C'.w, 



RAILROADS. 



of their respective territories the advantages of canal 

 navigation. 



Larliett Rnilmadt. The very year lint the Erie Ca- 

 nal went into operation an event, hardly to be matched 

 for its importance, occurred the successful application 

 OD the Stockton and Darlington Railway ol'steam to pur- 

 poaea of locomotion. The rail mad first undertaken in 

 the United States was a short line of about three uiilcs 

 for the transportation of granite to the Neponsct 

 River, near Boston. This road was simply a copy of 

 tlio tramroads already in use in England. It was im- 

 portant only as the pioneer of the great movement 

 that was thru taking place. A similar work was con- 

 structed about tin 1 same time for the transportation of 

 coal from the pit's mouth to the Lehigh V alley Canal, 

 near Maueh Chunk. It was not until isjs, however, 

 that the construction ol' a railroad was undertaken for 

 tlii- transportation of freight and i> issengers on any- 

 thini like a comprehensive scale. The construction of 

 the Eric C.inal h.id cut off the trade which Philadelphia 

 had hitherto received from the West, and as the pro- 

 ject of a canal Iroin Baltimore to the Ohio was regarded 

 by many as impracticable, the merchants of that city, 

 in 1827. procured the charter of the present Baltimore 

 and Ohio Railroad. On July 4, 1S2X. its construction 

 was begun, the first act being iierl'ormed by the vener- 

 able Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, the only surviving 

 signer of the Declaration of Independence. At the 

 close of the ceremony of breaking ground Mr. Carroll 

 said : " I consider this among the most important acts 

 of my life, second only_ to that of signing the Declara- 

 tion of Independence, if even second to tnat." In tho 

 fall of 1829 the laying of the rails within the city of Bal- 

 timore was begun. On May lit, 1830, the first section 

 of 14 miles, to Ellicott's Mills, was opened. Like all 

 others constructed at the time, it was an unsubstantial 

 structure, with longitudinal sills, on which was placed 

 a thin bar or strap of iron. Although locomotive-en- 

 gines had obtained some use in England, this road 

 continued for nearly a year after its opening to be op- 

 erated by horse-power. An ingenious but unsuccessful 

 attempt was made to propel the trains by the use of 

 sails. As some more efficient power than that of horses 

 seemed indispensable, the company, on the 4th of Jan- 

 uary, 1831, invited proposals for the construction of a 

 steam-engine for its use, " which, when in operation, 

 must not exceed 3} tons in weight, and must, on a 

 level road, be capable of drawing 15 tons, inclusive 

 of the weight of the wagons, 15 miles an hour." In 

 response three engines were offered to the company. 

 Only one was accepted as coming up to the required 

 specifications. Although this engine was incapable of 

 Nirmoiinting any considerable grades, it served to 

 assure the officers of the company of the practicability 

 of their working their railroad by steam-power. In 

 the annual report of the company for 1H.31 its presi- 

 dent, Philip . Thomas, stated that " by many im- 

 provements made in the application of working power, 

 an immense reduction in the cost of transportation and 

 an increase in velocity had been effected. 



The first bcomotive ever used in the United States 

 was one imported from England in IU'.), called the 

 " Stourbridge Lion. " It weighed six tons. The en- 

 cine was imported for use on the Carbondale Railroad, 

 belonging to the Delaware and Hudson Canal Co . 

 and extending from their canal to the mines. The 

 first experimental trip was made by it Aug. 8, 1829. 

 It waa found too heavy for the track, and its use con- 

 sequently hiu 1 to be abandoned. The first locomotive 

 built in this country, and the second in use in it, was 

 called "The Best Friend of Charleston," having been 

 built for use on the South Carolina Railroad, then in 

 process of construction. It arrived at Charleston Oct. 

 23, 1830. and was placed on the road Nov. 2, 1830. 

 The third, also constructed by the West Point Com 

 pany, was placed on the Mohawk and Hudson, now a 

 j.art of the New York Central Railroad, in 1831, and 

 weighed three tons. It waa used on the summit be- 



tween the two planes worked bv the stationary en- 

 gines, that near Albany havinp a length of 3102 feet; 

 that near Schemvtady L'uir, (eel. 



As early as 1K32 the use of locomotives may be said 

 to have been fairly established. From that time ilm 

 comparative excellence of the engines' improvements 

 was the only subject for consideration, Consunt and 

 rapid improvements were made in their con.-inictin. 

 The locomotives first constructed weighed only from 

 three to six tons, and were hardly capable of drawing 

 on a level road half of the weight of the improved 

 machine of the present day. Jo sooner was the 

 superiority of the railroad over the ordinary highway 

 fully demonstrated, both in this country and in Eng- 

 land, than a great many schemes were immediately set 

 on foot. 



Following the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the 

 next important line to be constructed was the South 

 Carolina Railroad, extending from Charleston to Ham- 

 burg, opposite Augusta, (ia. This line was be<_'nn in 

 1830, and opened for traffic in 1833 for its whole 

 length 135 miles. At that time it was the longest 

 continuous line of milroad in the world. The con- 

 struction of the Mohawk and Hudson, now a part of 

 the New York Central, was begun in 1S30. It waa 

 opened (17 miles) in 1831. The baratoga and Schenec- 

 tady Railroad (21} uiilcs) was opened in the following 

 year; the Cayuga anil Sustpit hanna (34 miles), con- 

 necting the Sus<|uehanna River with Cayuga Lake, 

 was opened in 1834 ; and the Rcnsselaor and Saratoga 

 (25 miles) in 1835. In New .Jersey that portion of 

 the Cauidcn and Ainboy extending from Bordentowa 

 to Hightstown (It miles) was opened Dec. 22, 1830, 

 and between Hightrtown and South Amlioy (-I7J 

 miles) in 1834. In Pennsylvania a considerable ex- 

 tent of line for the transportation of coal had been, 

 constructed previous to 1>35. In 1834 the Philadel- 

 phia and Columbia (>_ miles) and the Portage Rail- 

 road (31) miles), the latter funning a part of the system 

 of public works undertaken by the State of Pennsylva- 

 nia, were opened. Their completion gave that State a 

 continuous line, made up of canal and railroad, from 

 Philadelphia to the Ohio River at Pittsbnrg. The 

 total mileage of railroad constructed in that State to 

 the end of 1835 was 318 miles, or nearly one-third of 

 the whole extent of the line then in use in the I'nited 

 States. In 1833 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 

 was extended as far west as Harper's Ferry (81 miles). 

 In Massachusetts, in 183,'), the Boston and Wm 

 Railroad (44 miles), the Boston and Providence (41 

 miles), and the Boston and Lowell (l!f> miles) were all 

 opened for business. The total extent of mileage in 

 operation in all the States at the close of the year 1835 

 was lnys miles. 



Only a moderate degree of success, either financial 

 or commercial, attended the railroads first constructed 

 in this country. They were rude and unsubstantial 

 Structures, involving a heavy outlay for repairs, and 

 were very inadequate to the service even then required 

 of them. The superstructure of the lines first con- 

 structed was a longitudinal sill, the rail or strap of iron 

 laid upon it serving to prevent the abrasion of the 

 wood rather than support the train. The change from 

 wood to iron was a very gradual one. It was not until 

 1850 that the longitudinal sill and the flat rail were 

 entirely removed from the 1'liea and Seheneetudy. the 

 most important link in the New York Central line. 

 Many of the early roads were upon routes having little 

 traffic, and were consequently almost entirely unremu- 

 nerativc. Nevertheless tho construction of railways was 

 steadily persisted in. The total extent of mileage in 

 operation in all the States at the close of the year 1835 

 <iles. 



From 1835 the construction of railroads proceeded 

 at the rate of about 400 miles annually until 1842, 

 when the first work of the kind built for the express 

 purpose of reaching and controlling the internal trade 

 of the country was opened the line from Boston to 



