Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/320

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��doing the grading, furnishing the ties, and laying the iron. B^^ August, he had the road in running order, and had his construction train running to Lexington. He went on south in the construction of the road, doing the entire work from ^Mansfield to a point about six miles south of Bellville. The part through Knox and Licking Counties was being built at the same time, so that, by 1852, the cars went on down to Newark. Tliis gave this county a river com- munication. The two roads — the Mansfield & Sandusky City and the Columbus & Lake Erie — continued under separate organizations (as was also the case with the Huron & Oxford liranch), until November 23, 1853, when they were all con- solidated and took the name of the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad. The consolid- ation of these roads did not bring the financial aid desired. Each corporation was l)urdened with deV)ts and judgments, and had hoped, by uniting, to establish a road that would meet the past liabilities and maintain itself in the future. This did not prove to be the case, and under an act of the Legislature, passed April 8, 1856, the road and property were sold and the company re-organized. Soon after this the Huron & Ox- ford Branch was abandoned and the rails re- moved. The re-organized company put the road in a better condition, and materially in- creased its traffic. Owing to various delays, the deed of conveyance from the old to the new company was not made until March 29, 1865, several years after the sale had been made, and after the new company had taken charge of the road.

This organization remained the same until February 13, 1869. when a contract was entered into l)y and between the Sandusky, IMansfield and Newark, the Ohio Central and the Balti- more & (^hio Railroads, whereby the first named came under the control of the last named, and is now operated by that extensive corporation.

The second railroad built through Richland County is the present Cleveland, Columbus &

��Cincinnati, familiarly called the "three C's." It was chartered March 14, 1836, two days after the Mansfield & New Haven, and was intended, as the charter expresses it, " for the purpose of constructing a railroad from the city of Cleveland, through the city of Columbus and the town of Wilmington to the city of Cincinnati." Various amendments were made to the original charter prior to the commencement of the work, one relieving the company from any obligation to construct its road " to or through any particular place." Had this road l)een constructed on a direct line between its terminal points, Mansfield would now be one of its stations. The company desired to bring it through on such a route, but the refusal of the city to aid in its con- struction caused it to be built on its present route as far as this county is concerned.

The original charter of 1836 became dormant, and was not revived for active work until March 12, 1845. A few years of delay now occurred again, and not until 1848 was work begun. It was, however, rapidly- pushed for- ward, and in two years the work had so lar pro- gressed that the cars ran as far south as Shelby, and then shortly to Crestline. By the next year (1851), the entire line was open from Cleve- land to Columbus. One year before, that part of the road south of Columlius was finished, and the first direct line lietween the lakes and the river was in operation. From the first, a very large traffic has been enjoyed by this road. The road controls a line from Delaware to Cincin- nati, fifty miles in length, which, when com- menced, was expected to run from Springfield to Mansfield. It was chartered as the Spring- field & Mansfield Railroad March 21, 1850, but the next year it was allowed to change its eastern terminus, and the next year the name was changed to the Springfield, Mount Vernon & Pittsburgh Railroad. The road, however, failed in the construction, and, in 1860, was sold for the benefit of its creditors. In Jan-

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