Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-10-27
railways and their Early opponents

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The following paragraph, which we
find in the London Mining Journal, Of,
August 7th, is SO truth-like, that we
give ita place, with the simple obser-.
vation, that The same remarks, are
equally applicable at the present day.
ffs.Whene jacquard. the inventor oi
the wonderful loom that beai S l,is name.
was arrested and carriedto Paris, with
his machine, Carnot. in the presence Of
Napoleon. roughly said to him. ARE you
the man that pretends to do that impos.
sibility, to tie. knot in a stretched
stringp His compatriots, Of Lyons,
the 'impossibility being surinounted.
broke his machines in 1906, and raised
statue to, his memory in 1910. AL
those who are in advance of public o.
pinion must bear ridicuIe or persecu-
tiori. IN 1925, the Quarterly Review
thus ridieu'ed the notion of certain en-.
sineers, Telford among the rest, that
railway engine could go Is or go
miles an hour: The gross exageraiions
Of the locomotive steam engine, or to
speak English, the steam carriage, may
delude for a time, but must end in the
modification of those concerned.
- We should as soon expect the
people Of Woolwich to suffer lhemsel-
yes to be fred off upon one Of Con-
greve's ricochet rockets, as trust them
selves to the mercy OF such a machine.
going at such raie.' 10 that year. the
common belief was, that railways were
altogether delusions and impositions.
The Liverpool and Manchester rail.
way was opposed in Parliament with
every form Of invectfve. One me m
Der, IA 1925. declared his opinion that q
railway could not enter into successful
eompeiit;on with canal. Even with
the best locomotive engine, the average
rate would be but 81 miles per hour,
which was slower than the canal con-
veyance.' fHansard. 2d series, vol. is.
p. 653) Another assertion. which Mr.
Huskisson was obliged TO meet doubt.
fully and alphabetically was, ',l,at there
were two or three canals. which were
sufficient for every purpose Of com.
merce in the districts through which the
railway was to pass. Let us be just 10
what we have been accustomed to de.
CRY as the dark ages. Let Us be toler.
ent 10 those who Imprisoned Calico
and rewarded Columbus with chains.
Ifthere be atreality in any discovery
o true thing, and not sham-if there
be strength, or utility, beauty in any
work Of mind-it will live and fructify.
what ever critics. or orators, or inquis-
iiors, or even kings. may do to crush
Il, And so it il with railways. On
the 18th September, 1880, the first
passenger ine-the Liverpool and
Manchesterl railway-was opened.
The conveyance ofpassengers appears
originally to have been an inferior con
alteration to the conveyance of goods;
and the directors modestly anticipated
that one half Of the passenger trave ling
by coaches between the two towns
might venture on the railway. In the
first year after the opening. there were
conveyed $4,000 passengers; in the
year ending lst July, 1645, the rassen-s
gers 20 conveyed amounted to S97, 900.
Ga the 24,h April ls47, there has been
atotal expended on the railways Of the
United Kingdom Of Els. 900 sterling;
and in the last week the aggregate re.
ceipts upon these railways was Gi6O,
600. being total exceeding Es,O0O,.
600 per annum. for the conveyance Of
passengers and goods"