The Mohawk and Hudson Bad Road. 271 



experiment as a tost whether this economical mode of 

 transportation would succeed in this country. At this 

 time the most available and rapid inland travel was ho- 

 stages, and more capital was invested in them than in any 

 other enterprise carried on in this city. 



The bill passed the assembly on the 27th of March, 1826, 

 incorporating the company with a capital of $300,000, with 

 liberty to increase it to (500,000, and a duration of fifty 

 years, limiting the time for construction to six years. 

 Stephen Van Rensselaer, known as the old patrooo, and 

 G. W. Featherstonhaugh were the only persons named as 

 directors in the charter. 



This seems, therefore, to have been the first charter of 

 what became a successful passenger rail road in this 

 country. Xo rail road had been constructed ou the 

 American continent, for the conveyance of passengers by 

 steam power, previous to this date. The South Caroliua 

 road was chartered nearly two years later, audits construc- 

 tion begun in 182S. The Delaware and Hudson, and Bal- 

 timore aud Ohio roads were also begun in 1828. The first 

 two practical locomotives built in this country, were 

 constructed at the West Point Foundery, in the city of 

 New York, for the South Carolina road, and the trial trip 

 was made in November, 1830. The third was the De 

 Witt Clinton, built at the same foundery, for the Mohawk 

 and Hudson road, and put in operation nearly a year later. 



On the 26th of June, 1826, books were opened for sub- 

 scriptions to the stock of the Mohawk and Hudson rail 

 road, aud we have the authority of two daily journals, 

 the Albany Daily Advertiser and the Albany Argus, that 

 the stock was eagerly taken by capitalists. But the 

 company seems to have moved with the safest haste from 

 this time forward, for more than four years elapsed before 

 the construction of the road was begun. 



It may be remarked here that the Quincy (Mass.) road, 

 which is often mentioned as the first rail road in this country, 



