HISTORICAL MEMOIR. IX 



In November, 1852, the first Locomotive, the "Pacific," 

 manufactured at Taunton, Mass., was placed upon the track, 

 at the machine shop erected by the Company, and ran out to 

 the Manchester road, and was quite a noticeable and marked 

 event in this State. 



In December, 1852, a train, loaded with passengers, ran out 

 to Cheltenham, about five miles, where a large company was 

 entertained at a public dinner given by the President. During 

 the same year, Thomas S. O'Sullivan, Esq., having been elected 

 Chief Engineer, on the resignation of Mr. Kirkwood, the South- 

 west branch was surveyed and located, under the immediate 

 charge of his Assistant, James K. Ford, Esq. 



In July, 1853, the First Division was opened from St. .Louis 

 to Franklin, a distance of 38 miles, and the event, was appro- 

 priately celebrated at that place. In the spring of that year, 

 the President being then in New York, a contract was made 

 with Diven, Stancliff & Co., for the construction of the whole 

 South-western branch. An ebb-tide in monetary affairs ren- 

 dering it difficult to negotiate loans on Railroad securities, as 

 contemplated, a meeting of stockholders was held at Mercantile 

 Library Hall, and it was proposed that the County of St. Louis 

 make an additional subscription of $1,200,000 to the capital 

 stock of the Company, to be paid by taxation within four years, 

 and that the stockholders claim no exemption from the tax, as 

 the law allowed, in consequence of their being already subscri- 

 bers. The President, Mr. Allen, who had devoted his time and 

 energies to the starting of the enterprise, the first year without 

 pay, and during the last at a salary of $1500 per annum, willing 

 still to make sacrifices for the cause, and desirous of attracting 

 public attention at once to the necessities of the case, and to 

 propitiate all opposition, if any, on the score of long continu- 

 ance in office, tendered his resignation ; this was at length ac- 

 cepted, and Hudson E. Bridge, Esq., was elected President, 

 April 25, 1854. At the election which took place, on the ques- 

 tion of making the subscription and levying the heavy tax pro- 

 posed on the part of the County of St. Louis, it was decided 

 affirmatively by a vote of 3420 yeas to 1133 nays. Thus the 

 people of St. Louis made themselves the first example in the 



