Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1839-11-30
PROGRESS OF STEAM.


bration Of the opening of the Western Rail
road from Boston to Springfield, last week
We stand here in Massachusetts, on th,
verge OF the most stupendous net work O
lntercommunlcation ever woven by the hant
Of man, exerting all the resources of his art,
to carry out the benificent designs of nature
Without speaking particularly of latera
works, which could not be described in de.
tail, while yon sun is above the horizon, let
us reflect only that from Albany to Buffalo,
there is, in addition to the Erie canal, which
we were accustomed toregard as the wonder
of the age, till these great wonders eclipsed
I'll say, besides the Erie canal, and the
branches and feeders, which, like the great
marine polypus, it sends out right and left,
graspng and drawing in the commerce Of
every part of the state--I learn from me-
morandum handed me half an hour ago, by
the intelligent gentleman near me on the
right, (Mr. Amasa Walker that there is al
ready rail communication with Buf-
falo, for about two.t thirds of the way, with
the prospect of completing the residue, at
no distant period. Arrived at Buffalo, nu-
merous steamboats, are ready to convey you
up the lakes. You step on board one, which
stops at Erie, a Pennsylvania settlement
on the lake of that name. Here you are in
troduced to the vast system of trnnsporta-
ton and travel by canal and rail road, con-
structed in the Key Stone state, at an ex
pense of twenty-three or twenty -four mil
lions Of dollars. But you hold on your way
to the west. At Cleveland you may enter
the Ohio Canal, cross the state, and enter
the noble river which gives it name; and
the same may be done farther on at San
dusky Bay, where another line of communi-
cation begins, which crosses the state by
rail road and canal, and enters the Ohio ri
yer at Cincinnati. You proceed little ia
ther, Mr.. President, and are brought TO
stand, not for the want Of further facilities
of progress, but Cor the difficulty of choosing
between several routes. You are at loss
whether to cross Indiana, by the canal from
the lake to the Wabash: to proceed to De-
troit and traverse the state of Michigan by
the rail road there IN progress; or to ascend
Lake Huron. Should you decide for the
latter route when you reach Macklnaw, you
will be strongly tempted to enter Lake Su-
perior, coast along The pictured rocks, and
cross from the southwestern extremity Of
this new Mediterranean sea, to the falls of
st. Anthony. But if you are resolved to
make every part of this excursion by steam
you must descend Lake Michigan. At Mil
waukee, you will stop, perhaps; and, while
you contemplate with admir- ton It's rapid
growth, examine on the map of Wisconsin,
the route ofthe rail roads and canals projec-
ted across that noble territory, from Lake
Michigan to the, Mississippi. Proceeding
on your voyage you reach Chicago, and
think yourself for moment at your jour-
ney's end. AT its END, Mr.. President ra-
ther at its beginnlng!! Here at last you
are brought into direct contact with the
most extensive internal communication in
the world. You are now on the dividing
ridge of the waters, which severaly seek
the ocean through the st. Lawrence and the
Mississippi. Here commences system Of
travel and transportation by canal, rail road
and river, and mainly the latter navigated
by steam, unparalleled by any thing on the
surface Of the globe.-Did we live in poetic
age, we have now reached the region where
we should think the genius of steam COM
municaton would be personifed and embo-
died. Here we should be taught TO behold
him Tiantic Colossus of iron and brass,
instinct with elemental life and power
with glowing furnace for his lungs, and
streams of fire and smoke for the breath of
his nostrils. With one hand he collects the
furs of the Western Peninsula. He plants
his right foot at the source OF the Missouri
his left on the shores of the gulf Of Mexi-
co-and gathers into his bosom the over
flowing abundance ofthe fairest and richest
valley on which the circling sun looks
down.
And now, sir, what separates Boston
what separates Springfield? Sixty-two
miles and nine-tenths rail road from this
place to West Stockbridge. When these
sixtv-two miles are completed, Boston and
Springfield will stand connected with this
boundless system, natural and artificial, as
intimately, as if every foot of the artificial
routes had been planned by our engineers
and paid out of our treasury. | name Dos.
ton and Springfield, of course, only for the
sake of brevity, for an impulse will be
impaired by this connection to the in
dustry of every town and village in the
state. Yes, sir; and for a portion of the
year, this Massachusetts western rail road,
from Boston to Albany, will furnish the most
open and tempting route in all the United
States, from the western interior to the sea.
Does there live Massachusetts man, with
the capacity to grasp this subject, who car
be insensibe to its Importance!
But, sir, IN this imperfect sketch, l have
looked only from Boston westward; now
let us turn our faces to the east. Have you
well reflected, Mr.. President, that before
the valley Of the Pontoosuc shall begin tc
echo to the houfs of your IRON coursers
whose necks are clothed with fiercel
thunder than that of the war horse when he
snuffs the battle. a line of steam packets, re-
ducing the voyage of the Atlantic to ifteer
days, will have commenced running to Bos
ton. The European world of business ant
travel will thus be brought to our doors
We shall be able to cross the ocean, explor'
the English markets, and return to our pia
ces of business, almost before we are miss
ed, Or if we choose to stay, and have TIM
only for rapid glance at the old world
we can cross in steamer to- the con
tinent, pass through Belgium, ascend th'
Rhine, strike off to Paris, and even, the,
tell us, cross the Alps, and the who'll
length of Lombardy OH railroad. If w
prefc- a northern excursion, we may shit
the switch, and run through the Ger
man States and Austria to the confines O