The Mohawk and Hudson River Railroad. By Joel 



MUX SELL. 

 [Read before the Albany Institute, April 20, 1875.] 



The tradition of an extraordinary excursion upon the 

 rail road between Albany and Schenectady, at an early 

 day in the history of that road, being a subject of much 

 discussion at this time, and not generally well understood, 

 I have endeavored to investigate thoroughly the facts con- 

 cerning the event. Although it occurred within the 

 memory of persons who may now be present, and who 

 witnessed or may have been cognizant of it, there is still 

 no little doubt and controversy about it, especially as to 

 when it took place, and who occupied places on the train. 

 The lithographed representations of it that are frequently 

 met with serve to perpetuate the memory of the mysteri- 

 ous trip, and to excite curiosity respecting it. 



Observing that Knickerbocker began the history of New 

 York with an account of the creation, and that a more 

 recent chronicler has commenced the annals of a neigh- 

 boring inland county with the discovery of America by 

 Columbus, I am disposed to make a starting point at that 

 era in the history of artificial locomotion, when the trans- 

 portation of coals for fuel in England had become so 

 great a strain upon physical exertion, as to stimulate 

 invention in aid of the efforts of man and beast to over- 

 come obstacles in the pursuit of that enterprise. 



Accordingly we find that in 1676, two centuries ago, a 

 rude contrivance was brought into use, by which coals 

 were moved in cars running upon wooden rails; and it 



