cars (3,500 people) on Philadelphia & Atlantic City. (RyW)

replacing William Massey, resigned. (RRG)

parlor cars now under construction. (MB)

Branch in Atlantic City, running from near Thorofare down Mississippi

Avenue to beach. (Rdg)
Apr. 19, 1878 Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway files location of Mississippi Avenue

Branch in Atlantic City. (NJCorp)

City Railway down Mississippi Avenue to ocean. (RyW)

Avenue to ocean in Atlantic City after mini-"Frog War" with Camden &

Atlantic over crossing its line in Atlantic Avenue. (RyW - C&C implies

was built in sections with last part in 1892)

telegraph stations. (AR)

and Cape May in two hours. (RyW, PubLdgr)

May Short Line Railway for failure to post surety with state as required by

recent amendment to General Railroad Law. (RRG)
July 1, 1878 Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway defaults on interest. (RRG)
July 13, 1878 Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway enters receivership; Charles R.

Colwell appointed receiver on suit of William Massey; at recent first

excursion of season, Massey berates leaders of Atlantic City as greedy for

free passes and for deserting P&AC and tells them they will have only one

railroad next year. (RRG - RyW has 7/15)
Aug. 15, 1878 Camden & Atlantic Railroad Board authorizes new turntable at Coopers

Point. (MB)

to Haddonfield. (RRG)

Railroad and takes steps to protect rails leased to it by West Jersey. (MB)

all locomotives and cars; applies air brakes to about half of cars and

locomotives. (MB, AR)
Nov. 29, 1878 Cape May Passenger Railway files map for line from steamboat landing

along shore front to Cape Avenue at Cape May Point. (NJCorp)

destroyed 2,000 hotel rooms; orders 100 single rooms for young men built

at the Stockton House as a separate building fronting George Street. (MB)
1878 Camden & Atlantic Railroad builds float bridges at Coopers Point,

Camden for interchanging cars with Reading by car float. (AR)

Jersey Southern Railroad. (AR)

or heavy iron rail.

Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway; authorizes contracting with Harlan

& Hollingsworth for new iron ferry boat Coopers Point. (MB)

Jan. 25, 1879 West Jersey Railroad Board declines Philadelphia & Atlantic City

Railway’s asking price of $900,000, half in bonds and half in stock. (MB)
Feb. 4, 1879 Delaware Shore Railroad reopens over whole length after devastation of

hurricane of Oct. 1878. (PubLdgr)

controlling interest in Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway. (MB)

City Horse Railroad for purchase of its franchises for $6,000; appoints

committee on negotiations with Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway.

(MB)
Feb. 6, 1879 Henry Roe Campbell (1807-1879), pioneer civil engineer and inventor of

the 4-4-0 type steam locomotive, dies at Woodbury, N.J. (PWSchopp)
Feb. 1879 Camden & Atlantic Railroad begins running Saturday express to Atlantic

City for winter visitors. (RyW)

with William Massey to buy Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway; also

will have majority of Williamstown Railroad bonds within a few days;

accept new Atlantic City ordinance; set Atlantic City fare as $1.25 oneway

and $2.00 excursion. (MB)
Apr. 12, 1879 Delaware Bay & Cape May Railroad incorporated in N.J.; files map for

line from turnpike road to Cape May Excursion House. (NJCorp -

supersedes Cape May Passenger Railway?)
Apr. 1879 West Jersey Railroad building branch (Delaware Bay & Cape May

Railroad) of three miles from Cape May to Cape May Point, now only

served by horse cars. (RRG)
May 17, 1879 West Jersey Railroad establishes non-stop run between Camden and Cape

May in 2:15. (C&C - AR says 1876!!)

(RyW)
May 29, 1879 West Jersey Railroad committee reports to Board on Ludlam’s Beach;

Charles K. Landis has purchased entire property but needs assistance of

WJRR to build branch line; Board orders survey. (MB)

of Camden & Atlantic Railroad. (RRG)

June 1879 Camden & Atlantic Railroad receives new ferry Coopers Point from

Harlan & Hollingsworth. (AR, RyW)

foreclosure sale of Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway with power to

purchase. (MB)
June 27, 1879 West Jersey Railroad Board appoints committee for new branch line from

Seaville to Ludlam’s Beach. (MB)

$101,000, is under limit, so sale postponed. (RRG)

Railway under control of CNJ. (MB)

City. (MB)

possession of Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway. (RyW)

(RyW)
July 1879 Ellis Clark of North Pennsylvania Railroad named Superintendent of

Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway. (RyW)
July 1879 West Jersey Railroad has cut excursion fare to 3/4 cents per mile and is

doing a big business this season. (RRG)

May Point, replacing old horse car line; operates in connection with West

Jersey Railroad. (RRG)
July 17, 1879 Camden & Atlantic Railroad Board authorizes taking steps to enforce Feb.

5 agreement with William Massey to acquire Philadelphia & Atlantic City

Railway. (MB)
July 25, 1879 West Jersey Railroad committee reports it is impressed by Charles K.

Landis’s work on Ludlam’s Beach, but recommend against building

branch line as no development yet and WJRR lacks branching powers;

should only build branch after money has been spent to develop the island

and a separate railroad company is organized. (MB)
July 26, 1879 Delaware Shore Railroad sold at foreclosure at Woodbury to Thomas L. Ogden for bondholders. (C&C, RRG)
Aug. 14, 1879 Excursion train on Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway collides with

freight near Clementon; 5 killed; Assistant Superintendent John S. Wurts

arrested; investigation reveals poor discipline and record keeping, with

train orders simply thrown into a drawer. (RRG)

PM trains to stop distributing passengers along Atlantic Avenue in

Atlantic City; hears report that ferries Atlantic and Arasapha are not worth

repairing and orders a new boat. (MB)

Ludlam’s Beach is not a paying proposition and that he should invest more

money in improvements, and if successful, West Jersey Railroad will build

a branch there. (MB)

(1842-1926), head of Wood family iron and textile enterprises, and future

founder of Wawa Dairy Farms, elected Pres. (MB, RRG)
Sep. 25, 1879 Cape May & Millville Railroad merged into West Jersey Railroad under

agreement of Aug. 29, 1879. (Val)

PRR’s West Jersey & Atlantic Railroad; Richard B. Osborne recommends

building a branch from Coopers Point to the West Jersey Ferry; Board

authorizes trying to secure a ferry landing between Arch & Walnut Streets

in Philadelphia; also to make offer of lease to PRR. (MB)
Oct. 3, 1879 Delaware River Railroad incorporated in N.J. as reorganization of

Delaware Shore Railroad; under control of du Pont interests, which have

plans to build a large dynamite plant at Gibbstown. (Val)
Oct. 14, 1879 West Jersey Railroad Board agrees to buy one-fifth of West Jersey &

Atlantic Railroad stock and make an exclusive traffic contract with it.

(MB)
Oct. 23, 1879 Camden & Atlantic Railroad Board authorizes legal action against West

Jersey & Atlantic Railroad; authorizes building track down the beach at

Atlantic City as soon as possible. (MB)
Oct. 30, 1879 West Jersey Railroad Board authorizes $3 million bond issue. (MB)

Nov. 5, 1879 West Jersey & Atlantic Railroad incorporated to build line in interest of

West Jersey Railroad from Newfield to Atlantic City to give PRR share of

resort traffic. (Val)

doing business on the east side of Philadelphia, which is reached more

easily by ferry. (RRG, PubLdgr)
Nov. 19, 1879 Ocean City Association organized by three brother Methodist ministers, S.

Wesley Lake, Ezra B. Lake and James E. Lake to establish a Christian

family resort on Peck’s Beach, south of Absecon Island, N.J.; to be

patterned after Ocean Grove. (Lee)

Atlantic Railroad. (MB)

receiver F.S. Lathrop and made plans to run freight and passenger trains

between New York and Philadelphia via Atco and to build a branch in

Camden to a point opposite the PW&B yard at Washington Street. (MB)

line to $1.50 and $2.25 round trip because of agitation for competing lines

and new competition for Atlantic City business. (MB)
Dec. 26, 1879 West Jersey Railroad Board approves abolishing the three-year free

“improvement tickets” to Cape May and Sea Grove given to anyone

building a house worth $2,500, as people getting too used to free rides;

urges study to sell or rent Stockton House at Cape May. (MB)

West Jersey & Atlantic Railroad. (Val)

year-round. (AR)

all passenger cars now also equipped with Miller coupler and platform.

(AR)
1879 Camden & Atlantic Railroad completes replacement of all original 62-lb.

U-rail. (AR)

Street ferry; reports that Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway is laying

track in Baltic Avenue at Atlantic City; authorizes arranging with West

Jersey Ferry Company to run ferry between Coopers Point and Market

Street, Philadelphia. (MB)
Jan. 27, 1880 Philadelphia, Marlton & Medford Railroad incorporated in N.J. to build

from Haddonfield to Medford; controlled by Camden & Atlantic Railroad.

(Val)
Feb. 5, 1880 Camden County jury acquits conductor of Philadelphia & Atlantic City

Railway freight train involved in Aug. 1879 wreck of manslaughter; hung

jury in case of engineer. (NYT)
Feb. 9, 1880 Camden County judge acquits Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway

Assistant Superintendent John S. Wurts of manslaughter in connection with

1879 wreck at Clementon on insufficient evidence. (RRG, NYT)
Feb. 10, 1880 Ocean City Association adopts plat for Ocean City, N.J. (Lee)
Feb. 11, 1880 Five Mile Beach Improvement Company makes proposition to West Jersey

Railroad; have bought all of Five Mile Beach Island, which is covered with

dense growth of oak, holly and cedar, and have platted a town, Anglesea,

with 21 east-west streets; offer to provide right of way and grading if West

Jersey Railroad will provide rails and rolling stock. (MB)
Feb. 19, 1880 Camden & Atlantic Railroad Board authorizes putting engine of ferry

Atlantic into Arasapha and building new Atlantic; considers buying

Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway in combination with PRR. (MB)

parlor car Marion F. (RyW)

proposition of Five Mile Beach Improvement Company to build railroad to

Anglesea. (MB)
Feb. 26, 1880 Jay Gould proposes to sell Vineland Railway (Atsion-Bayside, N.J.) to PRR and detach it from CNJ system, eliminating competition with West Jersey

Railroad; PRR accepts, but Gould is unable to deliver, the move being a

bluff in his negotiations with the CNJ. (MB)
Feb. 27, 1880 West Jersey Railroad Board hears offer of Camden, Gloucester & Mt.

Ephraim Railway to sell. (MB)

Harbor City Railroad is in bad shape and should give up lease of extension

from Mays Landing station to shipyard as soon as possible; vote to continue

trains on Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City, as residents demand it; report

that PRR refuses to join in buying Philadelphia & Atlantic City Railway,

and Massey has increased his price from $390,000 to $420,000. (MB)

Vineland Railroad, incorporated in 1877, completing reorganization;

becomes part of CNJ system. (ICC)
Mar. 29, 1880 U.S. Supreme Court rules that Millville & Glassboro Railroad had no

charter right to lease company to George W. Thomas, et al., in 1863, ending

Thomas’s attempt to recover compensation for non-fulfillment of contract

after railroad abrogated lease in 1868. (RyW, NYT)

with trial run of new ferry Atlantic; new station is almost completed. (MB,)

Philadelphia. (RRG)

between Camden and Atlantic City. (PubLdgr)

Coopers Point; two-story ferry house 40' x 60'; two train sheds: one 620' x

25' open and one 265' x 20' enclosed; old ferry house moved and used as

office; work completed before summer season. (AR, PubLdgr)

Jersey Ferry Company, operating ferry Shackamaxon between Coopers

Point, Camden, and Shackamaxon Street, Philadelphia; Camden terminal

switched from Point Street to Camden & Atlantic terminal at Wood Street

where new ferry house is completed. (Val, AR, PubLdgr)
May 6, 1880 Camden & Atlantic Railroad’s new ferry Atlantic, built by Neafie & Levy,

makes trial run on Delaware River; old Atlantic scrapped and machinery

placed in Arasapha. (PubLdgr, AR)
May 7, 1880 Camden & Atlantic Railroad places new ferry Atlantic in revenue service; at

159 x 54 (o.a.), is 5 feet longer than any other ferry on Delaware River.

(PubLdgr)
May 10, 1880 PRR Road Committee receives petition from residents of Haddonfield, N.J., for a branch of the West Jersey Railroad so they can have a ferry to Market

Street instead of Vine Street. (MB)

Massey, Pres. (Val)

June 1880 Camden & Atlantic Railroad completes double track between Camden and

Haddonfield and between Atlantic City station and Thorofare. (AR, RyW)

Boardwalk in Atlantic City to Excursion House.

between Newfield and Tennessee Avenue in Atlantic City with a four-car

press excursion; dinner served in new West Jersey Excursion House at end

of Georgia Avenue; operated by West Jersey Railroad under agreement of

Dec. 29, 1879; (WJ AR has 6/15 RRG & newspapers show 6/16 - which is

date of celebration, may be open earlier); Connection to far-flung PRR

system helps promote Atlantic City as a convention center; West Jersey

Railroad adds 6 locomotives and 40 passenger cars, similar to those used on

New York Division expresses, for this service. (RyW, PubLdgr) (was first

sta. at Tenn Ave or Ga. Ave?)

and Atlantic City.

Street. (MB)

questions with Camden & Atlantic Railroad; reports progress in

negotiations to acquire Camden, Gloucester & Mt. Ephraim Railway. (MB)
July 1880 PRR establishes new station at Broadway and Bridge Avenue in Camden.

(WkStGaz)

Cape May to a special committee. (MB)

Anne’s Roman Catholic Church in Kensington rear-ends first section of 16

cars at Mays Landing at 6:30 AM while returning from Atlantic City on

West Jersey & Atlantic Railroad; first section had taken siding but with rear

two cars fouling main line; 27 killed, mostly scalded by escaping steam;

coroner’s jury blames on wet rail, sticking of automatic brakes, and sections

running too close together; claims burden the new company with debt. (MB,

NYT, Walther, RRG)

between New York and Atlantic City via Winslow Jct. (RRG)

extra ferry slip added and platforms lengthened for Atlantic City travel;

train sheds are similar to those at Centennial Station; all trains now depart

from south side and arrive on north side instead of having Camden &

Amboy trains on south side and West Jersey trains on north side; total 128

trains daily. (PubLdgr, RRG); over 3 acres of tidal flats filled in. (AR) (note

most was completed by 6/16 opening of WJ&A)
Sep. 3, 1880 Cape May & Sewell’s Point Railroad incorporated in N.J. (NJCorp)
Sep. 16, 1880 Camden & Atlantic Railroad Board authorizes disposing of old ferry

Atlantic. (MB)
Sep. 17, 1880 West Jersey Railroad Board authorizes second track between Camden and

Wenonah, to be finished by May 1, 1881. (MB)

along ocean to new hotel at inlet. (NJCorp)

Pleasantville and Somers Point, N.J.; operated by Philadelphia & Atlantic

City Railway; opening excursion runs from Philadelphia to Ocean City;

Ocean City Association operates connecting steamboat between Somers

Point and Ocean City. (Val, Lee)
Oct. 29, 1880 Gen. William J. Sewell elected VP of West Jersey Railroad, replacing A.J.

Cassatt, resigned. (MB)

replacing William J. Sewell, promoted. (MB)

Landis to provide rail and rolling stock for a branch to Sea Isle City; Five

Mile Beach Improvement Company must provide right of way for Anglesea

Branch within 12 months. (MB)

authorizes subscription to Philadelphia, Marlton & Medford Railroad. (MB)

Atlantic Railroad's depot at Coopers Point, Camden. (AR - Boyer has 1873)