Railroads to Coney Island?

Letter to the editor.

City Rail Roads.

To the Editor of the Brooklyn Eagle--

SIR--Permit me, at an interval of peace like this, when the great political battle--in which the Eagle bore so conspicuous a part--is now among the things that were, and our Democratic friends are congratulating each other, and extending the hand of goodwill to the enemy, to call your attention to person employed as agents who are busily engaged throughout our city, plying the unwary and uninterested, by every argument that they can make use of, to sign petitions to our Common Council for, what they say, will be a public benefit. Judge, sir, of the fact, when those modest gentlemen only want the privilege of laying railroad tracks through Fulton st., commencing at the Fulton Ferry and going up thence to Court, through Court to Hamilton avenue and thence to Coney Island. One, sir, can scarcely help smiling at the extreme lengths the foul spirit of Avarice has prompted those wily and intriguing speculators to go in concocting a scheme, which, if they could by any means carry into effect, would at once raise the value, 500 per cent, of their property on the hills of Gowanus, which are now becoming rapidly improved without the aid of railroads, which would ultimately destroy this beautiful city...

--Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Thursday, November 11, 1852

I've heard the same arguments about light rail where I am. Though after standing near a real, functioning train at the Greenfield Village and breathing in all that soot…I can definitely see the author's point of view.

I have no idea if this particular railroad went through, but like it or not, rail was coming.