An Historical Note. 
321 
ing to half a million dollars was offered in the form of one thou¬ 
sand shares of $500 each, it being the expectation that the en¬ 
tire work would be undertaken by a small number of capitalists. 
On the first day three hundred and fifty shares were sold condi¬ 
tioned upon the sale of seven hundred and fifty shares before 
the first meeting. But at this point the sale stopped; and be¬ 
fore a great while the entire enterprise was transferred to a 
number of the members of the corporation known as the Pro¬ 
prietors of Locks and Canals, which had a large control in all 
the business of Lowell, and by this management the road was 
carried to completion. But its progress was slow; and it was 
not until 1835 that the road was opened for travel, in the same 
year with the opening of the Boston and Providence and the 
Boston and Worcester roads. 
Before this completion the originally estimated cost of 
$169,000 had increased to $1,800,000. But the constant pur¬ 
pose was that all the work should be thoroughly done; and after 
its completion a less number of laborers were retained to keep 
it in repair than now constitute an ordinary section gang, it 
having been so well built that it was believed to be practically 
indestructible, so that no repairs worth consideration would be 
required for a long term of years. In fact, however, at the ex¬ 
piration of this expected term of endurance of the road, it was 
not thought that a single piece of the original road remained in 
its place. Among the supposed durable features of the con¬ 
struction was a complete outfit of granite ties, which unfortun¬ 
ately proved not only to be anything but comfortable for the 
passengers, but also to break in rapid succession beneath the 
blows transmitted by the rails from the passing train. 
Probably the unyielding granite had a part in augmenting 
the difficulties which were presented by the sad imperfections 
of the locomotives. Professor Thurston, in his “History of the 
Growth of the Steam Engine,” says that the Locks and Canals 
Company of Lowell began the manufacture of locomotives as 
early as 1834. But it is very certain that the two first engines 
on this line, which was practically their own property, were 
imported from England. During the first summer, that of 
1835, only one locomotive was employed, which made one com- 
21 
