From the DeRuyter Gleaner of DeRuyter, NY
Thursday, November 23, 1939

Otselic History

1869 - Seventy Years Ago - 1939

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   Otselic was really to have a railroad at last. The Townships along the line from Norwich to DeRuyter were heavily bonded for construction of the Auburn Branch, a spur of the New York & Oswego Midland R.R. Just why it was called that I don't know unless it was expected to continue through to Auburn. It was completed to Cortland, however.

   Grading along the line began in the summer of 1869. Most of the level grading was done by team work, plowing and scraping (no steam shovels then). Farmers were ready with their teams after haying and harvesting to earn money on this cash job. However the cuts and fills were quite another matter. In those days it was our good friends, the Irish, who helped build our railroads.

   To excavate the cuts was a good winter job, for it must be done with pick and shovel, and carted out to the fill. One mule on a two wheel dump cart, slow but sure, one cart being loaded by the husky shovelers while the other was gone to the dump. Mr. Washington Tripp owned and operated a saw mill on the Center-Beaver Meadow road and there was a deep cut between his residence and mill, where my father was having 3,000 ties sawed out.

   I, a lad of 14, was curious to know just how they were opening the cut, and often went to see the Irishmen at work. It was the pick and shovel way, smoking the little short clay pipe the all the while. Cheap shanties were built along where convenient and inmates were numerous and jolly. Four hotels in the Township of Otselic and whiskey the principal drink, was plenty for the Irish workmen.

   Around pay-day many fights occurred for they liked nothing better than a good fight. I saw one at Cuyler, where a man was knocked stiff and fell to the floor as soon as others gave way for him to fall. I knew of many along the line. They were quite rough and boisterous when drinking. We always kept a safe distance. It was claimed that intimidation and fear kept many Republicans from the polls at the annual meeting in February, 1870 at Otselic. The Irish were Democratic and only needed a leader to hand them the little white slip of paper to vote their way.

   Crossing the valleys and ravines required trestle work and that was some work for carpenters. There was some ten or more of them between Otselic and DeRuyter. In a recent visit with Mr. Dorr Brown, whose farm supported one of the trestles, and who as a lad of 6 years remembers seeing the first train creeping slowly across the new frame work, he showed us some of the relics of the iron work, and says it was built of hemlock and pine. The upright timbers were hemlock and twelve inches square, the frame being much wider at the base and tapering to about twelve feet at the top. Height 48 feet above the water where it crossed the Otselic river.

   In 1876 while in the mercantile business at Beaver Meadow, my chum and room-mate, Simeon Crumb (station agent there) invited me to a joy ride on the section gang's hand-car. We pumped our way to the Center, four miles and back, crossing this trestle twice. Not much joy, only hard work, much up grade. In the fall of 1870, while attending a term at the old DeRuyter Institute, three of us boys, on a Saturday, took a walk up the railroad grade to see the famed Wibert trestle, 95 feet high. The track was not laid; we walked over and back and quoting from my diary of November 12, 1870, it contained 45 bents and 250 ties. There were five other smaller and shorter trestles between Wiberts and DeRuyter.

   Again on November 15th, a party of us students walked up to see the trestle and see the workmen laying track. Some familiar names among that party of students, viz.: Mr. Preston, Sacket Hart, Henry D. Maxson, Frank H. Ames, George A. Brown, Milan D. Tallett, Mr. Cross, Mr. Russell, Mr. Gardner and myself. I think I am the lone survivor.

   My diary of 1871 discloses the fact that I was on an excursion party to Norwich. Flat cars, the gravel train, I think they called it. Open flat cards with boards across for seats. And again, July 4th, 1872, on the same style of equipment, I went to Cortland. The 1871 was July 4th, of course. I surmise that regular passenger service began soon after July, 1872. I have in my scrap-book an 1877 TimeTable folder of the New York & Oswego Midland Railroad; this I see is the proper title. The Main Line was in two divisions, Middle Division, Norwich to New York; Northern Division, Norwich to Oswego. Also four branches, viz.: Delhi, Auburn, New Berlin and Ellenville.

   At this time, 1877, C.W. Lanpher was Superintendent of the Northern Division. He was the first conductor on the Auburn Branch, a real gentleman always. I would not forget old Mr. (Emery) Card, the engineer of the express, always dressed in blue overalls and frock with his long spouted oil can looking over his engine. I asked and he granted me the pleasure of riding with him from Norwich to Beaver Meadow, where my business was. He was quite old then. I have his picture and Mr. Lanpher also in my scrap-book.

   Two trains each way daily for six years and in December 1878 it ceased to operate regularly, but the bonded indebtedness remained for the three generations succeeding before it was entirely paid. The population of Otselic at that time was about 1,500. The bonds, $80,000 - over $53 for every man, woman and child. Otselic finished payment about 15 years ago.

   Now the final chapter of this part of the Auburn Branch. It had a mission yet to perform. Mr. Thurlow Johnson, a young merchant of Lower Beaver Meadow, at the time the railroad ceased to operate, gave an interesting story in the Post-Standard in December, 1926, telling how he was left stranded when the railroad stopped. He had some 400 cords of stove-wood piled near the track awaiting shipment. It was for the Norwich market. With the assistance of Mr. Milo Miles, a mill owner and mechanic, they constructed a light flat car that would carry up to 12 cords of wood. All the way down grade made easy going, and hauling the car back by horse power, towing across bridged with a long rope. Two men were required usually, at least on the return trip to operate the contraption. Becoming quite expert they sometimes made the down trip of 14 miles in 50 minutes. So we will now forget railroading in Otselic. Hope I have not exhausted your patience in looking for the end of this article.                       FRANK E. COX