Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-07-28
THE LOCOMOTIVE.

he lIOCOMOIlkE T..
There is a fearful power in the Iron
Horse " of the Railway swift, hard, re-
sistlcss, rushing energy, which is perhaps
the best type Of this iron age of putting and
progress. The steam monster, so like liv-
ing creature, and yet but a CHASTITY carica-
ture of life, is thus delincated by Dickens, in
the latest number of Dombey & Son. We
publish 1t as a rich specimen of deality:
Away, with shrek, and roar and
rattle, from the town, burrowing among the
dwellings of men, and making the streets
hum, flashing out into the meadows for a.
moment, mining in through the damp earth,
booming on in darkness and heavy air,
bursting out again into the sunny day so
bright and wide; away, with a shrek, and
a roar, and rattle, through the fields, thro'
the woods, through the corn, through the
hay, through the chalk, through the mould,
through the clay, through the rock, among
objects close at hand and almost in the grasp
ever flying from the traveller, and deceitiul
distance ever moving slowly with him: like
as the track of the rcmOrsclcss monster,
Death
Through the hollow, on the height, by
the hearth, by the orchard, by the park, by
the garden, over the canal, across the river,
where the sheep are feeding, where the mill
is going, where the barge is floating, where
the dead are lying, where the factory is smo-
king, where the stream is running, where
the village clusters, where the great cathe-
dral rises, where the black moor lies, and
the wild breeze smooths or rutlles it at It's
lnconstant will: away, with u shrek, and
roar, and a rattle, and no trace to leave be-
hind but dust AMI vapor: like as in the track
OF the remorselcss monster, Death
Breastng the wind and light, the shower
and sunshine, away, and still away, it rolls
and roars, fierce and rapid, smooth and GER
tain; and great works and massive bridges
crossing up above, fall like beam of shad-
ow an inch broad upon the eve, and then
arc lost. Away and still away, onward and
onward ever: glimpses of cottage homes, of
houses, mansions, rich estates, of husband
~ and handcrait, ofpeople, of old roads and
paths that look deserted, small and insight
lcant as they are left behind and so they do,
and what else is there but such glimpses in
the track of the indomitable monster, Death
Away, with a shrek, and a roar, and a
rattle, plunging down into the earth again,
and working ON IN such a storm of energy
and perseverance, that amid the darkness
and whlrlwind the motion seems reverse,
and to tend turouslv backward, until a ray
OF light upon the wet wall shows its surface
flying past like a fierce stream. Away once
more into the day, and through the day,
with a shriil veil of cXuItation, roaring, rat
Ting, tearing on, spurning every thing with
IFS dark breath, sometimes pausing for a
minute where crowd of faces are, that in
a minute more are not: sometimes tapping
wafer greedlly, and before the spout at which
il drinks has ceased TO drip upon the ground,
shrleking, roaring, rafting the purple dis
lance
Louder and louder vet, it shreks and
cries as 1t comes tearing rcsstless to the
goal: and now its way. still like the way of
death. is strewn with ashes thickly. Every
thing around ii blackened There are dark
pools of water, muddy lanes, and miserable
habitations far below. There are jagged
walls and falling houses close at hand, and
through the battered roofs and broken win
dows, wretched rooms are seen, where want
and fever hide themselves in many wretch
ed shapes. while smoke and crowded ga
bles and distorted chimneys, and deformity
of bricks and mortar penning up deformity
OF mind and body, choke the murkv dis
lance. As Mr.. Dombey looks out of his
carriage window, it is never in his thoughts
that the monster who has brought him there
has let the light of day in on these things;
not made or caused them. Itwas the Jour
ney's lifting end, and might have been the
end of every thing; it was SO ruinous and
dreary."