The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1836-08-10

It's late or poverty orWoei
Like hers who cried" We're home al lastw
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COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES of thinning
population by accidents on turnpike-ex-
pIosion on board of teambOOts-despatch
ing passengers on II railroad and encour-
aging the growth of mad dogs. Time was
when people were content with dying IN
their beds, requiring no other assistance
than the aid of physician. Good old aye
was esteemed honorable, and people profess
ing a love for it, acted up to their profession,
husbaadng their strength and saving their
energies. The good things of life were
leisurely enjoyed journeys were made with
caution, a0d with some attention to comfort
and safety as well rs expedition. a mans
life was counted something worth, and he
who accidentally lost his hold on it was rec
oned unfortunate.
We of this generation have arrived at
better things out the change has not been
done at leap. First in order came the
discovery that our stages did not rattle over
the rough roads of a new country with any
thing like the expedition Of the coaches of
old England over level roads-ihe pace Of
the coach horses was far behind the march
of mind Then came turnpike roads, and
coachees who did not believe in the necessl-
" of allowing horses to breathe. Their
pace rounded from five to ten miles the hour
and the express of n score of years previous
was accounted sort of snail pace. The
newspapers chronicled the speed of travel
crs as having reached its acme, and exult-
ingly quoted the time when even the witch
81 ,,o
Il less sacrifice of time than from three days
TO week, each way. The union had be-
come compressed into a single state by the
bonds made of whiplashes. We were a
great people, aud should undoubtedly be-
come greater as our territory became ap-
paren,ly less, and it ceased TO require II
lifetime 10 travel from Canada on the North,
10 Forida on The South, Then began the
slglt misfortune of occasionally breaking
down or overturning coach. Broken legs
arms and necks were rated high at first, but
in the scale against the wonderful advanta-
ges gained by rapid travelling, they were
soon N II discount.
Next came the steamboat era. Fulton's
genius made rivers highways, and the ocean
,horougafa.e. Places were esteemed
divided which had only land between them,
while those which were so fortunate as to be
separated by what our fathers esteemed a
division, water, were accounted united.
Had it been possible, joint stock compa
nv would have been formed to flood the
continent for the sake of improving com
munication, The union dwindled in space
down to the size of Rhode Island, notwlth- |
standing the marking off Of the wilderness
into territories, and The erection of those in |
To states. Now came Steamboat accidents.
The first fireman that burned his finger was
accounted a maryr-not so the hecatombs
of passengers who were sacrificed a!terward
to the Genius of Steam. An accident was
accounted naught which had not one cipher
at least at the right of the numerals which
told the dead and wounded. We could not |
do without steam-the greatest good of the |
greatest number was the motto-and n hun |
drcd or two killed yearly by boat only |
made it remarkable and distinguished |
vehiclc--not only for helping passengers
from one place to another, but for annlhil-
ating time as well as space, and saving time
by an anticipation of eternity.
Times nobcs triumph is her last.
Next came the railroads, ard behold our
wide spread territory squeezed down to n
ten acre lot. The ten mile pace of stages
and the fifteen knots Of steamboats,, were
distrcssingly slow-huzza for the twenty
mile flight of the railroad car Now indeed
are accidents not to be introduced even in
cidentally in the mention OF travelling facil-
tiles. Apples by the handful you mny
count-by the buslcl we don't think of such
II thing. The one killed by stage-overturns
to the twenty wounded by steamboat en-
posions, all go for nothing compared with
the way the wholesale business is done on
the railway. Here are no petty risks of
pal,ry dozen passengers in cpach-hun-
dreds are at stake in one Investment of hur-
rid accident-capilal in train of cars.
Twenty miles an liQur-single track-two
trains travelling toward each otlier--go like
lightning-pop into each other like a SIM
uItaneous discharge--crash like thunder
disjectd membrd-legs ns-ribs--widows
and orphans of the passengers despatched
in the cars--what matter these, while the
stock is at ten per cent, advance, and the
New-York papers are read in Boston tn d,
same day as published!
The stage martyr to travelling had no
chance for variety in the mode of immola.
ton the steamboat instructed only one va
riety, but we have our choice of three modes
Of disposal of the spectre kings ultimate
prize, in either Of which his chance is vast
iy better than when our fathers chose to
baulk him by staying at home and mindiug