done to the banquet, the company prepared to
listen to the remarks and sentiments which might be
offered. Among those present and who addressed the
meeting were the Mayor and corporation of Salem, the
Mayor and aldermen, a number of the city council and
several city officers of Boston, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, the Attorney General of the Com-
monwealth, the President, Superintendent and Engineer
of the Road, the Presidents of other railroads in the
State, Honorable S. C. Phillips, General E. V. Sumner,
At quarter past six the company separated,
well pleased with the excursion and the hospitalities of
Salem. . . The only circumstance that occurred to mar
the pleasures of the day was the disappointment of the
Lynn stockholders, who could not be accommodated, as
was intended, in the cars which left this place in the
morning. An explanation was made by the Superintend-
ent, from which it appeared that the cause of the disap-
pointment was entirely beyond his control, and the mat-
ter is, we hope, satisfactorily adjusted."
etc.
The President of the Eastern Railroad, Mr. George
Peabody, also made an elaborate address, which was after-
wards printed in pamphlet form. From the newspaper
of August 30th we further learn that the travel on the
road during the first few days after its opening was very
large and quite naturally so.
Also that an attempt was
made to throw one of the trains off the track, very likely
done by boys, who did not realize the amount of injury
that might result therefrom.
"Eastern Railroad-above 1000 passengers passed over
the Road on Tuesday, and the (Boston) Transcript states
that 200 went up from Salem in the first train yesterday
morning."
14
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
"We learn from Mr. Briggs that the morning train
from Salem on Tuesday discovered several obstructions
across the rails, as the cars were entering Lynn, which
had evidently been placed with the intention of throwing
them off the track. But for the timely discovery this
object would have been accomplished and perhaps many
lives sacrificed. A strict watch should be kept for the
miscreants who thus jeopardize the lives of the commu-
nity and the property of the corporation."
From the original time table here reproduced it will be
seen there were six daily trains between Salem and Boston.
The single fare was fifty cents, and high as it may seem
today, yet it was a great reduction from the stage fares
then prevailing ($1.00, Salem to Boston). Season tickets
did not make their appearance until a much later date.
The first East Boston terminus was a one-story wooden
shed from which led runways to the ferryboat that con-
veyed the traveller across the harbor to a like structure
on the Boston side at Lewis wharf. David N. Johnson
in his "Sketches of Lynn" says the original Lynn sta-
tion stood near the corner of Union and Exchange streets;
"It was not noted for the amplitude of its accommoda-
tions or the elegance of its design. Models of this struc-
ture were never seen in any gallery of art, nor are any
designs preserved in any manual of architecture."
The Marblehead depot mentioned in the time table was
not in Marblehead at all, but stood on the main road about
where the present Swampscott cemetery now is. This
building was afterwards moved back from the track and
is still standing and in use as a dwelling house. A stage
conveyed travellers to the town proper nearly five miles
away. When the road was opened to Salem, no certainty
was felt as to its being at once pushed further east. Ac-
cordingly a wooden car shed was built at the end of the
road for the protection of the rolling stock during the
night. The car shed had a bulkhead on its Salem end,
suggesting the thought that the road was expected to go
no further. It covered part of the site taken by the railroad
of the Orne and Cabot wharves and of the dock between.
No provision was made for the convenience of travellers,
but just across the street was an old red warehouse stand-

10
B
25
5
9
6
12
13 14-
15
16
19
17
18
MODEL OF THE PROPOSED RAILROAD TUNNEL
SUBMITTED TO THE SALEM CITY GOVERNMENT IN 1839, AND NOW IN THE
POSSESSION OF THE ESSEX INSTITUTE.
The buildings and streets shown in the model are marked as follows: (1) Essex
Street. (2) Temperance Alley. (3) Skulk Alley. (4) First Church. (5) Frye. (6)
Engine House. (7) Lawrence. (8) Rust and Daland. (9) Henfield. (10) Rust and
Chase. (11) Ropes. (12) Nichols. (13) Nichols. (14) Barton Square. (15)
Marston. (16) Neal. (17) Ward. (18) Smith. (19) The proposed tunnel, showing
the space occupied by one, two, or three tracks,
RAILHEAD
ETATION
FIRST RAILROAD STATION AT SALEM.
Built in 1838. From a drawing by George Elmer Browne after a daguerreotype now in
possession of the Essex Institute.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
15
ing near the corner of Front street, and in this the rail-
road hired a waiting room, with a ticket office and seats
for passengers. This arrangement was short lived, for a
wooden station much like those in Lynn and Boston was
soon erected. This had a belfry and a one-legged man
who claimed to be a veteran of the Revolutionary War,
used to ring the bell whenever a train for Boston was
about to leave. This individual, Corporal Joshua Pit-
man, was a character who gained local celebrity by his
stump speeches and foolish wit. His attempt to lift him-
self by his boot straps and his oft asserted claim that
when at a distance from the depot he knew at once that
someone else, and not himself, was ringing the railroad
bell, because of his familiarity with its tones, together
with other similar incidents, gained for him somewhat
more than local fame. In 1848 a "Loving Friend"
published an "Address" in his honor, from which the
following verses are extracted:
"Who rings the Eastern Railroad bell,
And makes each stroke with power tell,
And who can do it half so well-
As Corporal ?
Who, if he's travelling far or near,
Its well known sound should strike his ear,
Would know at once he was not there,
The Corporal.
Who sweeps the Depot clean and nice,
And drives away the rats and mice,
And checks the boys in every vice?
The Corporal.
Who can himself in "basket lift "
And prides himself upon the gift,
Although sometimes he "has been spilt"?
The Corporal.
The "Boston Transcript" during 1838 published the
following account of the bells used in the depots of the
railroad-
"Spanish Bells: Three of the bells from the belfries
of Spanish Churches which we mentioned a short time
since as having been sold in Europe for old copper and
sent to New York by the purchaser for sale there, have
been purchased by Colonel Fessenden, engineer of the
16
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
Eastern Railroad Company, for the depots of that com-
pany at East Boston, Salem and Newburyport. They
were landed at Central Wharf this A. M. Each possesses
a fine musical tone and may be heard at a distance."
The original officers of the Eastern Railroad were:
President, George Peabody; Treasurer, Benjamin Tyler
Reed; Chief Engineer, J. M. Fessenden; Clerk, W. H.
Foster; Superintendent, S. A. Chase; Directors, George
Peabody, Benjamin Tyler Reed, S. A. Chase, S. S. Lewis,
Amos Binney, Francis J. Oliver, Larkin Thorndike,
Isaiah Breed, Pyam Lovett, and R. G. Shaw.
The first conductors were P. C. Hale and James Potter,
the latter having been one of the most trusted drivers of
the old Salem and Boston Stage Company and for years
had carried to and fro all the bank exchange and mer-
chants' remittances. The early New England railroads
were glad to secure the services of ex-stage drivers as
conductors, as they were generally responsible men who
were used to the travelling public and their ways.
The original locomotive engineers on the road were,
L. D. Johnson, H. H. Thomas and A. Sawyer. Albert
Knight was the first station agent in Salem, and was
followed by Joseph Glover, who was the first engineer on
the Marblehead branch. He filled the position for years,
and was succeeded by John Coombs. The venerable
David Merritt, who died in 1916, for years conducted a
Salem and Boston express line and was seventeen years
old when the Eastern Railroad was opened. He described
the first passenger cars as having "much the outward
appearance of our early horse cars," and as carrying
twenty-four passengers each. From another source it is
learned that the wheels projected into the interior of each
car. These cars, according to the records of the compa-
ny, cost $1000 apiece and were built by Charles Daven-
port, the pioneer railroad car builder of New England,
who had a factory at Cambridgeport. In 1834 he
contracted with the Boston and Worcester Railroad to
build cars which were to have four wheels and to seat
twenty-four persons each. They were the first cars made
with a passageway running from one end to the other
between the seats. Before that time the cars had been

B.R.A.No.08.
EXCELSION
Excelsior
LOCOMOTIVE "EXCELSIOR, NO. 39".
Built in 1867 at the Eastern Railroad Shops.
LOCOMOTIVE "ROUGH AND READY, NO. 12", BUILT IN 1847 AT TAUNTON.
From a daguerreotype owned by Edgar B. French, of a contemporaneous drawing.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
17
built in three compartments, so that half the passengers
rode backward. The success of the Davenport cars was
so pronounced that the Eastern Railroad ordered their cars
of him in 1837, with certain additions and improvements.
The cars were to be built with platforms and doors at each
end and with the same passageways through the middle.
They also had a Davenport "drawbar" and "bumper ",
patented in 1835, and were the first to have a ladies'
room and toilet room. The seats also were equipped with
wide turnover backs.
The original locomotives, the "Suffolk ", " Essex" and
"Merrimack ", each weighed 22,000 pounds, and had
inside connections and a solid single driver five feet in
diameter on each side. When compared with modern
engines, they were of course tiny affairs, but are never-
theless spoken of as being nicely proportioned. They
used wood for fuel, as did all the early engines. The
"Merrimack" was long in use at the Boston terminal as
a shifting engine, and was not sold until 1862. In 1839
and 1840 the road added the locomotives "Rockingham",
"Piscataqua", "Naumkeag" and "General Foster",
all exactly like the three pioneers.
An article printed in the "Salem Register" on Sept.
3, 1838, soon after the opening of the road, shows that
it took people some time to realize the rapidity and con-
venience of travel by rail: "The railroad has been in
successful operation during the past week and been the
great centre of attraction to the people of Salem and
vicinity. The novelty of this mode of travelling has
drawn immense crowds to witness its operation, and on
every occasion of the arrival and departure of the cars,
the grounds in the neighborhood of the depot and on the
eastern bank of the mill pond are covered with delighted
spectators of the bustling scene, while the new faces in
our streets, and the hurrying to any fro of carriages for
the accommodation of passengers, have given to our city
a busy appearance to which it has long been a stranger.
"For the five days since the road was opened, the
number of passengers has been more than 5500, and the
receipts upwards of $2200, and although we do not flatter
ourselves that this is a fair specimen of what the travel
18
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
will be hereafter, we think we can safely rely on the daily
transport of 600 and probably 800 persons. The time
occupied in passing from the depot here to the Boston
side, including the ferriage, is generally from 35 to 40
minutes. A train went up Friday in 32 minutes, and
this will probably be the average when the filling up of
the road is completed.
"Instances of the increased facilities of communication
effected by the railroad are numerous. A gentleman who
left Salem at 8 o'clock Thursday, spent two hours and a
half in Boston, took one of the forenoon trains for Low-
ell, where he dined and remained about two hours and a
quarter, and was at his home in this city soon after 4 P.
M., having travelled a distance of 80 miles, had five
hours for business in two of our principal cities, besides
several hours of daylight to spare for the transaction of
his own concerns at home. Another gentleman who had
an errand in Boston accomplished it successfully and was
back again in less than 90 minutes from the time he
started.
"Another incident has been related to us which our
traders would do well to consider. One day last week a
lot of goods to a large amount was sold by one of our
principal merchants to a stranger, who informed him
that he had come on to Boston to make purchases, with-
out any intention of visiting this city; but having seen
in a Salem paper an advertisement of some articles he
wished to procure, he jumped into the cars after the great
business hours of Boston were over, struck a bargain
and returned, probably without being missed. What in-
ferences may be drawn from this circumstance?
"The ground around the depot is hardly extensive
enough to accommodate the vehicles which congregate
there at the times of departure and arrival, but this will
soon be remedied, when the filling up of the space be-
tweed the car house and Mill street on the western side,
and the dock and 70 feet from the end of the wharf on
the eastern side, is completed. We hope soon also to see
the miserable, dilapidated buildings on the eastern side of
Mill street removed, and their places either vacant or oc-
cupied by some more sightly piles.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
19
"A word of caution to the idlers in the vicinity of the
depot. We have been astonished at the utter reckless-
ness displayed by boys and even men, when the engines
are passing along the tracks. They seem to be wholly
unaware of the danger they are in, and we are fearful
every day of being obliged to record some dreadful acci-
dent as the consequence of their temerity. Would it not
be advisable to prevent any person from remaining on the
bridge at all?
"We have also noticed a great want of caution in leav-
ing horses standing near the track while the engine is
passing. It is extremely dangerous and great care should
be exercised in this respect."
:
The traveller of to-day is spared one serious discomfort
experienced in all the first railroad trains. The early
cars then were shackled together by means of chains,
and these were on what is known as "a loose coupling,
so that the starting and stopping process was attended by
a series of bumps and jerks, the reverse of agreeable to
the passengers.
On September 23, 1838, a meeting of the Eastern Rail-
road stockholders authorized the directors to complete
the road to Newburyport and the state line of New
Hampshire. Portsmouth from the first had been intended
as the terminus of the Eastern road, but owing to the
different state laws it was thought best to make a sepa-
rate company of that part of the line that lay in New
Hampshire, and accordingly the Eastern Railroad Com-
pany of New Hampshire had been incorporated, with a
capital of $300,000.00, in $100.00 shares, by act of legis-
lature on June 18, 1836, which authorized the construc-
tion of a road running in a generally northerly direction
from the Massachusetts line to the town of Portsmouth
and the Maine state line, there connecting with the Port-
land, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad, of which more will
be said later on. Ichabod Goodwin and Daniel Drown
were respectively the first President and Clerk of the
Eastern Railroad of New Hampshire. The other officers
were the same as those of the Eastern Railroad of Mas-
sachusetts.
It never had been intended to have the Eastern road
20
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
in New Hampshire operate as a separate company, for
the interests of the two corporations were to be identical
in all respects, except the actual union of charters. Ac-
cordingly on July 2, 1839, before the road was com-
pleted, the Eastern Railroad of New Hampshire was
leased for ninety-nine years to the Eastern Railroad of
Massachusetts. This is probably one of the earliest in-
stances, now so common, of one railroad being leased to
another. A contract also was made later (April 8, 1840)
with the proprietors of the Newburyport bridge for the
use of their property. But this bridge was not found
heavy enough to stand the weight of the trains, and later
on a new one was built across the Merrimac river, at a
cost of $35,000.00. A controlling interest was also ac-
quired in the Portsmouth bridge.
The engineer, Colonel Fessenden, estimated the cost of
building the road from Salem to the State line, a distance
of twenty-three miles, at $304,000.00; this sum to in-
clude all masonry work and bridging. It had been at
first intended to have a double track all the way from
East Boston to Newburyport, but for reasons of economy
this was given up for the present, and so lessened the
total cost of building by $81,000.00. The land damages
from Salem to Newburyport it was thought could be cov-
ered by $40,000.00, and the estimate for constructing the
Salem tunnel was placed at $15,000.00, but this sum was
exceeded by $20,000.00.
On September 22, 1838, the directors were gratified to
receive a report from the superintendent stating that the
road had been opened for public travel twenty-two days,
during which time 24,167 tickets had been sold, which
brought in the sum of $9,379.77. Considering that the
volume of traffic had been estimated at 500 passengers
daily between Boston and Salem, 27(?) between Boston
and Lynn, and 20 between Boston and Marblehead, this
report was certainly encouraging.
The first freight train over the Eastern road ran from
Salem to Boston on January 24, 1839. David Merritt
was the general freight agent. The earliest freight cars
were open and had no brakes. When it was desired to
slow up or stop the train, the brakes would be applied

FIRST RAILROAD STATION AT BEVERLY, BUILT IN 1839.
From a woodcut in the "Traveller's Guide", 1857.
EASTERN R.R. STATION
BEBEES
FIRST RAILROAD STATION AT NEWBURYPORT, BUILT IN 1840.
From Currier's "History of Newburyport".
BY FRANCIS C. B. BRADLEE.
21
from the caboose car on one end and on the tender from
the other. If cars were to be left on the road the wheels
would be first "trigged."
As soon as it was decided to build the line to New-
buryport and beyond, several gangs of men began work
at various places, but principally in digging the Salem
tunnel. This was considered quite a feat of engineering,
and it would be interesting to give a short description of
the building operations, but unfortunately nothing bear-
ing upon them can be found, although a careful search
has been made in all likely quarters. Suffice it to say
that the covered portion of the tunnel was 718 feet long.
In order to build it the old Court House, together with
stores and other buildings standing south of Essex street,
were demolished. Washington street was laid open
throughout its entire length and a wide ditch was dug,
much trouble being experienced from the sandy nature
of the soil. Residents on the side of the street boarded
up their house fronts and moved away for some weeks.
The sidewalks were piled with gravel. A stone arch
was built in the open ditch, and when this was finished
the gravel was back-filled as far as possible and the
surface restored. Three air holes surrounded with
iron railings came up from the tunnel through the
street for ventilation, but when the locomotives began
to burn coal they were done away with. All this
work was done on the most elaborate plans and
models, it being considered one of the largest pieces of
granite work ever undertaken up to that time in New
England. One of the old sail lofts in Derby street had
been leased in order to insure room enough to lay out the
engineering designs for building the tunnel, and a wooden
working model, showing the buildings south of Essex
street and the buildings which it was proposed to remove,
may now be seen at the Essex Institute.
One of the most difficult parts of the road to build was
just east of the Beverly bridge, where a ledge of "trap
rock seven hundred feet long was encountered, the re-
mains of which are still seen. There were no steam drills
in those days, all the labor being done by hand, and to
hasten the work, the weather being intensely cold, the
22
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
foreman used very large charges of powder, with the
result that when the blasts went off heavy pieces of rock
flew in all directions, one of them being large enough to
crash through the roof of a nearby house while the family
were at dinner. This resulted in a town meeting being
held to remonstrate. Everything possible was done to
expedite the work of construction, but it was not until
December 18, 1839, that the road was opened to Ipswich,
eleven miles east of Salem, where stages for eastern
points connected with the cars, as they had previously
done at Salem.
When the tunnel was first used it was not the custom
to light the cars, and it is related that a pickpocket reaped
a rich harvest for a few days in relieving the unwary of
their pocket books during the few moments of darkness
entailed by the passage through Salem.
The trains reached Newbury June 19, 1840, and ran
through to Newburyport, a distance of thirty-three miles
from East Boston, on August 28, and to the State line on
November 9.
The first passenger station erected in Newburyport was
a one-story wooden building, with large swinging doors
that were closed at night and on Sundays. It was situ-
ated on Washington street, near the present depot, and
was provided with a bell which was rung on the arrival
and departure of trains. In 1853-54 a new and much
larger passenger and freight station was built of brick on
the corner of Strong and Winter streets, and served its
purpose until destroyed by fire on March 3, 1892.
Meanwhile work on the road in New Hampshire had
been progressing rapidly, so that it was opened to the
outskirts of Portsmouth on the same day (November 9,
1840) that trains reached the State line of Massachusetts.
On December 31, amid much rejoicing, the line was com-
pleted to its proposed terminus at the depot in Vaughan
street, Portsmouth, fifty-four miles from East Boston.
When the rails had been laid thus far it was felt a great
step forward had been taken, for work was already start-
ed on the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad, and
thus before long a through line would be opened connect-
ing the state of Maine with the rest of New England.

YMARBL IEAD
LOCOMOTIVE "MARBLEHEAD", NO. 5, BUILT IN PHILADELPHIA IN 1838, BY WILLIAM NORRIS.
From an imperfect but supposedly unique lithograph by J. T. Bowen, Philadelphia,
now owned by Francis B. C. Bradlee, of Marblehead.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
23
There were three trains each way between Portsmouth and
Boston, leaving the latter place at 7.30 A. M., noon, and 3
P. M., and the eastern end of the line at 7.30, 11 A. M.,
and 3 P. M. It must be admitted this was good service
for those days, and in fact it was later proved before a
committee of the Massachusetts Legislature that the
Eastern Railroad ran more trains over its road than any
other company leaving Boston.
In 1840 the price of tickets was as follows: Boston
to Beverly, 56 cents; to Ipswich, 87 cents; to Newbury-
port, $1.25; and to Portsmouth, $2.00. In order to suc-
cessfully meet the competition of the "outside" steam-
boat lines (those starting from Boston) for through pas-
sengers to Maine and New Brunswick, some of the trains
connected at Portsmouth with the steamboats "Huntress"
and "M. Y. Beach". The former (one of the fastest
steamboats then afloat) ran to the Kennebec river, and
the latter to Portland. Both steamers touched at the
Isles of Shoals, on which there was then quite a large
permanent population, and also at Kennebunk. This ar-
rangement lasted until the opening of the Portland, Saco
and Portsmouth Railroad to Portland, late in 1842, when
the steamboats connected at the former place. The East-
ern Railroad had a large monetary interest for years in
these and other steamers and in wharf property in Maine.
Very soon after the opening of the road to Salem,
Marblehead, which was then a more important place com-
mercially than it is to-day, determined to have a branch
railroad to connect that town and Salem. Accordingly
enough shares of Eastern Railroad stock were subscribed
in Marblehead to entirely pay the cost of the branch
($40,000), and as the main line could be utilized as far
as Castle Hill in Salem, the new tracks only extended a
little over three miles. In order to build at as little cost as
possible, wooden rails capped with iron straps were origi-
nally laid down. During the construction of the main line
these wooden rails had been used to run gravel trains on,
and it was thought they would be heavy enough for a
branch road. They were not serviceable, however, and
in 1843 had to be replaced by new "chair" rails. The
Marblehead branch was opened December 10, 1839, with
24
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
five trains each way daily. The running time was fifteen
minutes, and it remained that for over forty years.
The
fare to Salem was 12 1-2 cents; to Boston, 62 1-2 cents.
Benjamin Thompson, who had formerly driven the Mar-
blehead and Salem stages, was the first conductor (he
was afterwards for many years the station-master at Mar-
blehead), and Joseph E. Glover was the first engineer.
The locomotive "Marblehead" was built for this branch
line in 1839 by William Norris at Philadelphia. The
picture shows it to have been a most curious looking
engine and much smaller than the first used on the road.
Its total weight was only 18,000 pounds, and the diame-
ter of the single driver was but four and one-half feet.
For a short time the Marblehead train ran through to
Ipswich, but this was soon discontinued.
The first station in Marblehead stood very nearly where
the present one does, but it was a much smaller building,
with a flight of stairs running up on the inside. There
were the usual swinging doors to close in the cars at
night. The engine and freight house were a little way
up the track. The turntable in front of the former was
so small that every time the engine was turned around
the tender had to be uncoupled from it. Probably a
unique fact about the Marblehead branch is that in the
seventy-seven years of its existence it has had but four
conductors, and two of these were father and son. Benja-
min Thompson from 1839 to 1848; John Harris from
1848 to 1881; Thomas T. Lyon from 1881 to 1895; and
John C. Harris from 1895 to date. The following story
related to the author by John C. Harris, is interesting as
showing the crude way in which the early trains were
sometimes run. On one occasion the train crew being
short-handed, his father, then conductor, went to the Mar-
blehead post-office for the mail and placed it on the train,
sold the tickets in the depot, then got on the engine and
coupled it to the car (there was only one in those days),
being careful to tie down the pin so it would not joggle
out. He then collected the tickets from the passengers
before starting, and getting on the locomotive ran the train
to Salem.
Surely a case of "all in one” and “one in all ”!

FIRST RAILROAD STATION AT MARBLEHEAD.
Built in 1839. From a pencil sketch made about 1900 by T. Pitman and now in the
possession of the Marblehead Historical Society.
RAILROAD STATION AT EAST BOSTON.
Built in 1842, replacing the second station which was destroyed by fire. Portion of a
lithographic View of Boston in 1848, afer a drawing by E. Whitefield.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
25
In May, 1840, on account of rumors of the unsatisfac-
tory financial condition of the company, a committee of
stockholders was appointed to investigate, and after a
long inquiry reported that "they had discovered nothing
to impair their confidence in the integrity or fidelity of
your Directors; on the contrary, at the gloomiest period
in the history of the road, when the stock was below par,
and when it was ascertained that a large number of
shares had been subscribed for in so loose and indefinite
a manner that the subscription was entirely unavailable,
the Directors having satisfied themselves that the assess-
ments could not be legally enforced unless these shares
were taken, and that the road must necessarily stop, came
forward to prevent a failure of the undertaking. They
took in their own name 641 of these shares, over 200 of
these were afterwards taken at par by the building con-
tractors as part payment for their work." The committee
concluded by saying "they could discover nothing in
their researches to impair their confidence in the eventual
success of this enterprise, or in the value of the stock ...
but a full dividend cannot be expected until the comple-
tion of the road.”
At about this time the officials and the employees
received salaries proportioned as follows: The President
received no compensation whatever; the Treasurer, who
was the real head of the company, received $2,500.00 per
annum, out of which he paid a clerk (his only office
force) $900.00 per annum, but in addition to this the
Treasurer received a commission of 2 1-2 per cent on all
the iron bought for the road. The clerk of the corpora-
tion received $300.00 a year, and the superintendent
$2,000.00 per annum. Station and ticket agents were
paid $30.00 a month, switchmen the same, passenger con-
ductors $45.00 a month, baggage masters (whether on
trains or in the stations) $35.00 per month, brakemen
$30.00, engineers $60.00, firemen $30.00, freight conduc-
tors $35.00, and freight brakemen $25.00. Crossing tend-
ers received the munificent sum of $10.00 a month for
their services, but they generally cobbled shoes to eke out
their pay. Why baggage masters should have been paid
more than the station masters, who were their superiors,
26
THE EASTERN RAILROAD;
is not clear, but the figures given are taken from the
records of the company.
The investigating committee also took up the question
of season tickets and remark thereon "that the practice
of commuting for the season has been adopted generally
through the country, that such tickets have been
held at $200.00 (per year) on this road (between Salem
and Boston), a price which has deterred nearly every one
from buying."
They recommended that "officers
of the corporation be requested to issue season tickets,
not transferable, enabling the proprietors to pass between
Salem and Boston for a price not exceeding $100.00 each
(per annum), and at proportionate rates between other
points on the road." Shortly after, season tickets were
issued in accordance with the recommendation of the com-
mittee. In 1843 only 59 were sold, but by 1847 the
number had risen to 433. In the early days the tickets
of any kind) were not punched or cancelled when col-
lected, they were merely handed back by the conductors
to the ticket agents, who resold them, thus the same
ticket did duty until worn out. In the report of the be-
fore mentioned committee the subject of free passes is
mentioned for the first time as follows: "Upon this
point your committee ascertained that a general usuage
prevailed upon nearly all the railroads of New England,
that Directors, Engineers and Superintendents of the
road . . . should have free passage for themselves and
families; but your committee could see no reason why the
families of subordinate officers or laborers in the pay of
the company should enjoy such a privilege. They
recommend that the Clerk, Land Agent, Conductors,
Ticket-masters, Engineers and Depot Masters have indi-
vidually a free passage.'
""
In 1841 various improvements were authorized by the
stockholders, which included the building of a new depot
at East Boston (the first one being of a mere temporary
character) and entering into negotiations for the erection
of a new station in Boston proper, which finally resulted
in the purchase of Snow's, Wilkinson's and Pratt's
wharves. A double track from East Boston to Chelsea
and between Lynn and Salem was also decided upon, as

SALEM./
NEWBURYPORT,
SALEN
GLOUCESTER
SALEM
}1.50
RAIL
Portsmouth. 1.50-
000
SALEM
MARBL'H'D
BOSTON
SALEM
SALEM
PORT TH
S.
ALL ROAD
LYNNFIELD
Read for this day puls
DANVERS
TYPES OF EASTERN RAILROAD TICKETS, 1838-1855.
These tickets were taken up by the conductors and
sold again at the ticket offices.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
27
with the opening of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth
Railroad to Portland, the directors thought that "through
trains coming from such a distance might, very likely, be
occasionally delayed and so upset the arrangement of the
time table." The two stretches of double track, together
with the use of signals, would, the directors thought,
practically take the place of a continuous double track
between Boston and Salem. These signals are the first
mention of any being used by the Eastern Railroad.
The construction of a new and much larger ferryboat,
"with wrought iron shafts," was also authorized. She
was the "East Boston," built at Medford in 1841 by
Galen James, a celebrated shipbuilder. In connection
with the ferryboat, mention may be made of the early
baggage cars or "crates" as they were called. These
were big, strong wooden vans, with a door in the end.
They were each mounted on two pairs of iron wheels
and were placed on platform cars. The wheels of
the crate were then securely "trigged," and it then went
bumping over the road. When East Boston was reached
the crate was run off on its own wheels and placed on
the ferryboat, thus saving transshipment of baggage and
express matter.
The same arrangement was in use on
the Boston and Providence road, the "crates going
through from Boston to New York via rail and boat.
""
January 25, 1842, the new East Boston depot was used
for the first time, caught fire that evening and burned
down. It was replaced the next year by a less preten-
tious structure.
Early in 1842 Mr. George Peabody resigned as President
and Mr. Stephen A. Chase as Superintendent, and their
places were respectively taken and for many years filled
by Messrs. David A. Neal and John Kinsman, both of
Salem.
In the early 40's public opinion in New England was
beginning to be excited over the anti-slavery question, but
almost nowhere, even in this section of the country, were
negroes allowed to travel in the same class with white
people. A curious anomaly existed on this question.
Free negroes were obliged to ride in the second class cars,
but masters having their slaves with them were free to
28
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
bring them into the first class cars. It fell to the Eastern
Railroad Company to have one of its trains the scene of
an attempt by a colored man to assert his rights. Fred-
erick Douglass, the then champion of the negro race, in
which he was the prototype of Booker Washington, at
that time was stopping in Lynn. On September 29, 1841,
Mr. Douglass and his friend James N. Buffum of Lynn,
renowned as a champion of the anti-slavery cause, en-
tered the cars at that place bound for Newburyport. The
conductor came along and spying Douglas, asked him
what he was doing in that car, at the same time ordering
him into the "Jim Crow" or second class car. Douglass
refused to go, whereupon the conductor and two brake-
men attempted to remove him by force, but the colored
man being very powerful, clutched hold of the seat, and
before he could be taken to the other car an all round
fight ensued, two car seats being uprooted. So great was
the excitement in Lynn on the subject that Superintendent
Chase, to avoid trouble, ordered the Central Square sta-
tion in Lynn closed as long as Douglass remained, and
for several days the trains dashed through that part of
Lynn without halting. Superintendent Chase and Mr.
Buffum were both quakers and friends, and the following
conversation ensued regarding the car attached to the
train for the use of colored people. Said Mr. Buffum,
"Stephen, I don't think thee does right to utilize a Jim
Crow car on thy train." Said Mr. Chase in reply:
"Well, James, I'll tell thee, when thee abolishes the
colored pews in the meeting house, then I'll abolish the
Jim Crow car.'
99
As several other like episodes ensued on the cars
of the Eastern Railroad, at the next session of the
Massachusetts legislature the matter was considered
and a law proposed to prohibit common carriers from
discriminating against any class of passengers, and this
led to the abandonment by the Eastern Railroad of sec-
ond class cars, of which five had been in use until that
time. The rates of fare in the second class cars were
about one-third lower than in the first class, and they
were patronized by white as well as colored people.
On March 14, 1837, the legislature of Maine passed

GEORGE PEABODY
President of Eastern Railroad, 1836-1842
From a photograph made in 1848-9.
DAVID A. NEAL
President of Eastern Railroad, 1842-1851
From a portrait by Southward in the possession
of Robert S. Rantoul
STEPHEN A. CHASE
Superintendent of Eastern R. R. 1838-1842
From a portrait by Osgood in the possession of
Mrs. Ellen C. Lord.
JOHN KINSMAN
Superintendent of Eastern R. R. 1842-1855
From a photograph made about 1885.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
29
•
an act to incorporate the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth
Railroad Company, with a capital of $1,390,000.00, in
shares of $100.00 each. By its charter the company was
to build a railroad beginning at Portland and running
through the towns of Scarborough, Saco, Kennebunk,
North and South Berwick, Elliot and Kittery, Maine, to
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, fifty-two miles in length,
to connect with the Eastern Railroad at the latter place.
As this company was always partially or wholly controlled
by the Eastern, a short account of it may well be here
included. Work was begun in 1841, and the road opened
between Portland and Saco on February 7, 1842. It was
entirely completed November 21, 1842, the total cost of
construction amounting to $1,107,240.00.
On January 27, 1843, the Portland, Saco and Ports-
mouth Railroad was leased indefinitely to the Eastern
and Boston and Maine companies at an annual rental of
6 per cent, with a penalty of $200,000.00 on each party
for a breach of contract. The road, however, was oper-
ated independently, and had its own locomotives and
rolling stock, although the latter only amounted to five
or six passenger cars and some fifty freight cars, as the
trains were almost entirely made up of Eastern and Bos-
ton and Maine cars which ran through from Boston to
Portland. The Eastern train would be taken over at
Portsmouth and when South Berwick Junction was
reached (then the end of the Boston and Maine road)
the Boston and Maine train was coupled on and both
trains drawn by one locomotive would proceed to Port-
land, the running time from Boston being five hours and
the fare $4.00. Trains left either end of the road daily
at 7.30 A. M. and 2 P. M. The Portland, Saco and
Portsmouth locomotives were always very heavy and
large to enable them to draw both trains. Their pioneers
were the "Casco ", "Saco", "York",
"Saco", "York", "Cumberland",
"Kennebec" and "Penobscot ".
The first station in Portland was of the "dead end"
variety, and was situated on Commercial street, near the
steamboat wharves. This location not far from the water
front was of great importance to the railroad in the case
of through passengers and freight, as for some years after
•
30
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
1842 there was no connecting railroad in Maine below
Portland, and most of the passengers going further east
availing themselves of the water route. When the rail-
road to Portland was first opened the various steamboat
lines running east from Boston kept up a constant and
merciless competition, so much so that in order to meet
it the three railroad companies beside eontrolling the two
steamboats "Huntress " and "M. Y. Beach" and exten-
sive wharf property in Hallowell, Maine, were forced to
put on an express train May 25, 1843, with the fare re-
duced to $1.00 between Boston and Portland.
Although the Boston and Maine was joint lessor with
the Eastern of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth, the
Eastern, however, always seemed to exert the most influ-
ence. The first President of the Portland, Saco and
Portsmouth was David A. Neal, who was also President
of the Eastern. He was followed by Hon. Ichabod Good-
win, who was President of the Eastern Railroad in New
Hampshire. Later on it will be seen that the Eastern
obtained the sole control of the Portland, Saco and
Portsmouth, thus forcing the Boston and Maine to build
their extension from South Berwick to Portland. In
April, 1847, a new agreement was made between the
Eastern, Boston and Maine, and Portland, Saco and
Portsmouth roads by which the profits of the latter, if
they amounted to more than the rates of interest guaran-
teed, should be divided equally between the two former
companies. This was most profitable to the Eastern, as
in later years they netted as much as $50,000.00 in a
single year.
On June 17, 1843, a great convention of the Whig
party was held on Bunker Hill in Charlestown, crowds
coming from everywhere in New England to attend. On
that day the Eastern Railroad carried to and fro over
7500 passengers, without the slightest injury to any one,
which evidently was regarded as a great feat. By that
time the size of the passenger cars had sensibly augment-
ed, for in the same year (1843) the records of the road
show besides the original cars holding 24 passengers each,
ten other cars with a capacity of 48 persons each, and
three seating 84 persons each. The last were quite as
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
31
large as our modern cars. The road owned, besides,
twenty box freight cars and thirteen platform cars.
""
The directors adopted in 1844 the plan of a "sinking
and "renewal" fund, "as being best calculated to ensure
the financial stability of your company." Judging by
the elaborate explanations in the annual report, the idea
appears to have been a novel one, at least to railroad cor-
porations. $50,000.00 was first set aside as a sinking
fund, and $10,000.00 more was to be added each year
when the dividends were 4 per cent. or over.
The re-
newal fund (to be expended in new locomotives and cars)
was started at $20,000.00, with $12,000.00 to be added
yearly.
During the year 1845 travel had increased to such an
extent that the directors felt authorized to reduce the
passenger fares as follows: Boston to Lynn, 25 cents;
to Salem, 40 cents; Marblehead, 46 1-2 cents; Beverly,
45 cents; Newburyport, $1.00; and Portsmouth, $1.50.
These rates prevailed for many years. At the same time
the freight rates were as follows: Boston to Lynn, 3 3-4
cents per hundred weight; to Salem, 5 cents; Marble-
head, 6 3-4 cents; Beverly, 5 1-2 cents; Gloucester (when
the road was opened), 9 1-4 cents; Newburyport, 9 1-4
cents; and Portsmouth, 12 1-2 cents. By the ton the
freight rates were slightly lower. At this time the newer
freight cars had risen to the dignity of having brakes,
and according to the time table a "merchandise train ran
each way daily, speed not to exceed 12 miles an hour."
It generally left either end of the road at 5 A. M., so as
to interfere as little as possible with the passenger trains,
but it was not down on the regular time table and evi-
dently had no schedule of running time, being supposed
to keep clear of all other trains.
In 1845 Benjamin Tyler Reed resigned as treasurer,
although retaining his place on the board of directors.
The office of treasurer was filled, and very unfortunately
so as it afterwards proved for the company, by William
S. Tuckerman, who had previously been Mr. Reed's
clerk.
For several years the Eastern Railroad, having become
fairly prosperous, pursued an even and peaceful existence.
32
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
Yearly dividends at the rate of six, seven, and eight per
cent were paid, when suddenly the corporation's future
prospects were assailed by new and untoward dangers.
Massachusetts had reached by the middle or late 40's
what may perhaps be best described as the "railroad
mania". New lines and branch roads were being pro-
jected in every direction, many of them, as E. Hasket
Derby, counsel for the Eastern Railroad, said before a
committee of the Massachusetts legislature, "starting
from a dump heap and ending nowhere." Some of these
roads were undoubtedly bona fide schemes, but there is
reason to believe that many of them were built to threaten
a ruinous competition between the trunk lines, the latter
thus practically being forced for their own safety to buy
them of the original owners, netting large profits to the
latter.
During 1845 several prominent citizens of Salem peti-
tioned the legislature for a charter to incorporate a rail-
road running over a circuitous route from Salem through
South Danvers (now Peabody), Lynnfield, Saugus, and
connecting with the Boston and Maine Railroad at Mal-
den, thus making a second line between Salem and Boston.
The officers of the Eastern Railroad were immediately up
in arms, and they represented to a committee of the
legislature that a parallel and competing railroad between
Salem and Boston would mean the death of their road,
the Eastern having been originally built at great cost and
practically deriving two-thirds of its revenue from the
local traffic between Beverly, Salem, Lynn and Boston;
the lower end of the road being run at a loss. Nothing
resulted at the 1845 session, and in 1846 the project was
again brought up with even more bitterness than before.
Both sides were represented by able counsel, no less a
person than Rufus Choate appearing for the petitioners
and E. Hasket Derby for the Eastern Railroad Company.
The project fell through, "leave to retire" being given
by the legislature.

TYPE OF RAILROAD TRAIN OF ABOUT 1850 SHOWING THE
BAGGAGE CRATE
LYNN
STATION
SECOND RAILROAD STATION AT LYNN, BUILT IN 1848
From a woodcut in Ballou's Pictorial, 1857.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
33
Mr. Derby's witty and sarcastic fling at the proposed
new road is well worth reproducing. "That long array
of cars, laden with stone, onions and fish, ice, slippers
and bricks, interspersed with passengers, moving in slow
procession on their winding way to Boston. They stop
at Danvers for the onions; near the Salem pastures to
collect the boulders; at Brown's Pond for the ice; at
Gravesend for the fish; at the Print Works for the slip-
pers; and opposite Breed's Hotel (then a well known
drinking place in Lynn) to receive the inanimate and
moisten the animated clay. I will leave our friends at
this exciting spot and take passage in the regular train of
the Eastern Railroad, which whistles by like a rocket on
the air line to Boston."
However, the "new road", as it was called, died hard,
and its persevering friends finally, in 1848, managed to
get a charter from the legislature, but only as the “Sau-
gus Branch Railroad Company", with leave to build from
Lynn Common through Saugus and connecting at Malden
with the Boston and Maine. Work on the new line was
begun in 1850 and dragged slowly along for lack of
funds, but meanwhile the ever watchful Eastern, by
adroit manœuvering, had acquired the controlling interest
in the stock, and at the session of 1852 the legislature
ratified the purchase. The following year, the road was
finally opened for travel. This is the first mention of
the state of chronic warfare, sometimes reaching the
acute stage, that prevailed for forty years between the
Eastern and Boston and Maine railroads.
March 7, 1846, Joseph S. Cabot, Elias Putnam, Gay-
ton P. Osgood, Albert Thorndike and others received a
charter, as the Essex Railroad Company, from the legis-
lature, to build and operate a road from Salem to Law-
rence, a distance of a little over twenty-one miles. Partly
34
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
to protect itself and partly because they thought it would
tap the Boston and Maine's territory at Lawrence and
also bring travel from the towns of North and South
Danvers to their main line, the Eastern Railroad Com-
pany fathered this project from its inception. At first a
loan of $90,000.00 was made to the Essex Railroad Com-
pany. This was afterwards increased to $256,937.00.
The Eastern also guaranteed the interest for the period
of ten years on the bonds of this road. Until 1854 it
was not legal for Massachusetts railroads to issue bonds
except for construction purposes. Their floating debts
were financed by means of notes or new stock issues.
Work on the Essex Railroad, now the Lawrence
branch, was begun immediately, and it was opened be-
tween Salem and Danvers, a distance of nearly five miles,
on January 19, 1847. The next year it was extended to
Lawrence. It was operated entirely by the Eastern
Railroad under an arrangement by which they were to
charge therefor the actual average expense per mile. At
first the Essex Railroad trains left from a small separate
station at the north end of Salem tunnel. Samuel L.
Batchelder was the first conductor on the Lawrence
branch and afterwards for many years was ticket agent
in the Salem station. To illustrate the loose way in
which railroads were operated in the early days: on one
occasion the superintendent of the Eastern Railroad,
John Kinsman, issued a new rule which Mr. Batchelder
did not think could be applied to the Lawrence branch.
He told Mr. Kinsman so, and the latter replied:
"Why,
Sam, you are superintendent of the Lawrence branch as
soon as you get through Salem tunnel."
Besides building and financing the Essex Railroad, the
Eastern Railroad by authorization of its stockholders
built the Gloucester and Salisbury branches in 1846-47.

45WASHINGTON
THE SECOND RAILROAD STATION AT SALEM.
Built in 1847. From a photograph made in 1863, showing the three tracks.
EASTERN
ND MAINE CENTRA RAIL
PASSENGER S ATLO
68
EASTERN
MAINE CENTRAL RR.STATION
NEW YORK
PASSEN ER STATIO
BOST
EAST. WE
ORTH AND SCU
THE RAILROAD STATION AT PORTLAND
Built in 1842 for the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth R. R.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
35
The former extended from about a half mile below the
Beverly depot to Gloucester through the towns of Bev-
erly and Manchester, a distance of thirteen miles. The
branch was not extended to Rockport until many years
later. As Gloucester was a very flourishing seaport the
branch road was expected and proved to be a valuable
feeder for the main line. To-day it is probably one of
the best paying stretches of road on the entire Boston
and Maine system. It was opened to Manchester, August
3rd and to Gloucester, December 1, 1847, with two pas-
senger trains and one freight train each way daily. The
fare from Gloucester to Boston was 90 cents, and from
Manchester, 65 cents. At that time there were only two
stations between Beverly and Gloucester-West Beach
and Manchester. Camden C. Davis was the first con-
ductor on this branch.
In the same year a branch road was built by the
Eastern Railroad Company between Salisbury and Ames-
bury, then a growing manufacturing town. It involved
the actual construction of only about three and one-half
miles of new track, and was opened for travel on Janu-
ary 1, 1848, with four trains daily each way between
Amesbury and Newburyport.
To help pay for all these additions and also new depots
at Salem and Lynn, for the growing traffic had entirely
outgrown the old ones, the stockholders on June 16, 1846,
authorized the issue of 4,500 new shares of stock, which
were to be offered to stockholders at par ($100.00). The
then new Salem station (the granite walls of which in-
corporated in a new station are still standing) was a fac-
simile of an English structure which President David A.
Neal had greatly admired while making a tour of Eng-
land. The two high towers and the wide granite arched
86
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
entrance are suggestive of medieval gates of the older
cities of Europe. The site occupied by this station was
formerly the Central Dock of the South river, and to
protect the depot from the encroachments of the water a
massive sea wall was originally built. The original plan
included two wings (both are shown on old wood-cuts of
the station), but only one of these, on the Washington
street side, was actually built. It was used as a locomo-
tive round house. There were three tracks in the depot
at first, the middle one being generally used by the Law-
rence branch train (and also the Marblehead train)
and its engine, an enormous wood burner, "Witch," No.
13, waited here between trips. There were also offices
upstairs extending across the whole breadth of the pres-
ent train shed. The President and Superintendent had
their headquarters here, and there was also a branch of
the treasurer's office. The station was first used on De-
cember 1, 1847, and was considered at the time one of
the finest in New England. The station in Central Square,
Lynn, built the next year, was of brick, and on some-
what the same plan as the Salem station, only smaller and
lacked the towers. It stood until 1872, when it was re-
placed by another brick structure which was entirely con-
sumed in the conflagration of 1889.
""
The Penobscot Steam Navigation Company was formed
in 1847 to operate steamboats on what was known as the
"inside route between Portland and Bangor in connec-
tion with the railroad at the former place (direct rail
communication between Boston and Bangor was not
made until 1857). The Eastern and Boston and Maine
railroads, in order to control the boats, purchased a large
interest in the stock of the new line involving an outlay
of $17,500.00 for each road. In the meantime they had
disposed of the steamer "Huntress" to the Portland,
Saco and Portsmouth Railroad Company. The "State
of Maine ", the Penobscot Company's new boat, made her
appearance in 1848, and was considered the largest (800
tons) and finest side-wheel steamboat up to that time ever

575
CUM
LOCOMOTIVE "MARBLEHEAD, NO. 5" (SECOND OF THE NAME) AND THE
MARBLEHEAD TRAIN (PASSENGER AND FREIGHT) STANDING IN THE
SALEM STATION.
28
LOCOMOTIVE "CITY OF LYNN" NO. 28, BUILT IN 1854, STANDING IN
FRONT OF THE DANVERS STATION.
This locomotive won the celebrated race for the U. S. mails between Boston and Portland.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
37
seen on the coast of Maine. In fact, she proved to be too
large and too expensive to run profitably and was soon
sold to the Fall River line. Her place was taken by the
Governor," a smaller and poorer steamer.
The year 1848 marks the first serious accident on the
Eastern Railroad. The presidential campaign of 1848
had nearly drawn to its close when, on Thursday evening,
November 2nd, two large political gatherings were held,
one at Salem and the other at Lynn. Daniel Webster
was advertised to address the Whigs at Lynn, and Caleb
Cushing the Democrats at Salem. Special trains were
run to Salem from all the towns in the vicinity, including
Marblehead. At that time, and until much later, the
Marblehead branch train leaving Salem used the down
track from Boston until it reached the junction at Castle
Hill, nearly a mile from Salem. On this day the extra
train for Marblehead left Salem just before midnight
with over two hundred passengers on board. As it
reached the junction at Castle Hill an extra train from
Lynn, drawn by the locomotive "Huntress," No. 10, was
seen approaching. The man in charge of the ball signals
at this point became confused (there were those who said
he was "under the influence") and hoisted the lights
which gave the Lynn train the track. The result was a
frightful collision. The Marblehead train was just enter-
ing the branch track and its locomotive, tender and for-
ward cars were utterly demolished, six persons were killed
and sixty-four on both trains were injured. The locomo-
tive "Marblehead" was so badly damaged that it was
broken up, and the locomotive "Sagamore" was rebuilt
and renamed "Marblehead " to take its place. Engineer
Glover jumped and was only slightly injured. Conductor
Harris was standing on the platform and was thrown out
at the side of the track, but not hurt. The coroner's jury
at Marblehead, after an inquiry into the affair, severely
censured the Eastern Railroad Company for carelessness
in the management of its trains.
The inquest does not seem to have borne much fruit,
however, for in the annual report of the next year (1849)
the directors say "they have not felt themselves author-
38
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
ized to accede to some demands, which they consider
exhorbitant, in a case where all precautions, which had
for so long a time been entirely successful, were taken,
and where there seems to have been nothing but a fatal
combination of circumstances that human sagacity could
not have anticipated.
""
It would be interesting to know the amount of dam-
ages the company had to pay on account of this accident,
up to that time the worst in New England, but there is
no way of ascertaining. Probably they were not as large
as may be imagined, for in those days people were not as
prone as they are today to sue railroad corporations.
The original rails laid on the Eastern Railroad after a
little use were found defective and too light to stand the
wear and tear. During 1848 and 1849 heavy sixty-one
pound T rails were put down on the whole length of the
main road, and at the same time a continuous double
track was built from East Boston to Salem, a distance of
fourteen miles. Quite a sum was realized by selling the
old rails to the Fall River Railroad Company.
""
May 24, 1848, the stockholders authorized the direc-
tors (an act of the legislature having been obtained May
9, 1848), to arrange for what was known as the "new
route into Boston, that is, the entry of the Eastern
Railroad into the city proper, thus doing away with the
ferriage across the harbor from East Boston. At first it
was proposed to use for this purpose what was known as
the Chelsea Branch Railroad (now the Grand Junction
Railroad), then in course of construction, especially as
the Eastern Railroad had an interest in the stock, but the
plan was soon found impracticable. Several of the direc-
tors and a strong minority of the stockholders bitterly
opposed the "new route idea as unnecessary and en-
tailing a foolish waste of money, and they were success-
ful in postponing the project for some time.
""
A short description of the practical working and run-
ning of the trains which, except for minor changes, was
carried on in much the same manner for over thirty years
of the company's early existence, may not be out of place
here. In the original rules used when the road was first
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
39
opened it is stated: "No train will start from either
Depot until the arrival of the train expected from the
other Depot," and "When anything shall happen to a
train to render assistance necessary, let a Brakeman be
dispatched to the nearest point for assistance and let him
get on horseback as soon as possible. Let no conductor
leave his train."
"The head brakeman or baggage
master will tend the brake on the car next the engine
and will seat himself back to the engine, keeping a good
lookout to the rear of the train. He will carry a whis-
tle, which he will blow whenever it becomes necessary for
the engine to stop or whenever he is notified to do so by
the conductor. This signal will be answered by the
engineer with his whistle, which shall be the signal for
applying all the brakes."
The first time-books for the employees giving rules,
etc., for running trains were printed on single sheets of a
size 10 inches square, to be folded up and carried in the
pocket. Beginning in 1850 small pamphlets, about 7 1-2
x 4 1-2 inches in size and varying in contents from 12 to
38 pages, were used for time-books. These were in
fashion until 1871, when the first type of folding time-
books, like the kind now in use only much smaller, came
into vogue.
From the time-sheet to take effect Monday, October 8,
1849, the following rules and directions are quoted as
being most curious and out-of-date. "No train or engine
to pass between the passenger depot and Sumner street,
East Boston, at a speed exceeding five miles per hour.
No engine, whether attached to a train or otherwise, will
be used in the vicinity of any depot unless the engineer
and fireman belonging to the same are upon it. No train
to be shifted from one track to the other, unless a brake-
man is upon the same. Depot masters will see that this
rule is strictly adhered to. Engineers will be held re-
sponsible for the proper use of their engines and to see
that water, fuel and oil are at all times provided. The
fireman to be subject to the orders of the engineer. All
trains coming into the depot must brake up so as to run
in at a slow rate. A brakeman at all times to ride on
40
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
66
the back of the train." Later this rule was changed to:
"The engine must be made to assist in bringing up the
train which must come into the depots at a slow rate."
Express, extra and merchandize trains will keep out of
the way of the regular trains by not leaving a turn-out
unless they have time to arrive at the next turn-out at
least TEN MINUTES before the time noted in this table
for the arrival there of the regular train-which MUST
NOT LEAVE any of the stations mentioned in this table
earlier than the time designated.
"In all cases of meeting of the trains at the turn-outs,
each train must take the right-hand track, and must re-
main until the expected crossing train arrives; and no
train must leave any depot, or turn-out, WHEN A TRAIN
IS DUE AND EXPECTED, UNTIL IT ARRIVES.
When any train is to pass a switch after any other train,
and arrives at the switch too soon, it must wait for the
arrival and STOPPING of the expected train, and pass
the switch in proper order. On the double tracks each
train will pass on the right-hand track.
66
Enginemen will keep a good look-out to see that all
is right before passing the switches of the Marblehead
and Gloucester Branches, and also at the crossings of the
Essex and Concord Railroads, which must be passed at a
speed not exceeding 12 miles per hour.
"ON APPROACHING THE BRIDGE AT NEW-
BURYPORT, THE SPEED OF ALL THE TRAINS
MUST BE REGULATED SO AS NOT TO EXCEED
TEN MILES PER HOUR, AND THE BRIDGE MUST
BE PASSED AT A SPEED NOT EXCEEDING THAT
RATE. THE BLACK BALL AT THE DRAW SIG-
NIFIES THAT THE DRAW IS OPEN, AND TRAINS
MUST STOP. IN FOGGY WEATHER, CARE MUST
BE TAKEN TO SEE THAT ALL IS RIGHT AT THE
DRAW BEFORE PASSING.
"Trains following each other must keep at least one
mile apart, and in the evening a TAIL LANTERN must
be used on the forward train.
"The RED FLAG is the flag of danger, whenever dis-
played. At road crossings, when displayed across the
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
41
common road, it signifies that the train is coming, and
travelers must look out. But whenever the red flag is
displayed on the railroad, it signifles danger to the train,
and the train must stop and ascertain the cause of the
danger. In the evening, a LANTERN displayed in the
track signifies danger, and the train must stop.
"Conductors and enginemen will compare their time
daily, the former keeping their watches regulated by
Willard's time."
Oct. 8, 1849.
JOHN KINSMAN, Sup't.
A few years after this it was stated that: "No person
will be permitted to ride with the engineer and fireman
on the engine or tender, excepting the conductor, road-
master and bridge inspector, unless by permission of the
Superintendent.
""
Conductors were "to have charge of the trains and
are to decide all questions relating thereto, in the absence
of a superior officer of the company."
"Delays are not to be made up by extra speed, except
by express orders of the Superintendent." This rule
was, however, more honored in the breach than in practice.
Twenty-five miles per hour is to be considered the
average rate of running by passenger trains, and fifteen
by merchandize trains, and is not to be exceeded.
(6
"If there be ANY doubt of the entire safety of pro-
ceeding, the train must stop, and measures be taken to
ascertain if there be any danger.
(6
•
They (the conductors) will never allow the train to
proceed beyond its regular station for meeting, UNTIL
THE ARRIVAL OF THE TRAIN DUE, unless certain
advice from the conductor that it will not come, or writ
ten instructions to the contrary be received from the
Superintendent. On this point there is to be NO DIS-
CRETION and this regulation is to be obeyed at all
events and under all circumstances.
They will report any neglect of the engineer or fire-
man to ring the bell according to law.
66
They will allow no disturbance; see that all passen-
gers, especially ladies, are properly accommodated. .
42
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
"
They will permit no smoking in or on the cars.
"They will in case of accident by which the train is
stopped or passengers injured, remain by the train, but
dispatch immediately advice to the trains coming from
each way, what course to pursue, and for this or any
other purpose connected with the accident, they will call
on the track repairers or any other person in the employ
of the company.
"They will also, if necessary, send to the several
depots for assistance and for medical aid (if necessary).
For this purpose they should make themselves acquainted
with the names and residences of physicians and surgeons
living near the road.
They will also notify the Superintendent as soon as
possible of any difficulty and direct the messenger to de-
liver his errand in person.
""
They will examine the wheels and bearings of the
cars at each end of the route.
•
"They are to act as brakemen when necessary."
Engineers were "to take their instructions as to stop-
ping and starting from the conductor who has charge of
the train.
"Will always run within the time noted in the time
table.
"With the fireman, will alternately often look around
to see that all is right with the train while passing over
the road...
"Whenever they have any reason to doubt the entire
safety of going on with the train, they will stop at once
and wait until they and the conductor are both satisfied
about it..
"The whistle should be sounded by all trains coming
into the Boston and Salem depots, at one hundred rods
distance; also, when approaching road crossings."
It may be incidentally remarked that all the crossings
from Salem into Boston proper were whistled for until
1880.
"In case
Among the rules for depot masters were:
of accident to any train on the road, they will on receiv-
ing information thereof, act according to circumstances
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
43
in such a way as to give the earliest assistance and pre-
vent as much as possible any subsequent detention, but
not so as to endanger in the least possible degree the
other trains, or interfere with the conductors.
Prior to 1845 in case a train was over one hour late in
arriving at either Lynn or Salem, the depot master “will
immediately start on horseback to learn the cause of the
delay."
Train baggage masters were informed that "passen-
gers are allowed by the regulations 60 lbs. (of baggage)
each, but this is not intended to be strictly enforced.
on this point discretion must be used."
They will see that the crates are taken off and on the
ferry boat with as little jar as possible.
"They will consider themselves and act as brakemen
at all times."
Brakemen were to "keep the cars in good order, ex-
amine the wheels and bearings at each stopping place, oil
up, and generally carry out the conductor's orders."
"On approaching each stopping place they will brake
up, but NOT SO AS TO SLIDE THE WHEELS, which
should never be done except in urgent cases, or where
there is danger."
Besides this, they were expected as a matter of course
to take care of stoves (two in each car), clean the
interior of the cars, and help the conductor collect the
tickets when the train was a long one. All the outward
baggage in Boston was loaded on trucks and drawn down
to the train on which it was to go by the brakeman.
The train baggage master then assisted in loading it in
the baggage car. In the case of inward trains the same
process was carried out in reverse order.
Conductor Thomas T. Lyon, who entered the service
of the Eastern Railroad Company in 1868 when the old-
fashioned methods were still in full use, tells the author
that braking by hand was not the hard piece of work the
present generation of railroad men may think. In the
first place the cars were smaller and lighter, and the brakes
were constantly kept oiled to such a degree that they
could be applied almost with one hand. Conductor Lyon
44
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
says that all things being considered, some remarkably
quick stops could be made. One brakeman was the rule
on all trains except the Portland trains which had two
men. The baggage master did his part, but the conduc-
tor rarely touched the brakes except in an emergency.
The crews were supposed to be able to stop at the regu-
lar stations without the signal for "brakes" being
given by the engineer. On long and heavy trains the
locomotive always was reversed to help bring the cars to
a stop.
Mr. Charles C. Dodge of Manchester, Mass., a former
employe of the Eastern Railroad, and who has been of the
greatest assistance to the author, says: "When there were
many cars on a train stopping, for instance, at Revere,
west bound, they would begin to set up brakes as far out
as Oak Island.”
When the bell cord was first used as a signal on the
Eastern Railroad cannot be exactly determined, but in
1856 rule 19 for conductors in the time book says:
"They will see that they have upon the trains, signal
flags, red lanterns, ordinary lanterns, spare shackles and
pins, oil, etc. He must also see that he has a signal cord,
properly connected through the whole length of the
train."
In 1859 was adopted the following rule, probably the
most important of all, and today, with modifications,
more strictly insisted upon than any other:
"If by any
accident, or other cause, a train is delayed on the road,
the first duty of the conductor and all other persons con-
nected with the train is to warn coming trains of their
danger and prevent their running into the delayed train ;
and in all such cases occurring in the day one man must
be sent backwards or forwards as the case requires at
least half a mile with a red flag, and in the night two
men with lanterns to stop the approaching train.
cause whatever must prevent the signal men from going
back at least half a mile and staying there until the ap-
proaching train is stopped."
NO
At first the trains were not numbered, but when the
practice began, about 1848, each train kept its number
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
45
all day: that is, train number 1 would make a round trip
between Portsmouth and Boston, and number 4, four
round trips between Salem and Boston. Later on (1855)
the outward trains had the low numbers and the inward
trains the high numbers, and at the same time the con-
ductor's name was listed before each train. Branch
trains had no numbers, and freight trains were desig-
nated as "freight train number 1," etc.
Some of the Lawrence branch passenger trains had the
same numbers as different trains on the main road, which
it would seem must have led to confusion. In 1872,
after the Revere disaster, the present practice of having
outward trains bear the odd numbers and inward trains
the even, was begun. The main line trains had the low
numbers beginning with number 1, and the branch trains
high numbers in the hundreds. At this time the freight
trains were designated by letters of the alphabet, but
later they were numbered in the same way as the passen-
ger trains.
In 1851 the officers of the Eastern and Portland, Saco
and Portsmouth Railroads were as follows:
David A. Neal, Salem, President.
Isaiah Breed, Lynn,
Ichabod Goodwin, Portsmouth,
Benjamin Tyler Reed, Boston,
Samuel Hooper, Boston,
Samuel Philbrick, Brookline,
Albert Thorndike, Beverly,
Director.
66
66
W. S. Tuckerman, Boston, Treasurer.
Wm. H. Foster, Salem, Clerk.
John Kinsman, Salem, Superintendent.
Robert Annable,
Jeremiah Prescott,
66
66
Eastern Railroad Conductor.
(6
6
66
Benjamin Cram,
(6
66
66
J. Akerman,
66
66
66
Camden C. Davis,
66
66
George E. Goldthwait,
66
66
66
J. Kilborn,
66
66
66
John Harris,
66
66
66
S. L. Batchelder,
Essex Railroad Conductor.
46
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
James Sweetser, Superintendent and Treasurer of the
Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad.
William Akerman, O. W. Towle, Conductors of the
Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad.
When punches were first used to cancel tickets there
were not, as now, distinct perforation marks for each
conductor. The first used were all of a like pattern,
with a D mark to be used on downward trips and a U
mark for upward trips. The punching rules required
conductors to "cancel and make useless ALL PAPER
tickets that pass through their hands." "On Lawrence
Branch, down Boston tickets will receive three punches,
Middleton and Boston two, Danvers and Boston one."
Rebate tickets issued by conductors to passengers pay-
ing cash fares did not come into use until much later.
Besides running the trains, the conductors were ex-
pected to take care of the tin boxes containing the money
collections taken in at the various stations along the road
and were to deliver them personally at the treasurer's
office in Boston. This was a matter of no small respon-
sibility. Many people will remember the conductor's
closets that were built in some of the old-fashioned cars
at the end to contain these cash boxes.
The rules concerning free passes were as follows:
"Eastern Railroad Company.
To the Conductors:
Dear Sirs:
"The following persons you will pass free on the East-
ern Railroad and are not required to report them, viz:
1st. Directors, treasurer, superintendent, and clerk of
the Eastern Railroad Company,
2nd. Directors and clerk of the Eastern Railroad in
New Hampshire.
3rd. Directors, treasurer, superintendent and clerk of
the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad Company.
4th. The members of the immediate families of the
above.
5th. The directors, treasurer, clerk and superintendent
of the Boston and Maine Railroad.
6th. The chief machinist, bridge inspector and road
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
47
master of the Eastern Railroad. Freight agent, clerks in
the treasurer's and superintendent's offices, and persons
regularly attached to the engines or trains of the com-
pany.
7th. Special agents of the post office department, on
the exhibition of their credentials.
"Also: circumstances may occur in which you are
authorized to exercise a sound discretion in regard to
passing persons free. Such, for instance, as the officers
of other roads occasionally passing over this road; of
shipwrecked seamen; of persons entirely destitute, etc.,
etc. But in such cases, you will insert the name of the
person passed in one of the tickets furnished you for
that purpose, endorse your own name on the back of it
and return it to the office at Salem.
Salem, Jan. 1, 1850.
"D. A. Neal, President."
The severe old-fashioned winters hampered railroad
travel to a degree which the present generation would
find it hard to realize or put up with. A few quotations
taken from Lewis and Newhall's History of Lynn will
show how heavy snow storms impeded the trains sixty or
more years ago. Of course it must be taken into con-
sideration that neither the early locomotives or snow
ploughs compared in weight or power with those now in
use. "During the first week of January, 1854, there
were four snow storms . . . the railroad trains were
much impeded. On Thursday five locomotives were
joined to force the early morning train from Lynn to
Boston.'
""
"On Friday night, March 17, 1854, a violent gale
commenced from the northeast. Upon the Eastern Rail-
road a train was brought to a full stop, while passing
over the (Lynn) marshes, by the force of the wind."
"On Saturday, January 5, 1856, a great quantity of
snow fell and the wind blew a hurricane from the north-
east. Railroad travelling was greatly obstructed. The
half-past six o'clock train from Boston was twenty-two
hours in reaching Salem. It became fast bound a short
distance east of the Swampscott station and had to re-
main through the night."
48
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
During the terrific storm of January 23, 1857, con-
ductor George E. Goldthwait left Boston in the after-
noon in charge of a passenger train composed of three
cars, three locomotives and a snow-plough. The train
became stalled between Prison Point, Charlestown, and
South Malden (now Everett). Many of the passengers
had their fingers and ears frozen and were taken to the
nearest points of refuge. Mr. Goldthwait kept the train
in commission as long as possible and then returned to
Boston. On arrival in that city he collapsed, and it was
several hours before he recovered consciousness. He
never fully recovered from the effects of that terrible
experience, but nevertheless lived to a good old age, dying
in Salem at the age of 92 years in 1913, being the oldest
living conductor of the old Eastern Railroad.
Some of the trains leaving Boston were made up, so
to speak, in sections, the cars of which would be dropped
at various junction points along the road. For instance,
the noon Portland train for years hauled the Gloucester
branch cars as far as Beverly. Behind the latter were
spare cars to be left also at Beverly. When the other
end of Beverly bridge was reached, and while the train
was in motion, the Gloucester cars were uncoupled and
the locomotive and Portland cars would steam ahead and
come into Beverly station (a wooden building on the
type of the Salem depot and with three tracks) on the
outward track. The switch would then be quickly
changed and the Gloucester train would roll in on its own
momentum on the middle track, where a locomotive
would be waiting to take it to Rockport. In the mean-
time the spare cars were separated from those for Glou-
cester, the switch again" thrown," and they would come
in on the inward track to be switched off on a side track
ready to be taken back to Boston. This practice would
now be illegal.
The employees in the train service in the old days also
were able to add considerable sums to their pay by buying
fruit, vegetables and poultry at stations in New Hamp-
shire, Maine, and far up on the Lawrence branch and
disposing of the same at good profits to the Boston pro-

THE THIRD RAILROAD STATION IN LYNN
Built in 1872; destroyed in the conflagration of 1889.
THE SALEM AND LOWELL STATION, BUILT IN 1850 AT THE
NORTHERLY END OF THE SALEM TUNNEL.
From a photograph made in 1873.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
49
vision dealers. The latter would often be waiting to
meet the trains. As the cost of transportation was nil,
the returns were fairly large. There was nothing under-
handed in this, as the companies were not unwilling that
their baggage cars should so be used if not already laden.
Often, also, conductors and brakemen would run errands
and transact business in Boston (of course being paid for
the same) for residents of places where the express ser-
vice was poor.
An amusing incident is related of the hackmen at the
Eastern station in Boston. Sometimes strangers would
wish to be taken to the Lowell station, distant not over
fifty feet. They would seat themselves in the carriage,
and the hackman would drive round by the water front,
perhaps returning by way of the State House, and even-
tually depositing the travellers at their destination, and
charging one dollar each for the ride.
How many people to-day would think of travelling
from Salem to Boston by way of the South Reading
Branch? Yet it was built as a competing line to the
Eastern and was a terrible thorn in its side for some
time. Chartered by the Legislature in 1848, it was
opened August 31, 1850, from South Danvers (Peabody)
to South Reading (where it connected with the Boston
and Maine), a distance of a little over eight miles. David
Pingree was President, and D. N. Pickering, Superin-
tendent. Its trains ran from South Danvers to Salem
on the track of the Salem and Lowell Railroad, and also
used the latter's station, a small building at the northern
end of the tunnel. The equipment of the South Reading
Branch Railroad was of the finest, consisting, according
to the advertisement, of "elegant new 16-wheel passenger
cars and new powerful locomotives" (the "Express",
“Traveller”, “Danvers" and "Salem "). The trains
ran at convenient times and were in charge of "polite and
obliging conductors". They connected at South Reading
with express trains of the Boston and Maine. As the
fares were slightly lower than on the Eastern, it did not
take long for the travelling public to avail themselves of
the new road.
50
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
During the year 1850-51 the South Reading road,
operated independently, carried 44,120 full fare passen-
gers between Salem and Boston, 21,120 "package ticket"
passengers, and there were also 8132 holders of season
tickets between the two cities. As easily may be imag
ined, the competition proved very severe for the Eastern
Railroad, and during 1851 the directors of the latter
company managed by underhand means and paying an
exhorbitant price ($110.00 a share) to acquire the con-
trolling interest in the South Reading road. It was not
legal for the Eastern to own the stock in its corporate
capacity, and to overcome this, the holdings were placed
in the names of the various directors. At the next annual
meeting of the South Reading Branch Railroad the inde-
pendent management was turned out and various direc-
tors and officials of the Eastern were installed in their
places. They proceeded to sell "the elegant new 16-
wheel passenger cars"; the "polite and obliging" con-
ductors were dismissed, the locomotives were used to haul
the through trains on the Eastern and were replaced by
old, worn-out rolling stock, and at the same time the
time-table was so arranged as to discourage travel.
The minority stockholders of the South Reading road
and the inhabitants of the various towns along its line
were soon "up in arms" and petitioned the legislature
not to legalize the purchase of their road by the Eastern,
but after a bitter controversy the latter company accom-
plished its aim, though only on condition that it agree to
run four passenger trains and one freight train each way
daily. The agreement was kept as far as the passenger
trains were concerned, but the directors refused to run
the freight train, which they said could only be done at
a dead loss, and no measures were taken to compel them
to do so.
During the year 1851 David A. Neal resigned as Pres-
ident and his place was taken by Albert Thorndike of
Beverly, who was more in favor of building the exten-
sion into Boston to reach the city proper. This was
done by continuing the road from North Chelsea (Re-
vere) and thence in a circuitous route through Chelsea,
1

THE FIRST STATION ON CAUSEWAY STREET, BOSTON.
Built in 1854, and destroyed by fire in 1862. From an engraving in Midgley's
"Sights in Boston," Boston, 1857.
THE SECOND EASTERN STATION ON CAUSEWAY STREET, BOSTON, BUILT IN
1862, ALSO SHOWING THE LOWELL STATION (at the left) AND THE
FITCHBURG STATION.
From a photograph made before 1870.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
51
South Malden (Everett), across the Mystic river, thence
by Somerville and bridging th rough Charlestown* into
Boston, with a terminus on Cau seway street, at the foot
of Friend street, the total distance being a little over six
miles. The worst feature of this plan was that it in-
volved crossing the lines of the Boston and Maine and
Fitchburg Railroads at grade in Charlestown, which, be-
sides being dangerous, resulted in costly and tedious
lawsuits with these companies. The total cost of the
extension, including land damages, double tracked into
Boston, was $791,601.00.
A strong minority of the stockholders fought the
project bitterly from the first. One characterized the new
part of the line as "built on a solid bed of expensive
lawsuits"; another said, referring to the winding nature
of the road, "that it seemed to have been planned to
enable the traveller to gaze upon all four sides of Bunker
Hill Monument." A third opinion was "that the treas-
ury
of a railroad seems to be considered like a city carried
by assault, the proper arena and admitted apology for
plunder."
The trains first ran into the Causeway street station
on April 10, 1854. The depot itself was a temporary
wooden one-story building, for it was hoped that in time
a Union Station could be built for the use of the Eastern
and Boston and Lowell Railroads. The new terminus
was so small that the locomotives drawing the trains did
not enter it at all. About half a mile outside, the engine
would be detached and switched off and the cars rolled
into the station on their own momentum. This required
good judgment and nerve on the part of the train crews,
as the slightest miscalculation in applying the brakes
might result in the cars crashing through the station into
Causeway street. Strange to say, the practice continued
for a great many years.
The East Boston depot was given up almost entirely
to freight purposes (a few branch passenger trains were
*From a point a little northerly of the Charlestown State
Prison, where the Boston & Maine freight yards now are, was then
water and mud flats, which were not filled in until many years
later.
52
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
run for many years to East Boston from Lynn and Re-`
vere), and the stock in the East Boston Ferry Company
was divided among the stockholders as a stock dividend.
In 1854 the legislature of Massachusetts passed a law
allowing railroad corporations to fund their floating debts
by means of bond issues, and the stockholders of the
Eastern Railroad accordingly authorized their directors to
issue bonds to an amount not exceeding $1,500,000.00,
bearing six per cent. interest; of this $1,200,000.00 were
sold at a rate averaging 83 1-3 per cent.
In the meantime the Saugus branch was opened for
travel on February 1, 1853, its eastern terminus being
Lynn Common, for its track did not join the main line of
the Eastern at West Lynn. At its other end it connected
with the Boston and Maine Railroad (main line) at Mal-
den. The only intermediate stations at the beginning
were East Saugus, Saugus, Cliftondale, and East Malden
(now Linden). The Eastern Railroad soon began to
complain that the Saugus Branch, operated as above,
benefited no one but their bitter enemy the Boston and
Maine, and that they were forced to keep up separate
rolling stock which could not by any means be of use to
them on other parts of their system. So they petitioned
the legislature for permission to consolidate the Saugus
Branch Railroad Company (of which they already owned
the larger part of the stock) with their own corporation,
and at the same time to discontinue the connection of the
branch with the Boston and Maine at Malden, and in-
stead extend it to join their main line at South Malden
(Everett) Junction, and also extend it at its further end
to connect with their main line at West Lynn. This
would give them a "loop line" between Boston and
Lynn and enable some of the main line trains to be run
that way. The legislature gave the required permission,
and the new connections were made in 1855.
The Saugus Branch was one of the few fortunate in-
vestments of the Eastern, for it opened large tracts of
land that were soon built up with suburban residences.
Until the coming of the electric trolley cars connecting
with the Elevated railroad, it was probably one of the
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
53
best paying stretches of railroad in New England, but
since then the travel has largely fallen off. The through
travel to northeastern Maine also had rapidly increased,
so that the Eastern, Boston and Maine, and Portland,
Saco and Portsmouth roads had built at New York, in
1853, a fine new side-wheel steamboat, of 900 tons, the
"Daniel Webster", to run between Portland, Rockland,
Penobscot River landings and Bangor, in connection with
the railroad. She also proved a lucky "outside invest-
ment," and, being considered one of the finest boats of her
day on the coast, was always well patronized and paid large
dividends. The steamboat train to connect with her was
run alternately by the Eastern and Boston and Maine
roads. She finally was sold to the government during the
Civil War and was used as a hospital ship. The steam-
boat "Governor," which had been put on in 1848, at this
time ran between Portland, Eastport and St. John, N. B.
in connection with the railroad. During the summer of
1855 the Eastern railroad chartered the propeller steam-
boat Lawrence" and ran her between Boston, Marble-
head, Salem and Beverly to carry freight and also pas-
sengers.
The Massachusetts legislature in 1852 had given per-
mission to the Newburyport Railroad Company and the
Danvers Railroad Company to consolidate, as the New-
buryport Railroad, their object being to build a line from
Newburyport through Georgetown, Topsfield, and West
Danvers (now West Peabody) to connect with the Boston
and Maine road at South Reading, making thus a com-
peting railroad between Newburyport (and by connec-
tions), Salem and Boston. As the Newburyport Railroad
was very weak financially, the management of the Eastern
did not at first give much attention to the project, as it
seemed doubtful of success. It was finished, however,
in 1854, and opened for travel October 23rd of the same
year. Shortly before this (1853) the Newburyport Rail-
road Company was leased, in spite of strenuous opposi-
tion by the Eastern, to the Boston and Maine, thus pre-
cipitating a most serious question for the Eastern Railroad,
which protested in its annual report that the Boston and
54.
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
Maine invaded their territory "without any regard to
their rights in the question."
In October, 1854, the following advertisement appeared
in the Salem newspapers:
"On and after Monday,
October 23, 1854-New Route between Salem and Boston
via the Salem and Lowell, Danvers and Boston and Maine
Railroads-via South Danvers, West Danvers and Lynn-
field Center . without change
Fares as low as
by any other line . . . Season tickets may be had either
at offices or from the conductors
"F. H. Nourse, Superintendent of the Salem and
Lowell Railroad Company.'
From Salem the competition did not amount to very
much, as it took a much longer time to reach Boston via
the new route than by the Eastern. The travel to and
from Danvers and Lynnfield was, however, seriously cut
into, and in order to meet the situation the Eastern sold
tickets from South Danvers (Peabody) and Lynnfield to
Boston at rates below what it cost to ride between Salem
and Boston. Salem people were not slow in taking ad-
vantage of this, and soon the spectacle was presented of
passengers using Boston and Peabody tickets to Salem
and then re-selling to various expressmen who disposed
of them at reduced rates for the ride called for between
Salem and Peabody. This absurd state of things was
ended by an agreement between the Eastern and Boston
and Maine to divide the traffic between Newburyport,
Salem and Boston. In the 60's, however, the "war
broke out again, and during 1864-65 the Eastern Railroad
carried passengers from Newburyport to Boston for fifty
cents, which was nearly half the regular rate.
"
For a few years in the early 50's the Eastern Railroad
managed to get along fairly well and pay dividends at
the rate of six and seven per cent, but ultimately the
crushing weight of its floating debt, increased largely
by the purchase of controlling interests in the various
railroad and steamboat companies before mentioned, to-
gether with the great cost of building the new extension
to enter Boston proper, began to tell, and early in 1855
alarming rumors were in circulation concerning the com-
pany's precarious financial situation.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
55
In addition to the outside investments referred to, the
Eastern had at this time guaranteed the bonds of the
Great Falls and Conway Railroad of New Hampshire
(opened in part in 1849) to the amount of $100,000.00,
and also gone through a like process with regard to
$131,000.00 of Grand Junction Railroad bonds and a
$60,000.00 bond issue of the Great Falls and South
Berwick (Maine) Branch Railroad (opened February 5,
1855). The Eastern also had paid $49,000.00 for 495
shares of stock in the South Berwick road. This branch
was supposed to be of value as a feeder to the main road,
but as it soon afterward became bankrupt, as did the
Grand Junction Railroad, these investments were practi-
cally worthless. The Grand Junction road was built to
connect the railroads entering Boston on the south and
west with those from the north and east and the wharves
at East Boston.
Just before the annual meeting in July, 1855, bad
matters were made worse, and the stockholders of the
Eastern Railroad were appalled at learning of the confes-
sion of their treasurer, William S. Tuckerman, that he had
been speculating with the company's funds and had lost
heavily, the defalcation amounting to slightly over $281,-
000.00. Tuckerman's books had been in the past regu-
larly examined each year by a committee of the directors.
The investigating committee could make neither head nor
tail of them, and Mr. Tuckerman, in his efforts to cover
up his irregularities, had so far overreached himself that
he could not clearly explain his own accounts. The only
real statements of the company's finances had been kept
by Mr. Tuckerman on scraps of paper and check book
stubs for his own use. In their long report the commitee
(George M. Browne, William Richardson, Levi B. Mer-
riam, William N. Brewster, Henry H. Ladd, Asahel
Huntington and Joseph F. Saunderson) found the com-
pany's position and future prospects inherently strong,
but that the strictest economy must be practiced to restore
iús financial stability. All hope of dividends for some
time must be given up, and the President should be the
responsible and directing head of the company. Hereto-
56
THE EASTERN RAILROAD.
fore the Treasurer had practically managed the road.
The committee also recommended "that hereafter no
part of any tributary or connecting railroad shall be built,
or any bonds or debts of any other company be endorsed
or guaranteed. . That the price of season tickets be
raised, and at the same time the abuse of free passes cut
down."
•
There were then 352 employees of the Eastern Rail-
road in all departments, and it was thought that some
sixty or seventy could be discharged, thus saving $25,-
000.00 or $30,000.00 per annum. Thirteen passenger
trains were run each way daily in 1855. This gave
Portland three trains, Portsmouth four, Newburyport five,
and Salem thirteen. It was thought the number could be
reduced to ten trains daily each way without unduly in-
conveniencing the public.
The alarm of the stockholders was not lessened by the
following occurrence, which happened in 1855, soon
after Mr. Tuckerman's irregularities became known. A
bag containing $5,500.00 in gold, belonging to the United
States Government, and on its way from the Portsmouth
Navy Yard to Boston, in charge of the messenger for
Jackson's express, was stolen from the baggage car while
the train was stopping in Salem. The messenger had left
the car for a few minutes, but as he locked the door be-
hind him it was inconceivable who could have broken in,
especially as the thief was in plain sight of the many
people standing on the platform of the station. Conduc-
tor Harris of the Marblehead train had, however, seen
John Smith Robinson, a man employed in the freight de-
partment of the road, unlock the baggage car door, enter
and leave quickly. Mr. Harris thought nothing of it at
the time, as Robinson was an employe of the road, but
later in the day, when the news of the robbery became
known, he telegraphed (the first mention of any use of
the telegraph on the Eastern road) what he had seen to
Boston, with the result that Robinson was arrested and
the gold found hidden under a floor in the Boston station.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
57
At an adjourned meeting of the stockholders to hear
the report of the investigating committee, the following
new management was chosen :
PRESIDENT, John Howe, to be the active head of the
Eastern Railroad at a salary of $5,000.00 per annum.
DIRECTORS: George M. Browne, Boston; Nathan D.
Chase, Lynn; John Howe, Brookline; Samuel Hooper,
Boston; Henry H. Ladd, Portsmouth, N. H.; Micajah
Lunt, Newburyport; John C. Lee, Salem; G. Howland
Shaw, Boston; Albert Thorndike, Beverly.
Mr. Thorndike soon resigned to become the company's
chief auditor, and his place on the board was not filled.
John B. Parker, formerly the income clerk, was chosen
treasurer, which place he filled for many years. John
Kinsman, the superintendent, and John Farley, the master
mechanic, had come in for severe criticism at the hands
of the investigating committee, and they also resigned,
their places being filled by Messrs. Jeremiah Prescott and
John Thompson. Mr. Prescott had been for many years
employed by the company, first as a conductor and latterly
as Mr. Kinsman's assistant.
Some $30,000.00 was realized from Mr. Tuckerman's
bondsmen and from property he had owned but in order
to buy up the fraudulent shares he had over issued, and
to provide for the balance of the defalcation and various
pressing needs of the company's almost desperate finan-
cial situation the directors were forced in 1856 to make
an issue of $350,000.00, six per cent bonds bringing the
total bond indebtedness to $1,600,000.00. As the East-
ern railroad affairs were in such a critical condition the
new bonds were disposed of at prices averaging 77 1-2.
At this time the stock varied from 38 to 48.
During the next few years the history of the road sim-
ply records a hard struggle to keep it from bankruptcy
58
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
and make both ends meet. The task was not made easier
by the severe panic of 1857 and the consequent commer-
cial depression which for several years after prevailed
more or less the world over. The first installment of the
State scrip, which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
had loaned the company in 1837 to enable it to finish its
road, fell due in 1857. It was simply an impossibility for
the Eastern to meet the obligation, and accordingly the
directors appealed to the legislature, which extended the
time of settlement until 1863, after which it was to be
paid off in annual installments of $75,000.00.
Mr. Howe resigned as President in 1858 and was suc.
ceeded by George M. Browne. During the same year a
beginning was made in changing locomotives from wood
burners to the use of coal as fuel, the resultant saving
being about one-third. Several of the long wooden
trestles and bridges were at this period filled in with
earth, as being the cheapest, safest and most durable
process.
When the Gloucester Branch was constructed the in-
habitants of Rockport were anxious that the road should
be extended from Gloucester to that town, but at the
time the directors of the Eastern Railroad were absolutely
unwilling to consider the plan. In the year 1860, how-
ever, the Rockport Railroad Company was incorporated
to construct a road from the latter place to Gloucester, a
distance of four miles, and the town of Rockport was
authorized by the legislature to take $50,000.00 stock in
the company. Work was begun August 23, 1860, and
the road completed and opened for travel amid a great
celebration on November 4, 1861. It was operated en-
tirely by the Eastern Railroad, which simply continued
the Gloucester Branch trains to Rockport. There were
at this time on this branch three passenger trains and one
味
​Eastern Rail Road.
190-To be used within one
year and not transferable.
TAIS TICKET ENTITLES
JOSHUA H. WARD;
to a passage in the CARS, between
SALEM and· BOSTON,
Ito be used within one year from date,
for be void—and is not transferable.
OCTOBER 1, 1846.
Eastern Rail Road.
100-To be used within one¦
year and not transferable.
THIS TICKET ENTITLES
JOSHUA H. WARD,
Ito a passage in the CARS, between
SALEM and BOSTON,
to be used within one year from date,
or be void-and is not transferable.
OCTOBER 1, 1846.
ON
EASTERN RAIL ROAD.
Yearly Ticket....Not Transferable.
THIS TICKET
ENTITLER Sery Mecutands 10 ONE
passage, each way, daily, in the CARS, between
and
months, ending
Bostory
to
for twelve
mesi 1851
འབའ་
PRESID'T.
EASTERN RAIL ROAD.
Bearly the
No.2.0
THIS TICKET UNTITLE
Lothes Pemb
fand nyother pason, to one passage each was, kally, in
the Care will not be good after the last day of
October 1853
Thinmure Supt.
Z
EASTERN RAIL ROAD.
No.9 EAST
$25
SEASONY TICKET.
This Ticket will entitle
Char St. Jcyber.
hut no other person, to pasɗ between
BOSTON and
Falcu.....
JUNE 30, 1874
soce each way dully upon the terms and conditions specified on
the back hereof,
For the Quarter ending June 30, 1874,
Gen Russell G. T. A.
EASTERN RAILROAD
AND BEANFOES.
Pass IN.. Wheatland
Bisex State Salener
sonifitionemette opselt on the
Model: herea?.
Until December 31, 1871 unless otherwise ordered.
TRANSFERABLE.
Supt.
EASTERN RAILROAD.
1. Cenry Athralland B.
from Salem is Danverh
to....
and back, September 29th and 30th, 1858.
J. Prescott Sup'D.
To the Conductors.
Boston, September 20, 1858.
Enfess otherwise of
Dr. Henry. Wheallaus
Comfeleivientary.
will be passed, upon presentation
during the curent year; over the
EASTERN 1873
TERN 1873 RAILROAD
and Brandes, upon crudition that he assumes all
risk of wriſtent and damage to pussy and property
M
9524
15,30
118 31
DASTERN RAILROAD,
EXCESS FARE CHICK.
Redeemable for Ten Cents at any Ticket Office of
the Eastern R, R, if presented within ten days of date
punched out by Conductor, Void afterwards.
Issued by..
Train No...........
24 -84
..Conductor.
Lucius Muito
PAT. A
12
218
19
4/20
5,21
622
723
8
24
6
15
28
27
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADlee.
59
freight train daily. The agreement between the Rockport
Railroad and the Eastern Railroad was as follows: the
former was to provide all necessary buildings, keep the
track in order, and furnish all employees except those on
the trains; in return for which the Eastern was to pay a
monthly rental of $500.00 and to be exempt from all
liability except that caused by its own negligence. When
opened there was still a debt of $28,000.00 resting on
the Rockport Railroad, of which the town of Rockport
was forced to assume the larger part; nevertheless it
turned out to be a good investment, paying dividends
varying from four to ten per cent annually. In Febru-
ary, 1868, the Rockport Railroad, with all its franchises,
was sold to the Eastern for the sum of $91,007.00, the
town of Rockport making a clear gain of $3,636.00 by the
transaction.
During the 60's the company began to use a more
modern form of ticket. A Buffalo firm patented tickets
having colored bands to designate the various stations
along the road, and these were adopted by the New Eng-
land railroads generally. Many older persons will also
remember the " family tickets" that were in use at that
time and for many years afterward. Many of them were
printed by local firms in Salem on order by the station
agent as required and without reference te the general
ticket agent in Boston. The number of free passes
issued was very large. A great many of the stockhold-
ers, heavy shippers of freight, members of the legisla-
ture, etc., and persons having political influence, had
them as a matter of course. Rebate tickets issued to
passengers paying cash fares to the conductors on the
trains were not adopted until about 1881.
The breaking out of the Civil War found the equip-
ment of the Eastern Railroad entirely insufficient to meet
60
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
the great demands made upon it for moving troops and
military supplies of all kinds. The truth of the matter
was, that the company had been and was for years run
with such strict economy by President Browne that
neither its tracks, locomotives, nor rolling stock were
what they should have been. Each year the stockholders
were assured in the annual reports that your property
is kept up in the best condition and is the equal of any
first class road in New England." After the Revere dis-
aster in 1871 and the retirement of Mr. Browne from
the presidency, when it was found necessary to practical-
ly rebuild the whole road from one end to the other,
besides furnishing it with a large number of new loco-
motives and cars, some of the stockholders may have
wondered just what were Mr. Browne's ideas of keeping
a railroad in first class condition.
In 1861 the company owned twenty-nine locomotives
(many of them old and out of date), forty-seven passen-
ger cars (a smaller number than ten years previously),
and thirteen baggage cars. Two of the passenger coaches
were smoking cars, the first used on the road, and were
constructed from two old passenger cars in the compa-
ny's own shops at East Boston. The freight equipment
consisted of one hundred and fifteen long box cars,
seventy-two short (four-wheeled) box cars, seventy-three
long platform cars, sixteen open cattle cars, eighty-four
coal cars, and fifty-two gravel cars. All the rolling stock
was painted yellow. At this time no locomotive or car
was thought to be worn out until it had been rebuilt
from one to three times.
After the Civil War began it was a question in New
England whether business would be at a standstill or
not, but in a short time the immense demand for trans-
portation of men and supplies caused the New England
railroads suddenly to become very busy, and the Eastern
was no exception to the rule. Its locomotives, especially,
were entirely insufficient, and the United States govern-
ment was seizing for its own use everything that went
on wheels. The road succeeded in obtaining another
locomotive, the “Eagle”, and later, after the rush was
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
61
""
over, filled out its number as required. The "Eagle
was a second-hand engine that had seen service in the
Southern states, and Daniel W. Sanborn is authority
for the statement that it always was called the "Rebel ".
It was not of much account, and was soon sold to the
Calais Railroad in Maine.
In 1862 there were operated by the Eastern Railroad
thirteen passenger and three freight trains each way
daily, but numerous "extras", both passenger and
freight, were run, sometimes three or four in a single
day. Owing to the clumsy system of operation then
used a disastrous collision occurred on September 17,
1862, between the regular 6 P. M. Newburyport train
going east and an extra excursion train bound west.
They came together on the single track about half way
between Wenham and Ipswich. Mr. Prescott, the super-
intendent, had given written orders to conductor Hatch
of the extra to pass the regular train at Wenham, but
forgot to give conductor Skinner of the Newburyport
train any orders at all. The latter was late and trying
to make up time. Both trains were going thirty-five
miles an hour, and neither engineer saw the other until
it was too late to do anything but whistle for brakes.
The shock was terrific. A man who was working in a
nearby field and saw the accident happen said that both
locomotives ("Danvers ", No. 20, and "Traveller ", No.
21) seemed to rear up in the air like living things, and
pieces of them flew in all directions. The engineers,
Dudley Weeks and James Littlefield, and the firemen,
Augustus Whitney and Sidney Woodbury, were killed,
and some thirty-five persons in the excursion train
were injured, some of them quite badly. Almost no
passengers were hurt on the Newburyport train, the
reason being that its baggage car (next the engine) was
constructed of heavy iron plates (an invention of Mr.
Prescott's) and completely telescoped the other train.
Conductor Charles W. Kennard, now retired, was bag-
gage master on the Newburyport train, and in speaking
of the accident said: "The first thing he knew of it
was a dreadful crash, and the next after that was that
some people were picking him up out of a corn field by
62
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
the side of the road." Luckily he was only bruised.
To the fatalities recorded above must be added the death
of Mr. Rust, the station master at Wenham, who, on
hearing of the accident, started to run to the scene and
dropped dead from heart disease on the way.
This col-
lision caused a great stir at the time, and a coroner's jury
laid the blame and rightly so on Mr. Prescott, who re-
signed, but his resignation was not accepted by President
Browne. A former official states that in those days,
in spite of the fact that the rules expressly forbade con-
ductors to accept verbal instructions for meeting trains
at other places than those specified in the time table, Mr.
Prescott would very often instruct the conductor of a
train leaving Boston much as follows:
"When you
pass so and so (the conductor of an inward train), tell
him we are going to run an extra to leave Boston at such
and such a time; tell him if he can pass it at such and
such a place all right, if not, let him keep clear." The
conductors being Mr. Prescott's subordinates, were of
course forced to accept these verbal instructions, but it
led to trouble more than once.
When the telegraph was first used for train messages
on the Eastern Railroad cannot be exactly ascertained.
At the time the Boston and Portland Telegraph Company
opened its line to Newburyport Dec. 25, 1847, and to
Portland June 17, 1850, their employees had free passage
on the Eastern trains in consideration of the railroad
having the use of the wires gratis in case of need. There
were operators in the Boston and Salem stations, but
their work was mostly for the public. Occasionally tele-
graph messages would be sent in the case of through
trains, but as regards local trains almost never. It is
known that Mr. Prescott had a strong dislike to running
trains by telegraph, and as late as 1856 there is an authen-
tic case of a long freight train waiting in Salem all night
for an extra passenger train which also passed the night
waiting at Ipswich. There was a misunderstanding in
the orders, and both conductors were afraid to go ahead.
The author has been at some pains to ascertain when
the system of operating trains by telegraph was first in-
troduced on the New England railroads, and through the
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
63
kindness of Philip D. Borden of Fall River, Mass., than
whom no one knows more about old time railroading, and
James Hermon French, formerly superintendent of the
Old Colony Railroad, it is learned that the latter road
was the first to inaugurate (in 1857 or 1858) the move-
ment of trains by telegraph. In the beginning the rule
merely authorized the conductors when they could not
pass opposing trains at the places specified on the time
table to arrange other meeting places by telegraph. There
were then, and for many years afterwards, no dispatch-
ers. The train crews were considered picked men who
could arrange meeting places among themselves much
better, it was thought, than a third person could do for
them. Not many of the stations (on the Old Colony)
had telegraph offices and operators, and much time would
be lost in running to and from the regular telegraph
office, perhaps half a mile or more off. The first railroad
from Boston to introduce the modern train dispatching
system was the Eastern Railroad in 1872, when Charles
F. Hatch was brought from the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern Railway and made general manager of the
Eastern. In the west he had been used to the telegraph
system, and accordingly brought with him T. H. Miles,
who had been his dispatcher and first introduced the
system in New England. His office was not, as may be
supposed, in Boston, but in Portsmouth, N. H., which
was considered the centre of operations, as by this time
the Eastern had sole control of the Portland, Saco and
Portsmouth Railroad and the "Northern division" from
Conway Junction to North Conway had just been
opened.
On June 21, 1862, the passenger station in Causeway
street, Boston, was totally destroyed by fire, but as it
was only a temporary structure and insured nearly to its
full value, the loss to the company was not great. Work
was immediately begun on a larger and permanent brick
building, which will be remembered by many travellers
as so grimy, dirty, and generally unlovely, especially in
its later days. It was torn down in the summer of 1893
to make way for the present North Union Station. In
referring to the new station President Browne says in
64
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
the annual report for 1862: "In determining upon a
plan for a new edifice we felt . . . that the demands of
our great and increasing passenger traffic required that
it should be a permanent structure, of ample proportions,
with so much ornament as should be consistent, at the
same time, with both good taste and rigid economy. The
rear part, or car shed, 330 feet long, already substantially
completed, has its walls of brick and its roof of iron and
slate, and is therefore fire proof."
There were two tracks in the train shed and one out-
side on the easterly side, which was used to load the
baggage cars for the through trains. The Saugus branch
trains also left from this track. Later on, owing to the
constantly increasing travel, two more tracks were ar-
ranged on the westerly side towards the old Lowell sta-
tion. These were only partially covered over and were
principally used by inward trains. The President, Treas-
urer and Superintendent also had their offices in the new
station. During the course of the rebuilding, by an ar-
rangement with the Boston and Lowell Railroad, the
Eastern trains used their passenger station, which was
adjoining. During the next year (1863) a new brick
station was built at Portsmouth, N. H., and is still in
use.
The first installment of the state scrip, of which pre-
vious mention has been made, fell due in 1863. The
country was then in the throes of the Civil Wa ar, gold
was at a great premium, and the legal tender act had just
been passed. The directors of the Eastern Railroad
took advantage of this and proposed to pay back the
state loan in greenbacks. As the state of Massachusetts
was then paying interest and principal on its bonds in
gold, the state treasurer felt this was sharp practice on
the part of the railroad and refused to accept anything
but specie payments. After a long controversy, however,
the attorney-general decided that by a strict interpreta-
tion of the "legal tender act" the company was not
compelled to pay in gold, which it accordingly did not
do, and it also followed the same course with its own
bonds and the interest thereof. The incident caused
much talk and criticism in the press, and it was freely
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
65
insinuated that the management of the Eastern Railroad
were "copperheads ", and in favor of the Confederate
cause.
During the middle and late 60's the company reached
the highest state of prosperity during its history. Divi-
dends at the rate of four per cent were paid in 1861,
and this was gradually increased until eight per cent was
paid in 1866 and for several years after. It was felt
that business would probably fall off greatly at the close
of the Civil War, but this was not the case. On the
contrary, travel became so heavy, especially in the sum-
mer, that the thirteen daily passenger and three freight
trains of 1862 had increased in 1870 to twenty-eight
passenger and five freight trains daily. A great part of
this increased business came from the boom in building
up suburban residences near Boston and the development
of northeastern New England as a summer resort, and in
this connection it may be stated that the Eastern always
had more suburban travel than any other railroad having
Boston as its terminus.
Owing to the greater frequency of the trains and the
larger number of cars on them, there was felt the need
of a brake which could be controlled by the engineer and
stop the trains in a shorter time than could be done with
the hand brakes then in use. The Westinghouse air
brake was not patented until October, 1869, the first
New England railroads to use it being the Boston and
Providence in 1870 and the Old Colony in 1871. But
during 1867-70 the Eastern Railroad spent large sums
in experimenting with what was known as the "Creamer
Safety Brake", and a short description of its use, taken
from an old Eastern time book, may not be uninterest-
ing:
"1. As soon as the train starts the brakeman will
wind up the safety brakes with full force, and then, after
pulling the slack of the bell cord back, connect the
branch lines of the safety brakes forward, being careful
that the train is on a tight coupling at the time.
"5. The engineer or fireman will, in case of any dan-
ger, pull the bell cord instantly, with full force until drawn
taut, thus applying every brake by their own motion.
66
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
"6. In case danger is first known to the conductor
or train crew, they will instantly pull in the bell cord,
with full force both ways."
""
This invention, however, turned out to be practically
useless and was given up.
During the 60's, also, many of the old bridges on the
line were replaced by new wooden structures, including
the Beverly bridge (at a cost of a little over $15,000.00),
one at Newburyport, and one at Portsmouth.
In 1865, the Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway (N.
H.) Railroad was incorporated, with power to purchase
both the Great Falls and Conway Road (opened to Great
Falls in 1849), and the South Berwick branch (opened
in 1855). The intention was to make the purchase and
to construct a road from Union Village to West Ossipee,
New Hampshire, and there stop, thus opening a new route
for tourist travel to the White Mountains of New Hamp-
shire. In 1866 the new company purchased the stock
and mortgage interest of the South Berwick Branch held
by the Eastern Railroad and the third mortgage upon the
Conway Road also held by the Eastern, for the sum of
$208,173.94, and made payment for the same in the stock
of their company, the Portsmouth, Great Falls and Con-
way Railroad, at par. The foreclosures were perfected
and they became the owners of the whole road, from
Brock's Crossing (Conway Junction) now Jewett, to Union
Village, and thus accomplished this part of their intention.
The rails between Union Village and West Ossipee were
laid in June, 1870, and passenger trains commenced running
to West Ossipee in July, 1870. They were operated en-
tirely by the Eastern Railroad as their Conway division,
with A. A. Perkins as superintendent.
The annual report of the Eastern Railroad for 1871
refers to the opening of this road and says, "When it is
remembered that the work of constructing this railroad
has been through the difficult mountain regions of New
Hampshire, and that it has been well and thorough-
ly built . . with suitable side tracks, turntables, and
engine houses. . . the result reflects great credit on the
chief engineer, T. Willis Pratt, Esq., and his efficient
corps of assistants, and Mr. G. F. Hitchings, the con-
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
67
tractor." It is interesting to note that in building this
branch the Eastern constructed for the first time a par-
allel telegraph line for its own use in running the
trains.
The cost of this road as far as West Ossipee was
about $767,200.00, and it was paid for in the stock of
the company, $168,200.00 of which was received by the
Eastern Railroad Company for moneys advanced towards
the building of this part of the road, and the balance,
$599,000.00, by the individual stockholders of the East-
ern Railroad. The stock was at that time worth $107.00
a share in the market, in other words it stood at a pre-
mium of seven dollars. By arrangement with the East-
ern, their stockholders had the preference to take the
stock at its par value, in the ratio of one share of the
Conway for every five shares owned in the Eastern. So
rare a privilege was eagerly availed of by a large number
of the Eastern stockholders; and the company itself,
having transferred its interest in the above mortgages and
bonds to the Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Road,
as above stated, were the owners of about $375,000.00
worth of this stock.
From Ossipee it was proposed that the large travel to
the mountains should be transported over the intervening
seventeen miles to Conway by stage; but it was soon
decided that with such arrangements the whole railroad
scheme must be a failure. It seemed plausible that if
the railroad could be extended to North Conway then the
whole, or nearly all the mountain travel, could be secured
and connections could be made there with the Portland
and Ogdensburg Road, so as to obtain a reasonable pro-
portion of the travel and freight through from Montreal,
the Canadas and the Lakes, to Boston and the East, as it
would afford a route to Boston shorter by twenty-seven
miles than that over the Boston and Maine Railroad. The
extension was undertaken and completed so that connec-
tions were actually established with the Portland and
Ogdensburgh Road at North Conway, seventy-one miles
from Conway Junction, in September, 1874. The whole
cost of the road from Union Village to North Conway
was $1,250,600.00. The cost of that part between West
68
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
Ossipee and North Conway was $483,400.00, and the
money for this extension was entirely furnished by the
Eastern Railroad Company, and also about $220,000.00
more which was expended in widening and finishing the
entire road between Brock's Crossing (Conway Junction)
and Union Village. Very soon after its opening the
Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway road was leased
indefinitely to the Eastern Railroad in New Hampshire,
the latter company guaranteeing the interest on the Con-
way bonds.
In 1869-70 the road from Wolfborough, N. H., to
Wolfborough Junction, on the Conway division, a dis-
tance of twelve miles, was built to connect with the travel
on Lake Winnepesaukee. The cost of this road was
$337,900.00, of which $289,400.00, was advanced by the
Eastern Railroad Company and payment taken in stock,
the rest of the cost being assumed by the town of
Wolfborough. The stock rapidly became nearly or quite
worthless, the road a failure, and its operation was con-
ducted at a dead loss.
It has been seen that the Portland, Saco and Ports-
mouth Railroad was under a joint lease to the Eastern
and Boston and Maine Railroads at a six per cent yearly
rental. If a breach of contract should be made by the
lessor, it should pay to each of the other roads, lessees,
the sum of $100,000.00, or in all $200,000.00. During
and after the Civil War the stockholders of the Portland,
Saco and Portsmouth were very much dissatisfied that
their dividends were paid in depreciated currency instead
of gold, and so in January, 1870, the company decided
to break the contract and pay the stipulated penalty. And
then began a contest which gave rise to much private and
public feeling.
In 1869 conferences were held between the Eastern
Railroad Company and the Maine Central Railroad Com-
pany, with a view to the control of all the business of
the latter by or in the interest of the Eastern road.
Nothing, however, was done, further than to make clear
the views of each party respecting the matter in discus-
sion. One thing became evident to both, that the control
of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth was essential to
Countersigned,
NoŹ3/P. S. & P. R. ROAD. Fare $2
GOOD for a passage to any Station on the Eastern or
the Boston and Maine Rail Road, in the Morning Train
of this day only.
Gushmand
Notice.
TICKET SELler.
Passengers are not allowed to take, nor will these Companies be responsi-
bie for BAGGAGE if it exceed FIFTY DOLLARS in value, unless Freight on any
addition thereto be paid in advance; and this notice forms part of all contracts for
transportation of passengers and their effects.
J. RUSSELL, JR., Supt. P. S. & P. R. R.
No
B. & ME. R. ROAD.
Fare $2.
Good for a passage to any Station on the Portland,
Saco and Portsmouth Rail Road, in the Second Train
of this day only.
2
Jotice
Italy
Fichet Selter.
Passengers are not allowed to take, nor will these Companies be responsi-
hle for Bacoäx if it exceed FIFTY dollars in value, unless Freight on any
addition thereto be paid in advance; and this notice forms a part of all contracts
for transportation of passengers and their effects.
OHAS. MINOT, Supt. B. & Me. R. R.
EASTERN RAILROAD.
EMPLOYE'S PASS.
Pass & J. Hams & W Ramsdell
From Salem No. Conomy treturn
Account of ERK Brakmen
Ex
Pin Brakelder
1876.
Superintendent.
TICKETS PRINTED ON THIN PAPER AND USED ABOUT 1845.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
69
any party who proposed to take and maintain the busi-
ness of the Maine Central. If it could be controlled by
the Maine Central, it would hold the key to the through
business to Boston and could turn it to that company
which could be induced to carry the business on terms
most profitable to it.
About this time, 1869 or 1870, and in consequence of
these conferences, the Maine Central, it was believed,
promoted the annulling of the former joint lease by
offering a rental of five per cent in gold instead of the
rental of six per cent in currency, as provided in the
lease. The Portland, Saco and Portsmouth now put
themselves into the market to excite competition between
the three roads, the Maine Central, Boston and Maine
and the Eastern. Six, eight, and finally ten per cent was
offered. At length the Eastern Railroad, with hesitation
and reluctance, also offered ten per cent, and the new
contract in perpetuity was awarded to it, in consequence
of no secret manoeuvres, but from the simple accident
that the parties then in control of the Portland, Saco and
Portsmouth Road happened to be more interested pecu-
niarily in the Eastern than in its competitor, the Boston
and Maine. As soon
As soon as the Eastern became the sole
lessor of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth, the first
thing it did was to refuse to take on the Boston and
Maine train at South Berwick Junction, as always had
been done in the past, and haul it to Portland as part of
their own train. The conductors of the through trains
had been instructed: "On your arrival at South Ber-
wick Junction you will connect with the Boston and
Maine cars, but if latter are not in sight or whistle heard,
you will proceed immediately to Portland without wait-
ing." Heretofore the rule had been to wait one hour if
the train were delayed. Very naturally on occasions the
Boston and Maine train was late, and then the passengers
would be dumped out at South Berwick, a most uninter-
esting spot, in which to waste time. The travelling pub-
lic of course was soon up in arms, and the newspapers
teemed with indignant letters, but very little was done
about it, and the upshot was that the Eastern Railroad
acquired most of the through traffic. Eventually the
70
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
Boston and Maine was forced to build what was known
as their "extension" from South Berwick to Portland,
which was opened in 1873.
Having in 1871 secured the sole possession and control
of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth road, the question
of most interest and importance to the management of
the Eastern was to secure the business of the Maine
Central and the rail traffic between the British Provinces
and New England. This manifested itself in two ways:
first, in relation to the Boston and Maine, and second,
in relation to the Maine Central itself. In regard to the
first, it is perhaps sufficient to say that the measures
taken proved neither highly creditable nor profitable.
In the year 1871 a contract was effected with the Maine
Central by which the whole of its western business was
to be transferred to the Eastern Railroad. Large antici-
pations were apparently entertained by the management
of both roads, and immense aggregates of business were
spoken of in language we now think somewhat exagger-
ated. By this first contract freight was to be transported
from Portland to Boston for $1.75 a ton, and passengers
at $1.50 each, with a car demurrage of $1.50 a day upon
each freight car of the Maine Central while remaining
upon the Eastern road. Practically under this contract
the latter's cars seldom passed beyond Portland, while the
cars of the Central, by the usual course of business,
seemed to find a very free and ready access to the East-
ern. This proved a fruitful source of friction and loss,
as will be seen later.
Previous to the new arrangement with the Maine Cen-
tral it had been necessary for passengers going beyond
Portland to change cars, but now it was arranged for the
trains to run through from Boston to Bangor and vice
versa. In addition, a new night express was inaugurated
leaving Boston at 8 P. M. and due in Bangor at seven
the next morning. Returning, it left Bangor at 7 P. M.
and arrived in Boston at 6.30 A. M. For the first time
in this part of New England the Pullman sleeping cars
were used on this train. They were of course much
smaller than the present ones and had no vestibules, but
nevertheless were considered so large that the track
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
71
through the Salem tunnel had to be lowered to allow
them to pass, and the overhanging eaves of the depots
at Saco, Kennebunk, North Berwick and Conway Junc-
tion were cut off. The colored porter on the early Pull-
mans, in addition to waiting upon the passengers, was
expected to brake his particular car.
În 1871 the Eastern Railroad owned 98 passenger cars
(which did not include five Pullman sleeping cars), 27
baggage cars, 839 freight cars, of all descriptions, and 55
locomotives.
On June 30 of the same year began a succession of
serious accidents which affected very much the road's
future history. The locomotive (6 Ossipee," No. 3,
drawing the 1.45 P. M. train from Marblehead for Salem,
left the track about a mile east of Forest River station
and plunged down into the deep swamp by the side of
the road. The baggage car (No. 8, built especially for
the Marblehead branch, with seats for smokers along its
sides) followed the locomotive, but on the other side, and
after turning an almost complete somersault, also found
a resting place in the swamp. Baggage-master Thomas
T. Lyon escaped practically unhurt, but a boy named
Bartlett who was in the car with him was instantly killed.
Luckily the two passenger cars remained on the track.
The travel on the Eastern Railroad was somewhat of
an exceptional nature, varying in more than ordinary
degree with the different seasons of the year. During
the winter months of 1871 the corporation had to provide
for a regular passenger movement of about 75,000 a
week, but in the summer the excursion and pleasure
travel increased this number to over 110,000. During
the week ending Saturday, August 26, 1871, the rolling
stock and energies of the employees had been most
severely taxed. The usual tide of summer travel, then
at its full flood, was largely increased by two camp meet-
ings, one at Asbury Grove in Hamilton and the other at
Kennebunk, Maine, and besides this a regular encamp-
ment of a brigade of the Massachusetts State militia was
being held at Swampscott. The number of passengers
had increased from about 110,000, the full summer aver-
age, to over 140,000, while the sixty-six trains a day on
72
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
the main line provided for in the time table were largely
increased by numerous extras which it was found neces-
sary to run.
Just at this very worst time the company
lost three of its largest new passenger cars by an accident
on the Maine Central, and frantic but ineffectual attempts
were made at the last minute to borrow rolling stock
from the Fitchburg and Lowell roads.
It had never been the custom with those managing the
Eastern Railroad to place any reliance upon the telegraph
in directing the train movement, and no use whatever
appears to have been made of it towards straightening
out the numerous hitches inevitable from so sudden an
increase in that movement. If an engine broke down or
a train became delayed, throughout that week, nothing
had been done, except to patiently wait until things got
into motion again. Each conductor or station agent had
to look out for himself, under the running regulations of
the road, and need expect no assistance from headquar-
ters. This, too, in spite of the fact that, including the
Saugus branch, out of 216 miles of road operated by the
company, only 18 miles was double tracked. The whole
train movement, both of the main road and branches,
intricate in the extreme as it was, thus depended solely
upon a schedule arrangement and the watchful intelli-
gence of individual employees.
Not unnaturally, therefore, as the week drew to a close,
confusion and pandemonium reigned supreme, and the
trains reached and left the Boston station with an almost
total disregard of the schedule, while towards the evening
of Saturday the employees at that station directed their
efforts almost exclusively to dispatching trains as fast as
cars could be procured, thus trying to keep it as clear as
possible of the great throng of impatient travellers. Ac-
cording to the regular schedule, four trains should leave
the Boston station in succession during the hour and a
half between 6.30 and 8 P. M.-a Saugus branch train
for Lynn at 6.30, a second Saugus branch train at 7, the
Beverly accommodation at 7.15, and finally the express
for Bangor at 8 o'clock. In front of the little station at
Revere (formerly called North Chelsea), six miles from
Boston, the express overtook and ran into the rear of the

BD
ZAANDEE
THE EASTERN RAILROAD CAUSEWAY AND BRIDGE NEAR PRISON POINT,
CHARLESTOWN.
From an engraving in "Ballou's Pictorial," March, 1859.
THE EASTERN RAILROAD STATION AT REVERE, THE SCENE OF THE REVERE
DISASTER, AUGUST 26, 1871.
From an engraving in "Every Saturday," Sept. 16, 1871.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
73
accommodation. A horrible disaster ensued. Both of
the Saugus branch trains should have preceded the Bev-
erly accommodation, but in the prevailing confusion the
first of the two branch trains did not leave the station.
until about 7 o'clock, or thirty minutes behind time, and
forty minutes later was followed, not by the second Sau-
gus branch train, but by the Beverly train, which was
twenty-five or more minutes late. Thirteen minutes
afterward the second Saugus branch, train, which should
have preceded (but was held for want of a crew), fol-
lowed, it being nearly an hour behind time. Then at
last came the Bangor express, which got away a few min-
utes after 8 o'clock. All these four trains went out over
the same track as far as Everett Junction, but at this
point the first and third of the four were to go off on the
branch track, while the second and fourth kept on over
the main line. The first of the Saugus branch trains on
arriving at the Junction should have met and passed an
in ward branch train, which was timed to leave Lynn at 6
o'clock, but its conductor (Auld) had been instructed to
wait for the arrival of an extra from the Asbury Grove
Camp Meeting. This train, however, was very late, one
of its cars having broken a draw bar as they were start-
ing, so that it did not leave Lynn until 7.30 P. M., or one
hour and a half late. Accordingly when the outward
train from Boston reached the Junction its conductor
found himself confronted by the rule forbidding him to
enter the Saugus branch until the train due from Lynn
should have passed. There was then no siding upon
which an outward branch train could wait temporarily
and leave the main line clear. There had been difficul-
ties arising from this cause before, but nothing very
serious, as the employe in charge of the signals at Everett
Junction had been in the habit of moving any delayed
train temporarily out of the way onto the branch or the
other main track, under protection of a flag, thereby re-
lieving a block. On the day of the accident this employe
(John J. Robinson) happened to be ill and absent from
his post. His substitute either had no sense or did not
feel called upon to use it, if its use involved any increase
of responsibility. So the first Saugus branch train
71
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
quietly waited on the outward track of the main line,
blocking it completely to traffic. This train had not
waited long before an extra locomotive, "Rockport," No.
30, on its way from Boston to Salem, came up and stopped
behind it. This was presently followed by the Beverly
accommodation, then the next Saugus branch train came
along.
At that period of railroad development there was
something ludicrous about the spectacle. Here was a
road utterly unable to provide its passengers with cars,
while a succession of trains were standing idle for an hour
because a train was delayed twelve miles away. A simple
telegraph message to the branch trains to meet and pass
at any other point than that fixed in the schedule would
have solved the whole difficulty. There were two tele-
graph operators in the Boston station and a telegraph
office at Lynn (though not in the station), but it does not
seem to have occurred to anyone, from Superintendent
Prescott down, to make use of the wires to find out the
cause of the delay.
At last, at about ten minutes after eight o'clock, the
long expected Lynn train made its appearance, and the
first of the Saugus branch trains immediately went off
the main line. The road was now clear for the Beverly
accommodation, which had been standing some fifteen
minutes in the block, and which from this time on would
be running on the schedule time of the Bangor express.
Its conductor, John S. Nowland, did not feel apprehen-
sive. He had been very unwilling to leave Boston so far
behind time and ahead of the express, but Mr. Prescott
had assured him that the engineer of the latter train
would be instructed to look out for him. Mr. Nowland
had a decided impression that the train immediately behind
his in the block at Everett was the Bangor express (as it
should have been according to the time table), instead of
the second Saugus branch train out of its order. Having
all this in mind, he supposed that the engineer of the
express, knowing that his (Nowland's) train was to make
all the stops, would run carefully, and there would be,
therefore, no need of sending back a flagman to warn him.
The confusion among those in charge of the various
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
75
engines and trains was indeed general and complete. As
the Bangor express was about to leave the Boston station,
Superintendent Prescott directed the depot master (S. O.
Lunt, afterwards for many years conductor on the Port-
land trains and now retired), to caution the engineer "to
look out for the Beverly train." This mere verbal order,
delivered after the train had started, Mr. Lunt walking
along by the side of the slowly moving locomotive, was
not fully understood or even heard by the engineer,
Ashael Brown, as he supposed it to refer to the Saugus
branch train. When he saw that train go off the main
line and down the branch, he naturally supposed the
track was clear, and when the express train left Everett
it was fairly chasing the accommodation train and over-
taking it with terrible rapidity. Even then no collision
ought to have been possible. Unfortunately, however,
the Eastern Railroad had no system, even the crudest, of
interval signals, and although the station agent at Chel-
sea might have prevented the accident by stopping the
express with a red lantern, he concluded those in charge
of the two trains knew what they were about, so did
nothing.
The station at Revere stood on the other side of the
track and a short distance further east than it does at
present, being at the end of a tangent, the track curving
directly before it. The Beverly train was standing at
the station, but unfortunately engineer Brown did not at
once see its tail lights, which were ordinary white lan-
terns without any reflecting power whatever. His atten-
tion was wholly absorbed in looking for the masthead
lantern signals of the East Boston branch, which here
joined the main line. When at last he brought his eyes
down to the level, to use his own words at the subsequent
inquest, "the local's tail lights seemed to spring right up
in my face." It was probably about eight hundred feet
distant at the time. Mr. Brown immediately whistled for
brakes, reversed his engine, "Newburyport ", No. 25, and
he and the fireman, William F. Simonds, jumped for their
lives and were unhurt.
The express, Alfred N. Goodhue, conductor, was made
up of a baggage car, Pullman car, smoking car, and pas-
76
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
senger coach. Benjamin F. Keyes, so long the conductor
on the Swampscott and Saugus branches (now retired),
was the baggage master, and says that in response to en-
gineer Brown's whistle he immediately sprang for the
brake on the baggage car, but had hardly reached it before
the crash came. At the time of the collision the local,
made up of two passenger cars, a smoker and a baggage
car, in response to conductor Nowland's ordinary signal,
had just started, the locomotives wheels having made one
revolution. The rear car was packed with some seventy-
five passengers, seated and standing, of all sexes and
ages. The first intimation they had of anything wrong
was the sudden and lurid illumination of the car by the
glare from the headlight of the approaching "Newbury-
port". The engine crashed two-thirds of the way
through the rear car, crushing human beings, furniture
and fixtures into an indistinguishable mass. To add to
the horror, the oil from the broken lamps became ignited
and several of the injured passengers were roasted and
scalded to death from fire and the escaping steam of the
colliding locomotive whose boiler rested inside the car.
It was found necessary to tear out one whole side of the
car to rescue the survivors inside. Neither was the fire
confined to the last car of the Beverly train. In the block
at Everett, locomotive "Rockport ", No. 30, returning
light" to Salem, had found itself stopped just in advance
of the local. At the suggestion of Mr. Nowland, it had
been coupled to the regular locomotive, "Ironsides ", No.
15, consequently becoming a part of the train. When the
collision took place, therefore, the four cars were crushed
between the weight of the colliding train on one end and
that of two locomotives on the other. Consequently, the
remaining cars were jammed and shattered, and though
the passengers in them escaped, the broken lamps ignited,
and the cars were entirely consumed. In this terrible
catastrophe, one of the worst ever seen in New England,
thirty persons lost their lives and about sixty were in-
jured, some of them being crippled for life. With one
exception, all those seriously hurt were in the rear car.
As soon as possible an extra train was made up in Bos-
ton, which brought the most seriously injured to the hos-
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
77
pitals, but it was a long time before knowledge of the
disaster was received at Boston, there being no telegraph
office between Boston and Lynn, and some one had to
drive in with a fast horse from Revere (over six miles),
bringing the sad news.
The yellow journal and big headlines had not yet made
its appearance in 1871, but as may be imagined, a deep
feeling of horror and indignation over this entirely un-
necessary accident made itself felt all over New England.
It is said that over 40,000 copies of the Boston Sunday
Herald were sold on the next day after the disaster. Pub-
lic meetings of protest were held all over Massachusetts,
and at one in Swampscott, Wendell Phillips, the great
champion of anti-slavery, said . . . "it is a deliberate
murder there is no accident in the case only
the greed of the Eastern Railroad Company." Two cor-
oners' inquests, one held at Revere and the other at Lynn,
also excoriated the company, but seemed to think the
disaster was caused more by the utter lack of rolling
stock than anything else, which would not seem to be
exactly the case. The accident was also thoroughly in-
vestigated by the Massachusetts Railroad Commissioners
and a committee of the directors of the Eastern Rail-
road, and they both held conductor Nowland to blame, he
not having sent his brakeman to the rear, as the rules de-
manded, to flag the express, upon whose time he was
running. He was accordingly suspended, although re-
maining in the company's service for some time.
Charles Francis Adams, then head of the Massachu-
setts Railroad Commission, asked Mr. Prescott, the super-
intendent, if he did not think the use of the telegraph
might have prevented the catastrophe, and the answer
was: "No, he didn't think so, it might work well under
certain circumstances, but for himself he could not be
responsible for the operation of a road running the num-
ber of trains he had charge of in reliance on any such
system!" It also leaked out that conductor Goodhue of
the Bangor express had complained several times previous
to the accident, to both Mr. Prescott and President Browne,
that it was impossible to make any kind of a quick stop
with only hand brakes on the heavy Pullmans, and that
78
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
he had been told to "Do the best you can." The Revere
disaster cost the Eastern Railroad in damages, $510,600.00,
according to their own figures.
It may with perfect truth be said that this accident
marked an epoch in the history of railroad development,
for in quick succession the various companies adopted
many safety appliances that had hitherto been little
thought of. As may be imagined, the Eastern under-
went a more or less thorough reorganization. At the
annual meeting held on Feb. 5, 1872, President Browne
resigned, and his place was taken by Thornton K. Loth-
rop. The board of directors was composed as follows :
Thornton K. Lothrop, Samuel Hooper, Franklin Haven,
Ichabod Goodwin, Henry L. Williams, John Wooldredge,
and B. F. Stevens, the last two being new members. The
president's salary was raised from $5,000.00 to $8,000.00
per annum, and Charles F. Hatch was brought from the Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad and made general
manager of the whole road, at a salary of $10,000.00
per annum. Under him Superintendent Prescott, who
seemed to be disaster proof, was retained as superintendent
of the Eastern Railroad and branches between Boston and
Portsmouth; Francis Chase, former superintendent of the
Portland, Saco and Portsmouth road, was designated super-
intendent of the P. S. and P. division, and A. A. Perkins
was appointed superintendent of the new Conway division.
Mr. Hatch proceeded to revise many of the methods
and rules and introduced air brakes, the Miller safety
platform, and the system of dispatching trains by tele-
graph, T. H. Miles being the first dispatcher, with an
office at Portsmouth. At the same time, Hall's automatic
electric block signals were installed between Boston and
Salem, at a cost of $80,000.00, as an additional safeguard.
The Eastern Railroad was the first to test the value of
these signals in their original form. They were not
reliable at first, and were the cause of much anxiety in
the practical operation of the road. The superintendent
of telegraph of the Eastern afterwards reconstructed and
greatly improved them, and by him the signals were
worked by three powerful batteries at Boston, Chelsea,
and Salem, instead of the seventeen original batteries.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
79
Some time before 1871 the legislature had authorized
the company to increase its capital from $4,262,600.00 to
$8,000,000.00. Just previous to the Revere disaster some
two thousand shares of new stock had been issued at
par, and it had been intended to make a further fresh
issue, but under the depression caused by the accident it
was not thought wise to do this. The heavy outlay
caused by the cost and installation of all kinds of new
safeguards, previously mentioned, as well as fifty new
passenger cars, fifteen new locomotives, etc., and relaying
of nearly the whole of the main road with new heavy
steel rails, must be met in some way, and accordingly the
stockholders authorized a new bond issue of $1,500,000.00
in gold, which was taken up by the Messrs. Baring of
London, Eng.; $1,000,000.00 being at the rate of 7%
and $500,000.00 at 6%. They were known as the "Re-
vere disaster" bonds. In addition to this and to meet
the road's pressing needs before the above loan could be
arranged for, some $300,000.00 was borrowed from vari-
ous Massachusetts savings banks on the company's notes,
they being endorsed by the principal directors and stock-
holders. This was quite the usual practice at that time.
No dividends were paid in 1872, the next two paid
being at the rate of three per cent each in 1873. The
stock, which had reached its highest point, 126 in 1871,
dropped to 83 in 1873, and to 51 in 1874, the bonds hold-
ing at slightly under par.
One of the first things attempted by Mr. Lothrop on
bis reaching the presidency was an effort to consolidate
the Eastern and Boston and Maine Railroads, and thus
put a stop to the ruinous competition then going on. A
bill to this effect was brought before the Massachusetts
Legislature of 1872 and was favorably reported by the
railroad committee, but failed of passage on account of
the strenuous opposition made by the management of the
Boston and Maine, which was then in a much stronger
financial position than the Eastern and did not view with
delight sharing the latter's enormous floating debt. Be-
fore the attempted consolidation Mr. Lothrop had under-
taken various measures involving a large monetary out-
lay to "rehabilitate the road". When it was seen that
80
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
a union of the Eastern and Boston and Maine was im-
possible, a perfect "high carnival" of reckless expendi-
ture was begun; some of it being for the purpose of se-
curing the through travel from the British Provinces and
downing" the Boston and Maine, and even in the light of
to-day and the recent New Haven exposures, the amount
of money wasted at that time seems incredible.
66
on.
Beginning as far back as 1865 an agitation had been
begun by certain manufacturing interests in Lynn to se-
cure the erection of a new passenger station in that city,
to be situated on Market street, instead of replacing the
old and totally inadequate one on Central square. Of
course the business men and inhabitants living near the
latter were as eager for the depot to be rebuilt on its old
site. For several years a bitter local strife, known in
Lynn as the "depot war", raged on this subject, it even
influencing a mayor's election. The Eastern Railroad
was perfectly indifferent as to where the new station
should be, but was quite positive that two stations at points
so near together should not be built. When either side
became unruly, President Browne to quiet them would
threaten to negotiate with the other side, and so it went
Meanwhile the opponents of the Market street site
had secured the passage of a bill by the legislature for-
bidding any railroad corporation who had maintained a
passenger station in one location from removing it to
another without the consent of the city authorities. This
would seem to have settled the controversy, but in No-
vember, 1871, the Eastern Railroad Company bought of
the heirs of John Alley, 3d, a piece of land on the south
side of the track, near Market street, for $216,000.00,
valued by the assessors and taxed in 1870 for $4,500.00,
and after that for $20,000.00. The heirs and others at
the same time gave the company a piece of land on the
opposite side of the track, about seven hundred feet in
length by fifty feet in width, taxed in 1870 for $12,000.-
00, on condition that the company would establish thereon
a station for passengers, to be built by them at the ex-
pense of the company. The station was constructed at a
cost of about $55,000.00, but in the meantime (1872)
the passenger station at the old site had been rebuilt at a

Eastern Rail Read.
SALEM
AND
Newburyport.
Good this day only
Passengers are not allowed
to take, nor will this Company
be responsible for BAQUAUE
Hftercools FIFTY DOLLARS
in valde, unless fragha on way
Expeas he paid In wande
J. Resertt
Sup't
EASTERN RAILROAD.
OPENING OF THE
Swampscott Branch Railroad.
Good for One Passage either way between.
BOSTON and MARBLEHEAD
MONDAY, October 20, 1873, only.
Gen Russell D. T..
Gold De Ose Pasang either way
and Marblehead.
Swampscott Branch Railroad
OPENING OF TH
EASTERN RAILROAD
Boston and
Ges Russell...
MONDAT, Odeler 20, 1813, only
BASTERN
ROM
JUNCTION TO
GREAT FALLS
ALLE & OON WAT
SALEMA
AND
MABBLEHEAD
18
CB
EASTERN RAIL ROAD.
Cafir on the cars betrios
BOSTON & LYNN
19 Daring the year 1965.
CASION
BOSTON & LAWRENCE.
Lowell Island.
PASSENGER.
OF
SALEM & LOWELL RAILROAD.
PACKAGE TICKET.
SALEM AND LOWELL.
BAKendrick
Marblehead Br. and S. & Lowell Railroad.
RETURN TICKET.
Marblehead
TO LOWELL.
BBKendrick
COMMUTATION TICKET
EASTERN
GR
RAILROAD
7777
GOOD FOR ONE PAUSAGE BETWEEN
WENHAM
AND
SALEM.
And an additional Passage for eaca num.
ber attacheil, except the number of this
Ticket.
4-1-78
SAAKK
Hatriels
ArAgent
KKKK
BOSTON
1522
GOOD ONLY FOR THE YEA'
1870.
J Risecto
SUPT.
SALEM
EASTERN RAILROAD.
PACKAGE TICKET.
SALEM-W and
BOSTON.
Gea Russell
Overal That Aguad
26
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
81
cost of about $130,000. In order to avoid the incon-
venience of stopping the trains at the two stations, now
so near together, in accordance with the contract, the
company decided to annul the contract, and at a cost of
$100,000.00, paid for the land and building, including
costs of suit. Unfortunately, in 1873, by order of Pres-
ident Lothrop, the Market street station building, valued
at $55,000.00, was demolished, and the debris sold for
$1,500.00, leaving the company, at a cost of $100,000.00,
simply the owner of the land, which had been given
originally.
The Eastern Railroad thus expended in Lynn for sta-
tion purposes about $500,000.00, sinking thereby over
$300,000.00,* and arousing a feeling of discontent and
opposition which resulted in the building of the Boston,
Revere Beach and Lynn Narrow Gauge Railroad between
Lynn and East Boston (9 miles), from which place they
ferried across to the city proper. This line was opened
in 1875, and being excellently managed from the first,
proved a terrible thorn in the side of the Eastern.
In 1872 a contract was made by the company with a
firm in Boston to supply the road, at fixed times, with
three thousand tons of steel rails, for which payment was
to be made at $105.00 (gold) per ton, amounting to
$369,000.00. There were great delays in forwarding the
rails, and the contract by such delays was repeatedly
broken. Advantage was taken by another road of a sim-
ilar default to cancel and annul its unprofitable contract
with this firm. The Eastern, however, neglected to avail
itself of the opportunity and paid the contract price,
notwithstanding the same article became purchasable in
the market at greatly reduced prices, the road thus sus-
taining another loss of $129,000.00.*
In the contract made in 1871 between the Eastern and
Maine Central roads there was to be a car demurrage of
$1.50 a day upon each freight car of the Maine Central
while remaining upon the tracks of the Eastern road. It
was soon discovered that this, a supposed trifling matter,
fast became one of great moment, amounting to a tax of
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.
82
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
about $70,000.00 each year to be paid by the Eastern for
car demurrage alone. Negotiations were instituted to
abrogate the demurrage clause in the contract, but they
proved wholly abortive, and it became apparent that a
matter involving so important an interest could not be
settled by the ordinary means of mutual compromise and
agreement; and yet it was evident that the continuance
of the contract imposing this heavy burden was incom-
patible with the prosperity and perhaps safety of the East-
ern road. As a measure of relief it occurred to Messrs.
Lothrop and Hooper, the President and the principal
stockholder in the company, to get control of a majority
of the stock of the Maine Central, and then by means of
that control to amend the contract.
In 1872, therefore, these two gentlemen, without con-
sulting or letting any of the other directors know of their
intention, took steps to that end.* In February, 1873,
about 7619 shares of Maine Central stock were purchased,
at an average cost of about $70.00 per share (far above
its market value), and amounting to $533,330.00, a num-
ber of shares sufficient to give the Eastern Railroad inter-
ests a control in the election of the Maine Central directors
in March, 1873.* In order to make the large payments
due for the purchase of the stock, Mr. Lothrop instructed
the treasurer, John B. Parker, to draw upon the compa-
ny's funds, the stock being placed in his (Parker's) name
as "trustee ". Messrs. Lothrop and Hooper then pledged
it as collateral at various banks in return for further loans
advanced to the company.** In order to keep the matter
a strict secret for "the road's best interests ", Mr. Parker
was instructed to charge the various items to "property
account". A contract to complete the purchase of a
majority of shares was then made, by which the perma-
nent control of the Maine Central by the Eastern was to
be made effective. Accordingly 3,495 additional shares
were secured during 1873 and 1874, at prices steadily
advancing. In the former year 1,160 shares were pur-
chased at the par value of $100.00, or nearly fifty per
cent above the market value, and making the whole num-
*Investigation of the Eastern R. R. by the Committee on Railroads of Massa-
chusetts Legislature, session 1876.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
83
ber of shares then controlled by the Eastern interest 12,-
000, at a total cost of about $925,000.00.
The car demurrage clause in the contract, which had
continued from 1870, was annulled in June, 1873, and a
new contract substituted, which contemplated a union of
the Eastern, Portland, Saco and Portsmouth and Maine
Central Railroads into practically one body, with a divis-
ion of net profits in a stipulated ratio between them. It
subsisted until 1874, when it gave place to a third con-
tract dated Jan. 1, 1875. A somewhat similar contract,
but differing in important particulars, was made Dec. 28,
1874, between the Maine Central and Boston and Maine
roads. The principal object of the third contract made
between the Maine Central and the Eastern companies
was to secure to the latter the exclusive right of running
its passenger cars over the Maine Central. Meanwhile
the efforts made under the contract to secure the control
of the Maine Central Corporation, by owning or control-
ling an actual majority of its shares, were continued. Two
thousand other shares having been employed statedly in
consonance with the interests of the Eastern, it remained
necessary to secure only three thousand shares to effect
the object in view; and these having been previously
purchased were paid for in 1875, making the whole ac-
tual purchase of control, 15,274 shares, at a cost, including
interest, of $1,220,538.00.*
The first contract with the Maine Central Railroad,
dated in 1871, was made dependent upon the matter of
suitable terminal facilities in Boston, and this considera-
tion was persistently urged, that unless arrangements and
provisions satisfactory to the management of that road
were made by the Eastern, they openly stated their de-
termination not to contract with the Eastern, but to ar-
range elsewhere for the better accommodation of them-
selves and their customers (meaning of course that they
would give the through traffic to the Boston and Maine).
A committee of the management of the Maine Central
came to Boston and made an elaborate and careful exam-
ination of the Eastern's freight facilities at East Boston
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.
84
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
and of the facilities available to them in Boston and
Charlestown. They were of the opinion that the East
Boston freight terminals were quite insufficient for the
large business which the committee felt would be sure to
follow upon the making of the contract. Negotiations,
therefore, were begun by the Eastern Railroad manage-
ment, through the instrumentality of agents, for the pur-
chase of what was known as the Charlestown Mill Pond,
lying between the Junction at Somerville and the State
Prison in one direction and Canal street in Charlestown,
and the land of the Boston and Maine in the other. It
had an area of about 58 acreas, and it was then predicted
that this entire surface would be needed for the accom-
modation of coarse freight, such as hay, lumber, etc. The
purchase was made of various parties, and was completed
in May, 1873, at a cost of $1,158,000.00.* Part of this
land had to be filled in before it became available for use.
In pursuance of the same design and to secure the
same general end, with particular reference to the accom-
modation of general domestic and merchandise freight,
the tract of land covered with buildings and known as
the Austin Street estate, lying between Austin, Lynde,
Bow and Front streets, Charlestown, and extending from
the State Prison on its westerly side to the Waverly
House, was purchased in August, 1873, and including the
erection of a freight house and other improvements, cost
$1,310,000.00.* But an "island" was left between the
two purchases, which was owned and occupied by the
Commonwealth for the State Prison and grounds, and
across which it became necessary to have a passage.
cordingly a purchase was made of a narrow strip for the
purpose of accommodating tracks to connect the two
freight areas, for which the Eastern Railroad was com-
pelled to pay what they considered “the extravagant sum
of $45,000.00."* After this purchase it was discovered
that the connection had not been effected after all, and a
narrow neck of flats still intervened. For this the sum
of $5,000.00 was exacted.*
Ac-
After these vast sums had been expended for freight
terminals in Boston, the enterprise did not meet the san-
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
85
guine expectations of its projectors. A great deal of
through freight was still found to come by the Boston
and Maine, and at the end of the first year the net in-
come from freight received in consequence of this outlay
did not exceed $160,000.00, and of this only one-half
could be justly credited to the new terminals. This was
considered a most disappointing result. As the passen-
ger station in Causeway street had become totally inade-
quate to accommodate the growing traffic, it was found
urgently necessary to have more yard room for cars, and
two additional tracks on the outside of the depot from
which trains could be started. Accordingly in 1873-74 a
small strip of land 29 feet wide, extendiug from Causeway
street to the water, worth, as it was afterwards proved,
not over $50,000.00, was bought for $118,000.00.* Several
agents of doubtful reputation were employed to negotiate
this deal, and they received as fees over $77,000.00.*
The transaction reflects little credit on the management
of the company, but it is only fair to say that some of the
directors were in total ignorance of what was going on.
The next outside investment indulged in by those at
the head of the company was the purchase, for $20,-
000.00,* of the controlling interest in the Portland,
Bangor and Machias Steamboat Company operating the
well known side-wheel steamers "City of Richmond "
and "Lewiston." For some reason this stock was placed
in the name of the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Rail-
road Company. Bar Harbor was then coming to the
front as a fashionable summer resort, and the steamers of
this company called there regularly, this being the most con-
venient way at that time of reaching Mt. Desert island.
Very soon after the Eastern had gotten control of this
company there were rumors of an opposition boat to be
put on and run by the Boston and Maine interests.
president of the Eastern Railroad therefore made haste
to buy an old wharf in Bar Harbor, supposed to be the
only one available for a steamboat landing, for the sum
of $38,500.00,* a value ridiculous beyond imagination.
The "agent who negotiated the sale, the property
99
The
*Investigation of the Eastern R. R. Co. by the Railroad Committee of the
Mass. Legislature, session of 1876.
86
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
(which included an hotel) being owned by several heirs,
was unable to give the company a deed of the estate, and
produced a "declaration of trust" reciting that the East-
ern Railroad Company had paid the money and that “he
held it in trust for them" It afterwards turned out
that the ownership of the property was so doubtful that
it was impossible to secure a proper deed. The whole
deal was doubtless "got up to order ".
""*
In the meantime the company had built and opened
several branches. A short one, about 1 1-2 miles long,
from Hamilton to the Camp meeting grounds at Asbury
Grove, was completed in August, 1871. The Swamp-
scott branch from Marblehead to Swampscott, on the
main line, a distance of about five miles, was opened for
travel October 20, 1873. This made available for sea-
shore residences large tracts of land that had hitherto
been difficult of access. The total cost of this branch
was $185,000.00. The stations were Devereux (not built
until the road had been running a year), Clifton, Beach
Bluff and Phillips Beach. All the depot buildings were
paid for by subscriptions from the land owners along the
line. Originally a long wooden trestle extended on this
branch from the end of Swampscott woods to the junc-
tion at the main line. This was later filled in solid.
The town of Essex, in 1872, had built a branch road
(completed in May of that year) from their town to
Wenham, on the main line of the Eastern, a distance of
about seven miles. Its purchase was contested between
the Eastern and Boston and Maine roads, for its impor-
tance was measured by the following considerations. By
constructing only three or four miles of perfectly level
road from Topsfield to Wenham, the Boston and Maine
could have united Wenham with their Georgetown branch
and so open a diversion from the main road of the Eastern
to Boston; and again, by the construction of about seven
miles of road from Essex to Rockport, it would have
come into competition with the Gloucester branch. Hence,
although the Essex branch was perfectly unremunerative,
the Eastern Railroad felt compelled to buy it, in 1874,
for the sum of $95,000.00, besides guaranteeing its bonds.
*Investigation of the Eastern R. R. Co. by the railroad committee of the
Massachusetts Legislature, session of 1876.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
87
Another extension of the road was the Dover branch from
Portsmouth to Dover, N. H., about eleven miles in length.
It was built by the Portsmouth and Dover Railroad Com-
pany, but leased before completion (Feb. 1, 1874) for
65 years to the Eastern Railroad Company, at an annual
rental of six per cent on cost of construction and to keep
the bridge over the Piscataqua river in repair. It was
thought that this branch, tapping as it did the Boston and
Maine main line at Dover, would pay well, especially as re-
gards freight, but at first the results were discouraging.
Winslow T. Perkins, afterwards superintendent, in 1875
was made station agent at Dover, it being his first rail-
road experience. Thanks to his energy and perseverance,
business soon picked up, and when Mr. Perkins left
Dover, some years later, the branch had become a paying
proposition. To accommodate the freight traffic at
Portsmouth, Noble's Island, so called, was secured as a
terminal at a cost of $40,000.00.
On October 22, 1872, another disastrous accident took
place on the main line at Seabrook, N. H. Owing to an
open switch, the Bangor express, which had left Boston
at 8 P. M. in charge of conductor Alfred N. Goodhue
(the same conductor who had figured in the Revere disas-
ter), ran into the Portsmouth local freight which was
waiting on a siding. Three passengers were killed and
some twenty injured. The express was made up of
Maine Central and Eastern cars, and as the former were
in front and not equipped with air brakes (as was the
case with the Eastern rolling stock), the hand brakes
could only be used. The crew of the freight train had
left the switch right; but as was the custom in those days
when waiting for trains to pass, had not locked it. It
was thought some miscreant must have changed the
switch, at any rate the coroner's jury acquitted the Eastern
Railroad of all blame, but the damages nevertheless were
$70,000.00. Within the following week three minor
accidents occurred at Ossipee, N. H., Rowley, Mass.,
and at North Berwick, Me., which led the Boston Adver-
tiser to say in October, 1872: "If there is such a thing
as ill luck surely the Eastern Railroad has fallen into it."
As soon as it was seen that no union between the East-
88
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
ern and Boston and Maine roads was possible, a compe-
tition more furious than ever was maintained between
them, which it was estimated cost the Eastern alone $10,-
000.00 to $12,000.00 per month.* At this time the Bos-
ton and Maine could not sell a ticket beyond Portland,
nor would the Maine Central (which was controlled by
the Eastern) haul any of their passenger cars.
For a
time the Boston and Maine ran the steamer "City of
Richmond" from Portland to Bangor in connection with
their trains, but this arrangement was of short duration,
as the Eastern soon acquired control of her.
46
The Maine Central and Eastern made an arrangement
by which their respective train crews ran through alter-
nately from Boston to Bangor and vice versa. As far as
can be traced this is the longest single run (245 miles)
ever made by any train crews in New England. Daniel
W. Sanborn (afterwards superintendent of the Eastern
and later general superintendent of the whole Boston and
Maine system) was among the best known of the
through" conductors at that period. He says of the
Boston and Bangor trips, "It was down one day, up the
next, and rest the third day, and brake by hand the
whole way, as the Maine Central cars were not fitted
with the air brake." Mr. Sanborn and the other through
conductors received $100 per month, this being consid-
ered high pay. This arrangement lasted from 1873 to
about 1879. It was at this time that the famous " race
for the government mail contract from Boston to Port-
land took place between the two rival companies. The
tests extended over a period of a week, each conductor
and engineer being instructed to do the best he could.
Mr. Sanborn says his train beat all the others, arriving in
Boston twenty minutes ahead of time. This necessitated
starting from way stations before the regular time and
leaving behind numbers of intended passengers. What
would be thought of a like performance to-day? The
locomotive "City of Lynn," No. 28, proved to be faster
than any of those on the Boston and Maine, and so the
Eastern Railroad secured the mail contract.
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.

GEORGE MORGAN BROWN
President of Eastern Railroad, 1858-1872.
From a photograph made in 1880.
SAMUEL C. LAWRENCE
President of Eastern Railroad,
1875-1876; 1887-1890.
JEREMIAH PRESCOTT
Superintendent of Eastern Railroad,
1855-1874.
DANIEL W. SANBORN
Superintendent of Eastern Railroad,
1879-1884.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
89
In November, 1874, an arrangement was entered into
between the Eastern and Boston and Maine roads* which
in a measure stopped the ruinous competition, but the
relations between the two roads never were very friendly.
During March, 1874, Jeremiah Prescott, who had been
superintendent for nearly twenty years, resigned to take
charge of the Hoosac Tunnel. The directors elected
George Batchelder, one of the conductors, to take his
place.
On Sunday, June 21, 1874, the company for the first
time in their history began running Sunday passenger
trains, there being two each way between Boston and
Salem. It was announced that "passes, season tickets,
family and package tickets would not be received on
these trains". Next year a Sunday train was run as far
east as Portsmouth, and slowly the custom extended to
all parts of the road. Previous to this time the only way
to reach Salem on Sunday was by an old-fashioned stage
coach which left Brattle street in Boston at 9 A. M. and
the Essex House in Salem at 3 P. M. To Lynn, com-
munication was more easily had by means of the Lynn
and Boston Horse Railroad Company.
When the panic of 1873 burst upon the country it
found the Eastern Railroad in a very precarious financial
situation. The reckless expenditures previously men-
tioned had increased the company's funded debt from
$4,762,561.00, in 1871, to $9,819,992.00 in 1873,* the
capitalization during the same time having only increased
from $4,262,000 to $4,997,000. The interest charges of
course were an enormous drain. After the worst effects
of the panic had blown over it was clearly seen that a
long period of commercial depression would follow, as
in fact it did. Passenger and freight traffic fell off
alarmingly. Those at the head of the Eastern Railroad
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.
90
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
were at their wits end to know what to do, and matters
were rapidly becoming worse. It was during this period
that the locally famous attempt was made to reduce ex-
penses by "doubling up the trains.”*
one train do the work of two, some of
presses making all the local stops, etc.
weeks of hopeless delays and confusion, the plan had to
be given up.
That is, to make
the Portland ex-
After about three
The company's credit was not improved by the publi-
cation late in 1873 of a pamphlet called "The Eastern
Railroad of Massachusetts, its blunders, mismanagement
and corruption," by Charles W. Felt of Salem, who had
been for some years the road's assistant superintendent
under Mr. Prescott. The pamphlet was partly a defence
of conductor John S. Nowland in the Revere accident and
partly a bitter but unfortunately true arraignment of the
management, both financial and practical, of the Eastern
Railroad. It was mailed to all the stockholders, and hav-
ing a large circulation besides, created a great sensation.
President Thornton K. Lothrop resigned early in 1874,
and his place was taken by John Wooldredge, a native of
Marblehead, but who had long been a successful shoe
manufacturer in Lynn. He had not the slightest railroad
experience, but refused to accept the presidency unless
he were paid $20,000.00 per annum,† instead of $8,000.00
which Mr. Lothrop had received. Most of Mr. Wool-
dredge's time was devoted to negotiating (or trying to)
further loans, in the endeavor to tide the road over its
almost desperate financial situation. Richardson, Hill &
Co. of Boston took $2,000,000.00 of the sinking fund
notes at 85,† and this and other loans raised the floating
indebtedness in 1875 to $14,859,648.00, the interest on
*Eastern Railroad time table, No. 106, to begin November 16, 1873.
+Investigation of the Eastern Railroad Company by the Railroad Committee of
the Massachusetts Legislature, session of 1876.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
91
which amounted to no less than $956,230.00 annually.*
The earnings of the road not coming up to the expecta-
tions which the General Manager had led them to enter-
tain, individual directors of the road in June, 1875, began
to institute inquiries into the details of the management.
A growing feeling of doubt and dissatisfaction arose, and
led finally to the appointment of a committee to examine
into the affairs of the road, with a view to the suggestion
of any reforms that might seem desirable. In the course
of their inquiries, the committee soon found a general
looseness and unsoundness so apparent in the affairs and
management of the company, that they became convinced
that a thorough investigation into the road's financial
condition was a matter of urgent necessity. The inves-
tigating committee submitted a partial report to the board
of directors, dated Sept. 22, 1875, and showed indisputa-
bly the highly precarious condition of the road, and
predicted that the net income of the year would be insuffi-
cient to meet the annual rents and interest by the sum
of about $400,000.* The directors at first hoped that by
a thorough reform of the management and by strict
economy, the road might in another year be put in such
condition as would satisfy its creditors of its prospective
ability to meet its obligations, a hope which subsequent
investigation failed to support. The facts brought to
light by the investigating committee early reached the
public ear, and the press soon teemed with criticisms and
letters from indignant minority stockholders. This, to-
gether with rumors of defalcations and over-issues of
bonds utterly annihilated the credit of the company.
Claims fast maturing under a temporary loan of more
than $1,700,000.00* had to be met, and the debts incurred
for the operating expenses of the road had been allowed
to accumulate until they amounted to more than $350,-
000.00,* and the bolders of these demands, mostly for
small sums, became clamorous for payment. With no
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.
92
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
source of relief save the earnings of the road from day
to day, the prospect was truly appalling. During this
period the stock dropped from 65, its highest point in
1875, to 8 3-8; it reached 3 1-2 in 1876, and touched
2 1-2 (its lowest point) in 1877. The bonds were at their
lowest, at 45, in 1876.
President Wooldredge became ill, resulting in his resig-
nation on Oct. 28, 1875. On the same day Samuel C.
Lawrence of Medford, Mass., was elected as his successor.
One of his first acts was to furnish money from his private
fortune to meet the railroad's pay rolls, as matters had
reached such a point that many of the employes had not
received any pay for three months. Efforts were redou-
bled to secure a promise of renewal from the holders of
the notes constituting the temporary loan. They were
frankly informed of the critical situation of the company
and of its present inability to meet its obligations. Rec-
ognizing the character of the emergency, these creditors
very wisely entered into an arrangement to renew the
notes from time to time, for a period not less in all than
one year. The fears entertained by the numerous holders
of small demands against the company were in time al-
layed, with the assurances that measures were in progress
to save the affairs of the road from bankruptcy, and that all
debts necessarily incurred in the actual operation of the
road would be paid as rapidly as the current receipts
would permit. This promise was faithfully kept, and no
difficulty was experienced in purchasing all necessary
supplies.
The most strenuous efforts were now made by Presi-
dent Lawrence to reduce the expenditures of the road in
all its departments. The President's salary was reduced
from $20,000.00 to $5,000.00, and the Superintendent's
from $5,000.00 to $3,500.00. The office of General
Manager was abolished entirely, effecting a saving of
$10,000.00. In fact, the total monthly pay roll was
reduced from $98,690.00 in December, 1874, to $76,458.00
in December, 1875.* By mutual agreement, the rent of
the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad was reduced
from ten to six per cent annually.
*41st annual report of the Eastern Railroad Company.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
93
In the meantime some of the minority stockholders
petitioned the President and Directors, in December, 1875,
to call a special meeting of the stockholders to go over
the whole situation. As the regular annual meeting was
to be held on Feb. 7, 1876, the directors deemed it inex-
pedient to call a special meeting. The matter was there-
upon referred to the Massachusetts Legislature, and re-
sulted in a long investigation of the Eastern Railroad and
its management by the railroad committee.
The report
and evidence fill a volume of 543 pages (Senate docu-
ment, No. 169, session 1876), but the situation can be
summed up by quoting a few paragraphs from the com-
mittee's report.
"The petition seemed also to open
the whole subject of the management of the Eastern
Railroad Company by its officers and the committee. .
The management of the Eastern Railroad, especially prior
to the presidency of Mr. Wooldredge, seems to have been
exceedingly loose and was distinguished by a recklessness
in expenditure and a lack of system in accounts which
call for severe censure. Large sums of money were ex-
pended in purchases of the stock of the Maine Central
Railroad, apparently without the knowledge and certainly
with no vote of the board of directors .
who pur-
posely kept the knowledge of the transaction from other
members of the board. . . . This purchase of stock, al-
though made before the law prohibiting such purchases
took effect, was of very doubtful legality, and whether
legally made or not, the manner of making it cannot be
too severely condemned. . . . In this connection the
committee desire to call attention to the neglect of duty
on the part of those directors of the Eastern Railroad
who failed to inform themselves in relation to many of
the largest transactions of the road. Having accepted a
public trust at the hands of the stockholders, it is no
excuse to plead ignorance of the doings of their board in
extenuation of their official shortcomings, and the stock-
holders and public are justified in holding to as strict an
account the directors who passively allowed improper and
extravagant purchases and contracts to be made, as those
who were actively engaged therein. The practice of
members of the finance committees in signing notes,
94
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
drafts and obligations without inquiring to what purpose
the funds were to be applied, shows an entire want of
appreciation of the duties of their position.
The
purchase of the depot lands at Lynn at a price out of all
proportion to their true value; the subsequent destruction
of the depot constructed thereon at a cost of $55,000, on
the simple order of the president, and the payment of
$100,000 for release of the contract to stop trains at the
said depot; the payment of large sums of money, without
vote of the board, on the simple receipt of individuals,
with no vouchers to show how the money was expended;
and the purchase at an exorbitant price of the Bar Harbor
property . . . are examples of a looseness of management
and an extravagance of expenditure from which, sooner
or later, financial disaster must necessarily have ensued."
George Russell of Salem, so long the general ticket
agent of the road, when examined by the committee, said
that the road's system of issuing tickets was such that
there was absolutely no check on the ticket sellers. He
further estimated that the number of free passes in use
cost the company $500 a day. The superintendent, whose
duty it was to sign a large number of the passes, was
obliged to have an extra clerk to do the work for him,
such was their number. Many of the various directors
gave contradictory orders as to the practical management
of the road, generally in total ignorance of the subject,
with resultant confusion, and the superintendent was at
his wits' end to know how to satisfy them all. One con-
ductor, being an intimate friend of a director and heavy
stockholder, did what he pleased, regardless of the super-
intendent.
In spite of all these disclosures, however, it was felt
that if the Eastern Railroad became bankrupt it would
be a great blow to northeastern New England, and ac-
cordingly a "Bill for the Relief of the Eastern Railroad
Company" was recommended by the investigating com-
mittee and passed by the Legislature April 28, 1876,
Briefly stated, the effect of this act was to place the road
in the hands of the bondholders, the largest being Messrs.
Baring Bros. of London, who were to elect a board of
trustees to represent them. The bonds were all funded
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
95
into "certificates of indebtedness", the interest being
reduced from six and seven per cent to three and one-half
per cent for three years, four and one-half for three years,
to become six per cent in September, 1882, and to mature
in 1906. Willard Peele Phillips of Salem, William B.
Bacon and William C. Rogers of Boston, constituted the
first board of trustees. As long as there was no default
in the payment of principal and interest of the certificate
of indebtedness the management of the road was to re-
main in the hands of the directors elected as usual by the
stockholders. After the floating debt should have been
reduced to $10,000,000.00, the stockholders were to re-
sume the absolute control of their property.
During the next few years the history of the Eastern
Railroad presents few marked peculiarities. It was run
with as strict economy as possible, but the mistake of a
previous management in letting the tracks and rolling
stock run down was not repeated. Gen. S. C. Lawrence
resigned as president in 1876, although retaining his place
on the board of directors, and was succeeded by Alfred
P. Rockwell of Boston, while Nathaniel G. Chapin of
Brookline became treasurer in the place of John B. Par-
ker, resigned.
During the summer of 1876, in order to meet the com-
petition of the "Narrow Gauge" Road, which carried
passengers from Lynn to Boston for ten cents, the com-
pany put on "cheap trains ", leaving Swampscott for
Boston six times daily on week days and five times on
Sunday. The fares were: from Swampscott to Boston,
15 cents; East Lynn, Lynn, or West Lynn to Boston, 10
cents; and Revere to Boston (or to Lynn), 5 cents.
A
flag station was built at Oak Island. No tickets were
used on these trains, cash fares only being taken, and the
conductors in charge were furnished, much to their dis-
gust, with bell punches, such as were used on the street
cars. One conductor, Calvin Ayer, left the road rather
than use the bell punches. The cheap trains were not
successful, however, and only ran one year. During the
summer of 1882 trains were run at the same reduced rates
from Lynn to East Boston, an extra cent being charged
for the ferriage across the harbor to the city proper.
96
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
About the same time the Eastern Railroad, to compete
with the "Narrow Gauge ", built a branch line leaving
the main road at Oak Island (just below Revere) and
running round by Revere Beach and Point of Pines and
joining the main line at Saugus River Junction. It was
first used July 2, 1881, and many of the main line trains
were run that way, and also hourly trains on Sundays be-
tween Lynn and Boston. This line has been abandoned
and the tracks taken up for some years, although traces
of it can still be clearly seen. During the summer of
1881 the employees were put in uniform for the first
time.
The road was never much troubled with labor difficul-
ties. The first of the present railroad labor unions was
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, organized May
8, 1863, at Detroit, Michigan. A New England division
was formed during the following December at Lebanon,
N. H., by the engineers of the Northern Railroad of New
Hampshire. The engineers of the various roads entering
Boston united to form Boston Division, No. 61, on Janu-
ary 6, 1865. The Order of Railway Conductors was first
organized at Mendota, Ill., in the spring of 1868, and
until 1878 was known as the Conductors' Brotherhood.
Not until 1884 did this Order spread to New England,
when Boston Division, No. 122, was organized on July 20
of that year. At first (in New England) the brother-
hoods were purely social and charitable organizations, but
during the hard times following the panic of 1873 the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers brought pressure
to bear on some of the roads for higher pay. During the
course of 1877 there were serious strikes on the Pennsyl-
vania and Baltimore and Ohio roads. On Feb. 12, 1877,
after a long period of ill feeling following a reduction in
pay, the engineers and firemen on the Boston and Maine
Railroad struck for higher wages; their engineers were
then receiving $3.15, and asked for $3.50 daily. The
other New England roads were not affected, although it
was feared they would be. The Massachusetts Railroad
Commission, then headed by Charles Francis Adams, took
a determined stand, and the strike proved a complete fail-
Most of the engineers lost their positions, and many
ure.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
97
of them were hired by the Eastern Railroad and started
over again at the bottom of the ladder as firemen at $1.80
per day.
Superintendent George Bachelder resigned in 1877,
and John Hornby was appointed to take his place. He was
not a great success, and in November, 1879, the directors
elected one of the conductors, Daniel W. Sanborn, as
superintendent. His brother, John W. Sanborn, had been
previously appointed superintendent of the Conway di-
vision, a place he filled for a great many years. Lucius
Tuttle was, in the same year, made general passenger and
ticket agent, and in 1883 Payson Tucker became general
manager. The president's office was filled in 1880 by
Elijah B. Phillips of Boston, Mr. Rockwell having re-
signed, and he was succeeded in 1882 by George E. B.
Jackson of Portland, and was followed in 1883 by Arthur
Sewall of Bath, Me.
Early on the morning of April 7, 1882, the Salem
station caught fire from the explosion of a can of fusees
stored in the west baggage room. The flames spread
rapidly, and before long the whole structure was de-
stroyed, leaving, however, the granite walls and towers
intact. A wooden building resembling somewhat the
old one was shortly after rebuilt around the ruined shell,
and is still used as the depot, and likely to be until a
satisfactory plan to change the grade and tunnel is agreed
upon.
Since the reorganization the company's financial posi-
tion had steadily improved. The stock, which had been
quoted at 2 1-2 in 1877, had risen to 51 3-4 in 1883.
During this year the principal bond and stockholders
thought their investments would have added security and
value by a consolidation of the Eastern (which carried
with it the Maine Central) and the Boston and Maine
Railroads. Accordingly the first step, a lease of the
Eastern to the Boston and Maine, was agreed upon by a
committee of directors of both roads. Logically the
Eastern should have absorbed the Boston and Maine, but
the latter was then much stronger financially. The lease
was to have taken effect in October, 1883, but the whole
project was bitterly fought by the minority stockholders
98
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
of the Eastern. Their representative, Jonas H. French,
one of the directors of the Eastern, in a speech delivered
July 24, 1883, before the railroad committee of the New
Hampshire Legislature, denounced the proposed lease,
because, as he said, "the Eastern Railroad is called
upon to give up everything it possesses ... it is purely
a stock jobbing operation and nothing else." The matter
was carried before the Massachusetts Supreme Court,
which deemed the proposed lease invalid owing to a tech-
nicality.
The next year a new lease running for fifty-four years
and conforming to the opinion of the court, was agreed
upon by the directors and approved by the stockholders
of both roads, and on December 2d the property was
handed over to the lessee, and the Eastern Railroad, after
an existence of over forty-six years, ceased to be operated
as an independent road, although until 1910 it was run as
the Eastern Division of the Boston and Maine, with a
separate organization and its own superintendent, staff
and rules.
The last order issued by the Eastern Railroad Company
was as follows:
Eastern Railroad Company. Boston, Dec. 2, 1884.
Special Notice. The Eastern Railroad, its branches and
leased roads, having been leased to the Boston and Maine
Railroad, and the property having been delivered to the
lessee, all officers and employees of the Eastern Railroad
Company will hereafter be under the direction of the
Boston and Maine Railroad.
ARTHUR SEWALL,
President Eastern Railroad.
PAYSON TUCKER,
General Manager Eastern Railroad.
The equipment of the road then consisted of 115 loco
motives, 224 passenger, baggage and mail cars and 2097
freight cars. Under the terms of the lease the Boston
and Maine was to assume all the liabilities and obliga-
tions of the Eastern. The profits were to be divided pro
rata between the two roads. No dividends were guaran-
teed on the Eastern stock. While the lease was ratified
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
99
twelve to one by the Boston and Maine stockholders, it
it was only accepted by a five to one vote of the Eastern
stockholders. One reason for the opposition to the merger
shown by many of the Eastern stockholders was that in
those days the Boston and Maine was a small, unimpor-
tant road, and its management was not distinguished for
liberality.
When the consolidation was first talked of it was gen-
erally assumed that the Eastern would take the lead. The
traditions of the Boston and Maine had always been es-
sentially rustic. Men now living, well remember how,
when they were small boys, all the trains out of the old
Haymarket Square station in Boston (situated on the site
of the present Relief Hospital), were hauled by horses
until they reached Causeway street. On the other railroads
running out of Boston it was the custom to get rid of
antiquated passenger cars by selling them off "to go
South". But the Boston and Maine clung tenaciously to
its ancient rolling stock, and its ramshackle trains had
become a byword and a reproach long after the southern
railroads had ceased to furnish a market for second-hand
material.
After 1885 the Eastern Railroad led the peaceful exist-
ence that most leased railroads do. Dividends at the rate
of six per cent annually were resumed in 1887.
It had always been the intention of those at the head
of both roads that they eventually should be unified, the
lease being considered a mere stepping stone to that
effect. Accordingly in 1888 the required legislation was
secured in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine,
and on May 9, 1890, the Eastern Railroad Company
passed out of existence as a corporate body. The stock
was taken over on the basis of one share of Eastern for
83.28 per cent of Boston and Maine stock, and the Ports-
mouth, Great Falls and Conway road was taken over on
the same terms. The present preferred stock of the Bos-
ton and Maine is the old Eastern Railroad stock con-
verted.
A few words on best known officials and employees of
the company may not be out of place.
Gen. Samuel C. Lawrence of Medford, who, more than
100
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
anyone else, kept the road out of bankruptcy in the late
70's, after having been for years at the head and as a
director of the Boston and Maine, died in 1913 at Medford.
His family are still the largest holders of stock in the road.
Lucius Tuttle, after being many years general passen-
ger agent of the Eastern, occupied prominent positions
with other roads, and eventually became president of the
Boston and Maine in 1893, a place which he filled until
1911. He died in 1914.
Payson Tucker, the general manager, became general
manager of the Maine Central.
Daniel W. Sanborn, so long the superintendent of the
Eastern and until 1906 the general superintendent of the
entire Boston and Maine system, still lives, hale and
hearty, at his home in Somerville. He entered the service
of the old Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad on
May 9, 1859, first doing station work, and received there-
for $1.12 1-2 per day. Three years later he became pas-
senger brakeman, and in 1864 passenger conductor. He
filled this position until October, 1879, when he was elected
superintendent.
Winslow T. Perkins entered the service of the Eastern
Railroad as station agent at Dover, N. H., in 1874. From
there he was transferred to Portsmouth, where he remained
until made superintendent of the Eastern Division of the
Boston and Maine, in 1890. He retired in 1910, and now
lives in Malden.
Frank Barker, a well-known conductor of former days
on the St. John express, was train master of the Eastern
Division of the Boston and Maine for twenty years and
now is crew dispatcher of the consolidated Portland
Division.
John T. Pousland is the oldest Eastern Railroad con-
ductor still running trains. He became an employee in
1865, and has been conductor since 1875.
Among other conductors still in daily service or on the
retired list are: Messrs. Thomas T. Lyon, Webb Sanborn,
John H. MacDonald, William F. Boynton, Arthur Pick-
ering, George A. Silsbee, George H. Kennard, J. C. Harris,
Charles W. Kennard (retired), George F. Kennard
(retired), and Benjamin F. Keyes (retired).
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
101
To the travelling public of a generation ago the faces
of conductors Elbridge A. Towle, Jacob Johnson, Edwin
Leighton, Nathan J. Dame, George West, Charles E.
Dyer, David Nason, Gilbert B. Emerson, John Harris,
Caleb T. Woodbury, Jacob Mudgett Charles J. Willard,
Albert Larrabee, and Emmons Garland were familiar sights.
All are now dead.' Messrs. Towle and Johnson ran to
Portland and Newburyport respectively, and both died
practically "in harness" after over fifty years of service.
The same might be said of Mr. Leighton on the Gloucester
branch. Messrs. Nason and Dame put in many years on
the Lawrence branch, and so the entire list might be gone
through.
Of the Eastern Railroad rolling stock but little now
remains. The only locomotive in service is the old "Bell
Rock", No. 32, afterwards Boston and Maine, No. 132,
and later renumbered 632. It is still in use as a station-
ary engine to heat passenger cars in the Salem yard and
occasionally makes spare trips on the road. A few of
the old passenger cars are left, recognizable by their pe-
culiar shape and build. A curious fact remains to be
mentioned. At the time the Eastern was taken over by
the Boston and Maine the locomotives of the former road
no longer bore names. The Boston and Maine, however,
had always kept up the practice, and upon the consolida-
tion proceeded to rename the Eastern locomotives, later
adding many names of their own.
PRESIDENTS AND SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE EASTERN RAILROAD
Presidents
George Peabody,
David A. Neal,
Albert Thorndike,
John Howe,
COMPANY.
1836-1842
1842-1851
Superintendents.
Stephen A. Chase,
John Kinsman,
1838-1842
1842-1855
1851-1855
Jeremiah Prescott,
1855-1874
1855-1858
George Bachelder,
1874-1877
1858-1872
John Hornby,
1877-1879
Daniel W. Sanborn,
1879-1884
George M. Browne,
Thornton K. Lothrop, 1872-1874
John Wooldredge, 1874-1875
Samuel C. Lawrence, 1875-1876
Alfred P. Rockwell, 1876-1879
Elijah B. Phillips,
1879-1883
Geo. E. B. Jackson,
1883-1884
Arthur Sewall,
1884-1886
Walter Hunnewell, 1886-1887
Samuel C. Lawrence, 1887-1890
102
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
FLUCTUATIONS AND DIVIDENDS OF EASTERN RAILROAD STOCK
(PAR $100), FROM ITS INCEPTION IN 1837 TO THE
COMPANY'S AMALGAMATION WITH THE
BOSTON AND MAINE IN 1890.
Year
1837 (new)
Highest
901
Lowest
Dividends
(whole year)
80
0
1838
86
793
0
1839
98
86
4호
​1840
1061
921
2
1841
1037
99
6
1842
101
872
6
1843
108
85
6
1814
116
1041
7
1845
116
1021
8
1846
109
103
1847
1131
103
1848
1051.
99
1849
105
981
8
1850
104
932
8
1851
103
91
8
1852
1031
942
71
1853
981
90
6
1854
901
43
7
1855
58
46
0
1856
481
381
1857
49
36
0
1858
511
411
1859
60
442
400++
0
1860
89
54
1861
74
532
4
1862
96
54
1863
115
93
6
1864
113
95
6
1865
1042
87
6
1866
112
98
8
1867
113
1067
8
1868
1234
1077
1869
1191
113
1870
128
113
1871
126
102
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞0
8
1872
1111
104
1873
109
83
в
1874
85
51
0
1875
65/
833
1876
15
1877
52
1878
17
324
31
0
21
4212
0
1879
29
10
1880
411
24
0
1881
55
31
0
1882
491
30
1883
512
31
0
1884
51
291
1885
701
43
1886
1291
687
1887
1421
99
6
1888
125
751
6
1889
132
79
1890
173
126
8*
*For 6 months only.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
103
EARNINGS, OPERATING EXPENSES AND NET EARNINGS OF THE
EASTERN RAILROAD COMPANY, 1838-1884.
EARNINGS
Miles
Gross
Year
Operating
Net
Operated Passengers Freight Earnings Expenses Earnings
1838
*1839
281 $ 159,906 $
7,375 $ 168,610 $ 80,410 $ 88,200
1840
571
175,041
7,325 193,342
95,933
97,409
1841
257,754
12,256
299,450
154,958
144,491
1842
237,023
16,082 269,168
119,039 150,129
1843
66
240,558
21,311 274,641
104,640
170,001
1844
293,762
33,194 343,899
1845
"
297,440
1846
เ
310,061
1847
71
343,372
1848
75
360,888
55,258
452,444 164,815
1849
6،
404,071
70,402
1850
385,608
67,573
109,318 234,580
39,933 356,255 116,840 239,415
42,271 369,164 132,556 236,608
50,455 413,927 135,083 278,843
287,628
517,929 209,686 308,242
539,076 221,660 317,415
1851
،،
372,167
60,005
502,054 195,398 306,655
1852
CL
374,797
69,974 488,973
247,955 241,017
1853
""
412,053
97,320 620,810
309,935 310,875
1854
82
443,490
105,444 730,269
383,844 346,425
1855
66
462,924
107,430
647,280
341,283 305,997
1856
91
527,633
134,312
717,868
395,926
321,942
1857
495,221 115,403
653,841 370,332
283,508
1858
"
468,703 109,588 616,783
332,267
284,516
1859
512,557
1860
،،
534,194
1861
95
1862
"
138,733 693,409 367,603 325,805
147,776 719,234 352,151
431,161 100,196 565,939 319,537 246,401
476,550 125,838 635,628 315,572 320,056
367,083
1863
587,588
160,837 830,238
1864
"L
777,426
198,742 1,063,741
1865
115
950,033
257,186 1,277,075
1866
66
1,009,563
346,936 1,422,167
421,962 408,276
579,765 483,975
761,557 515,517
944,452 477,714
1867
"C
1868
1869
957,833 348,844 1,447,046
978,405
1,117,670
901,416 545,630
397,651 1,452,212
868,503 583,708
423,880| 1,675,238 944,370
730,868
1870
980,282
376,054 1,462,770
819,496
643,273
1871
216
1,267,284
489,854 1,871,637 1,236,328
635,308
1872
223+ 1,326,043
539,484 1,973,622 1,399,421
574,201
1873
2571 1,392,944 680,033 2,229,839 1,686,697
543,141
1874
2801
1,772,376 1,054,537 2,987,299 1,998,981
988,817
1875
282
1,662,075 993,077 2,827,290 2,069,871
757,419
1876
1,400,662 908,932 2,470,971 1,787,376
683,594
1877
1,384,117 969,852 2,508,107 1,708,790
799,317
1878
1879
66
1880
1881
2831
1882
1883
285
1884
"
1,378,747 911,995 2,452,935 1,581,125
1,341,453 988,043 2,485,977 1,491,192
1,524,732 1,198,977 2,905,056 1,820,128 1,084,927
1,611,030 1,298,448 3,094,273| 1,969,672 1,124,600
1,766,257 1,393,695| 3,403,077 2,292,967| 1,110,109
1,821,826 1,454,878 3,584,506| 2,310,830 1,273,675
1,846,448| 1,393,339| 3,571,594 2,307,586 1,264,007
871,809
994,785
*16 months.
104
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
LOCOMOTIVES OF THE EASTERN RAILROAD COMPANY IN 1848.
Inside or
Name
When and
where built.
Outside
Connections
of
Wheels
of
Drivers
Number Number Diameter
of
Drivers
Total
weight of
Locomo-
Engineer
tive
lbs.
Suffolk,
Lowell,
1838
inside
Essex,
Merrimack,
""
"L
"
Rockingham,
..
Marblehead,
Phila.,
1839 iuside
Piscataqua,
Lowell, 1839 onside
Naumkeag,
،
1840
Gen. Foster,
""
1840
Sagamore,
Phila.,
1840 outside
4
Huntress,
1841
4
2222~~~224
22224222
5 ft.
22,000
5 ft.
5 ft.
"
5 ft.
4 ft.
18,000
J. E. Glover
ft.
22,000
5 ft.
5 ft.
41 ft.
23,000
5 ft.
34,000
Shawmut,
Boston,
Newcastle, 1843
Boston, 1844
66
4
41 ft.
34,000
4
4
5 ft.
33,680
Portland,
1845
66
4
4
5 ft.
33,680
St. Lawrence,
Portsmouth,
1846
""
4
4
5 ft.
32,000
H. Knowles
"6
1846 inside
4
41 ft.
40,300
A. Sanger
Rough & Ready,
Taunton, 1847|
،
4
4
5 ft.
37,000
J. Innes
Witch,
1847
4
ft.
¢་
Magnolia,
1848
4
4
5 ft.
Ironsides,
1848
66
4
4
5 ft.
"6
A. G. Maxwell
C.H.Chesborough
E. Thurston
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
105
LOCOMOTIVES OF THE EASTERN RAILROAD COMPANY IN 1861.
Name and number
Where built
Year
Weight
When rebuilt
When altered for
coal burning
Value
Merrimack, No. 1,
Marblehead, No. 5 (sec-
ond of the name, for-
merly the Sagamore),
Cape Ann, No. 6,
Lowell
1838
22,000 lbs.
$800
Phila.
1840
23,000 lbs.
1848 & 1856
5,000
Taunton
1860
53,550
built for coal
8,000
Gov. Endicott, No. 7,
Boston
1857
48,850 66
March,
1859
7,500
Portland, No. 8,
66
1845
33,680 “་
1860
May,
1860
5,000
Portsmouth, No. 9,
"
1846
40,300
1857
6.000
Boston, No. 10,
66
1844
36,680 "
1856 & 1859
St. Lawrence, No. 11,
1846
34,700
1859
6,000
4,500
Rough & Ready, No. 12, Taunton
1847
37,000
1857
5,000
Witch, No. 13,
1847
37,000 66
1859
5,000
Magnolia, No. 14,
1847
42,600
1859
Novem'r, 1859
6,500
Ironsides, No. 15,
1848
42,600 66
1857
5,500.
Binney, No. 16,
Paterson
1849
42,650 66
1856
May,
1859
6,500
Bryant, No. 17,
66
1849
42,650
་
1857
April, 1860
6,500
Agawam, No. 18,
E. Boston
1850
51,950 66
1857
March, 1860
7,000
Salem, No. 19,
S. Boston
1851
53,800
C
1859
Novem'r, 1859
7,500
Danvers, No. 20,
1851
44,300 "
1858 & 1860
June, 1860
7,000
Traveller, No. 21,
1851
44,300 ""
1858
6,000
Express, No. 22,
66
1851
44,300 ""
1857
Feb'y,
1860
7,000
Col. Adams, No. 23,
Boston
1854
48,400 "
1859
Jan'y,
1860
7,500
Beverly, No. 24,
66
1854
48,400
1861
1861
5,000
Newburyport, No. 25,
"L
1854
48,400 "
1858 & 1860
April,
1860
7,500
Salmon, No. 26,
1854
33,600
"
4,500
Chelsea, No. 27,
1854
52,680
1859
October, 1858
7,500
City of Lynn, No. 28,
Taunton
1855
44,200
66
7,000
Tiger, No. 29,
S. Boston
1854
37,820
1858
6,000
Nahant, No. 2,
Taunton
1860
51,800 66
built for coal
8,000
Ipswich, No. 4,
E. Boston
1860
43,100 "6
built for coal
5,700
106
THE EASTERN RAILROAD,
LOCOMOTIVES OF THE EASTERN RAILROAD COMPANY
DURING THE 70's.
No. 1, Maverick,
No. 2, Nahant,.
No. 3, Ossipee.
Built in
1865
Built in
No. 33, Essex II..
•
1865
.1860
No, 34, Merrimack II......1865
No. 35, Albert Thorndike.
1860
•
No. 36, John Howe..
1866
.1841
No. 37, D. A. Neal
.1866
1860
No. 38, Geo. Peabody.
1866
•
•
•
.1858
No. 39, Excelsior
1867
.1845
No. 40, Conqueror.
1867
.1846
No. 41, Great Falls..
..1867
.1844
No. 42, Danvers II.
..1867
...1863
No. 43, City of Portland....1868
No. 44, King Lear.
1869
·
1870
•
No. 45, Coriolanus.
•
•
1869
1847
• •
No. 46, Hamlet
1869
•
1818
•
•
• ·
1849
1849
..1856
.1854
No. 47, Macbeth..
No. 48, Kearsarge
No. 49, Tempest..
No. 50, Katahdin
.1870
•
• •
•
1870
•
1871
•
...
1871
No. 51, Everett
1871
1862
No. 52, Bangor.
.1871
.1862
No. 53, New Hampshire....1871
1874
No. 54, Carroll..
.1856
.1854
No. 55, Conway.
.1875
1854
No. 56, St. Lawrence.
.1846
.1854
No. 57, Chocorua
1871
•
No. 58, Massachusetts.
1871
•
•
No. 59, Atlantic.
1871
1855
•
1864
•
.1854
..1868
No. 62, Suffolk II...
•
No. 60, America.
.1871
•
No. 61, Champion..
.1871
1871
No. 75, John Thompson....1872
1864
No. 4, Ipswich..
No. 5, Marblehead II..
No. 6, Cape Ann...
•
No. 7, Gov. Endicott.
No. 8, Othello....
No. 9, Portsmouth.
No. 10, Boston...
No. 11, Rye Beach.
No. 12, Lawrence.
No. 13, Union II..
No. 14, Magnolia.
No. 15, Ironsides..
No. 16, Binney..
No. 17, Bryant.
No. 18, Agawam
No. 19, Salem.
•
•
•
No. 20, Hampton
No. 21, Swampscott.
No. 22, Express II..
No. 23, Col. Adams
No. 24, Beverly.
•
No. 25, Newburyport.
No. 26, Naumkeag.
No. 27, Chelsea...
No. 28, City of Lynn.
•
...
• •
..1854
1854
No. 29, Tiger...
No. 30, Rockport
No. 31, Salisbury
No. 32, Rockingham.
No. 32, "Rockingham ", was afterwards known as the "Bell
Rock"; No. 55, "Conway", as "Devereaux"; No. 57, “Choco-
rua", as "North Wind ". After No. 62, "Suffolk", appeared,
the naming of engines went out of practice, the only exception
being No. 75, "John Thompson", named for the superintendent of
motive power of the Eastern Railroad for many years. All the
foregoing locomotives were more or less ornamented. The bells
and whistles were polished to a high silver brightness, and bright
shining brass bands encircled the boilers. The tenders and cabs
were ornamented with fancy scroll designs, and the oil cups and
other parts of the running machinery were polished to the brightest
brass or steel. About 1880 ornamentation of locomotives ceased,
and since then machines have appeared without color and without
names. The Eastern, from reasons of strict economy, was among
the first of the New England roads to give up the old practice.
BY FRANCIS B. C. BRADLEE.
107
Among the best known of the old-time engineers were: William
Calder, Sylvester G. Canney, Reuben Jones, George Judkins, Asahel
Brown, Abraham Marston, George Dority and Frank Norwood.
The latter is still in active service.
Cabs on the locomotives were unknown until 1848, when one of
the engineers on the old Western R. R. of Massachusetts (now the
Boston and Albany) made one of canvas to protect himself from the
weather. After that locomotive cabs were adopted rapidly by all
the various railroads.
APR 7 1921
:
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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