Figure 70. — Thomas Rogers (1792-1856). 

 From J. Leander Bishop, A History of American 

 Manufactures from 1608 to i860, 3d ed., 3 vols. 

 (Philadelphia, 1868). 



put together it would be impossible to take the cyl- 

 inders off. He feared that when the Messrs. Sellers 

 undertook to move the engine, they would find it like 

 Robinson Crusoe's boat. William the driver said he 

 could not help saying, "maybe the stone-mason's 

 hammer and chisel will soon make the door right." 

 This trivial matter must have made a lasting impression 

 on Mr. Rogers, for twenty or more years later he 

 asked me how we had got the engine out of the house 

 it was set up in, adding, "I have always been curious 

 to know." 



Fifty years ago, the time I am now writing of, the 

 mechanical engineer was no more exempt from diffi- 

 culties in the introduction of anything new and un- 

 tried than he has been at any subsequent period. 

 All our arrangements had been made to deliver our 

 first locomotive "America" from our shops to the head 

 of the incline plane over a hilly country road of about 

 six miles, when we received a note from the canal 

 commissioners stating that they had become satisfied 

 that our outside connected engine, with the spread of 



its cylinders, would produce so much oscillation as 

 not only to be injurious to the engine but to the track, 

 if the engine could be made to keep it, but this might 

 be partially remedied by placing side bearings on the 

 truck; that unless they were put on, the engine would 

 not be allowed to run on the road even for a trial. 

 Here was a serious dilemma. 



Having had a full understanding with Mr. Brandt 

 as to carrying the weight on the center-pin, and to 

 satisfy the commissioners, having adopted outside 

 frame and bearings for the truck axles, with separate 

 spring to each journal, there was nothing above this 

 outside truck-frame to which a support could be 

 applied. Baldwin's springs over the outside wooden 

 frames with its center-pin passing through them, 

 resting on a cast-iron grease-box on the truck-frame, 

 admitted the truck to turn as much as required in 

 running the curves. The J. B. Jervis truck which 

 we had seen on the Hudson and Mohawk had a 

 better arrangement for turning, each axle-bearing 

 having separate springs; the side supports were rollers 

 or wheels having their bearings in boxes attached 

 to the engine-frame, with flat iron plates on the 

 wooden truck frame. I had so much confidence in 

 the steady running with the bearing on the center- 

 pin without side supports, that in hopes of getting 

 permission from the commissioners to allow the trial, 

 agreeing in case the engine was found unsteady to 



Figure 7 1 . — Side support for trial of Sellers 

 locomotive, showing slotted hole used to prove 

 that the device was unnecessary. See text. 

 From American Machinist (November 7, 1885), 

 vol. 8. 



174 



