road, and will be more than sufficient to compensate for the large wooden rails, in keeping the road firm and in place. The fare rates set by the charter provide some insight into prices of the day. The passenger fare per mile for one person and ordinary baggage was restricted to three cents. The company lobbied the legislature of 1837 to secure an increase to a maximum of four cents. Among the incentives for this move was the difficulty of attracting sufficient capital with the three cent limitation, other railroads having been granted better terms. By 1848, the company had spent more than $2,655,000 on construction. The engineering estimate had been less than $1,450,000. However, the revenue realized by the railroad considerably exceeded the engineer's estimates. Although the line had been planned to have double tracks, only one was ever built. As done on other early roads, strap rail construction was utilized. While this secured significant capital economies, it inevitably incurred greater operational risks, including the notorious "snakehead", in which the metal strap upon which the rolling stock rode would come loose from its wood support and be projected up through the car floor by the first wheel to snag the strap's end. There was, prior to 1848, no legal obligation to report accidents; company records show only a single snakehead incident, occurring in June 1848. The line was opened in sections: from Rochester to Canandaigua on 19 September 1840; to Seneca Falls on 9 June 1841; to Cayuga on 18 September 1841; and to the terminus in Auburn on 4 November 1841. The average train speed was 14 miles an hour; this was attributed to the use of strap rails. The wages paid were fixed by the Board of Directors. Typical values, in 1842, were: Engineer and superintendent $3,000.00 (per annum) Receiver of tickets (at Rochester) 50.00 (per month) Receiver of tickets (at Auburn) 25.00 (per month) Conductor 50.00 (per month) general clerk 50.00 (per month) Freight agent 40.00 (per month) Baggage handler 25.00 (per month) Locomotive engineer 2.00 (per day) One decision by the railroads in Rochester left passengers cold. The Tonawanda's ticket office was located in the United States Hotel on Main Street West, at the Erie Canal. The Auburn and Rochester built its terminal several blocks away. Because of pressure from local hotels, the only connection between the two railroads was a hack trip, not an