In 1873 the company leased the Harlem River and the Port Chester Railroad, between the Harlem and New Rochelle, and opened it for use. It runs from its depot at the Harlem River through the t iwns of Morrisania, Westchester, Pelham and New Rochelle, where it joins the New Haven road. It is sometimes denominated, the Harlem River Branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and has opened out one of the most beautiful portions of the county. In the spring of 1872, the work of construction began by filling in the bulkhead at the Harlem River, and a fine dock and slip of land was formed. Blasting had to be done on the Morris estate where rock of a lava-like appearance was found, and seams and colors of the same in fine curves, angles, etc. The pile building came in for a share of careful attention, as after passing Port Morris piles of sixty and eighty feet in length were used, which made a substantial job throughout. The rock cutat Hunt's Point bridge caused a great deal of trouble on account of the wet, spongy nature of the soil, -- one would have expected the softest nearest the water. The Bronx River was bridged by a strong Jackknife Draw. Filling for embankment across Pelham Salt Marsh was a tedious job, as firm bottom was hard to find. East Chester Bay reached a fine piece of work was done in building the pile-bridging across it. Too much praise cannot be given to E. W. Reid, General Superintendent of the New York, New Haven and