New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-23

ergies and directed It's movements Il -
wear 1925. on the biHsS OF The Iackaw,anr- =. re
commencement a the Railroad connectIng ~ - y Dc
81 the Delaware and Hudson Canal Conn1sv -
their Coal Mines and he who addresses ~, l "a
only person on thai locomotive. The cir-ro.~,- e
which led 20 my beng alone on the c0y'Se -'css
these Tie road had been built IN the Snf-,,,. ,is
structure Was OF hcm.ock timber aad a. e. -1s
large dimensions. notchci ON go cans rlac,i f u
The timber hal cracked and warned fro,. NN
10 the sun. AGer about SO feet OF straight i.rs La
road crossed the la, Aawannd Greek on ,rce,'c . :
about 81 feet high. ana with curve of 81 ,o 4o A
radius The impression was very general ~, ~.
iron monster would either break down tho -. ~
that It would leave The track a. the curve an t
INTO the creek NJ reply 10 such appreh s'-.ss
that 10 Was too late To consider the pfoA,6f. =, ~
occurrences that there was no other eo,,-, -,
have the tTa made OF the strange animal ,,Ae.s
been brought there al such great expense M', ~
Was not necessary that more than one shosii S'sS
yolyed IN rs tate thai | would take me So, ~
alone and that The time would come when go,
look back 10 thu incident With great ntereS, O'i
A. placed my hand on the Unbelievable h,,-r.
| was undecided whether | would move >lovrir y
with ! far degree OF speed but believing ,h,,' ~
road would prove safe. and prcicu1ng n NJ ~ -
down. TO GO down handsomely. ami " iihout am, .D
dence Of tlmldlty. | started with con>derahis -
loclty-paSsed the curve over the creek Sa,slv =
was soon out of hearing Of the cheers OF the arye -
semblage present At The end OF two or three S,,ss
reversed the valves, and returned without acrl9S,
20 the place OF Starlns-having thus made The a..
Railroad trlp by locomotive on the WeStern linn,
sphere.
country, that the impression IS probably nearly nm,
yerSal that the system was imported from E.sant
full grown but such was not the case ami Sors
circumstances Illustrative OF this fact may DE of -
tercst on IN occasion ike the present although uss
Will permit but summary reference.
The Liverpool and Manchester Railroad MAS L.
first Of the Railroads IN England built fof geae,
freight and passenger transportation. The Siock,o,
and Darlington was IN operation previously usns =
connective power but It was built for the iranspOua.
ton OF coal al a slow speed and It's use for paSes
gers was only Incidental, although proving Solre,
OF income fan beyond the anticipation OF rs pr0es
ors. Before the Liverpool and Manchester read VA,
completed, several roads were commenced m ~,
country that OF The Delaware and Hudson CompasT
being the first OF these the h. aud O. road and ~
South Carollna road were the most prominent It's,
fact OF some interest that the question as 20 the us
OF locomotive power was decided on the Soath.CaT.
DINA road. prior TO IT. decision on the Liverpool and
Manchester.
On the completion of the latter road. the ouesno,
as to kind OF power was SO fully an undecided one
that the subject was referred TO James Walker and
John |. RaStrck, two of the most eminent engineer,
IN England, for their opinion. Their report Was
made, after the most thorough examination and 4
Will appear strange to all al ths day aS II did 10 Soms
at that time, that their report not favor oil %.
comOuye power but OF stationary power the means
proposed being stationary engines, placed some miles
apart, and the use of long ropes To draw The Trans
from one engine station 10 another THIS opnos
was not concuucd IN by Geo. Stephenson. the en-.
nent engineer OF the Liverpool and Manchester rox
and by his influence measures were taken 10 asce,.
tain what could be performed by locomotive engines
These measures were the oncr OF premium, besle
the price of the engines, of f5O0 and Goo, for Tia
first and second best engines When have stated
that the performance To which the mechanic skill Of
England was to be melted by this public competition
was the drawing three fH6s the weight Of the loco
motive at ten miles the hour, It viii be understood
how mperectly the power of the locomotive engine
was, at that time, developed or understood Nor VII
II aypear strange, after this statement OF the clnu-
stances that preceded the premium trial, thai he
Baltimore and OHIO Railroad Company were strong.
" impressed with the belief that horse power would
be the power adopted on their road.
At the same period, that Is, prior Ia the great loco
motive trial, and when the Is. and o. Company were 20
strongly impressed IN favor OF horse powcrt became
necessary for me as Engineer of the South Carolina
Railroad Company, to decide for What power that
road should be built. The road was 1856 miles long.
From the character of the country the plan Of road
would be materially Influenced by the kind of power |
adopted. Stationary power was out OF the question
but the opinion wa held by many of great lniell |
gence, that horse power should al least be CON- |
menced with.
In the Report which made on tins important
question, submitted such comparative estimate
the results of horse and locomotive power as the M
formation then to be had appeared to me 10 sustain
That estimate was IN favor OF locomotive power, oW
rested the decision OF the question on the position
that what the performance OF horse was ana wOud
be every one knew but that the man was not i'iaS
that would undertake to say what the locomotive TN
YET tUuo; ana may add tnat alter more than twenty
years have elapsed. during every one OF which The
Soundness Of this position has gained new ground
sustain IT, he would be bold man who would say
that we have attained the limit IN the performance,
and especially IN the economy OF performance of lAl
great mechanical blessing to mankind.
In the recommendation of that Report IN iayord
locomotive power. the Board OF the South Carolina
Railroad Go. UNANIMOUSLY concuTed, and a. this de-
cSlOn the first any railroad built for general
freight and passenger business IN this country Or
England, 1t has been referred To as one of the mr
cstlng facts IN the early history Of railroads
There are other incidents 10 which might refer /
and which under less exciting circumstances Nigh
be deemed worthy OF your attention, but dare A j
occupy more Of your time at this late hour
must not Close these remarks without agane |
fcrrlng 10 the Engineer Department IN whose behA 1
have the honor 10 stand before you
Every great event Of JOY is attended by some en-
cumStance awakening regret No one can eraggr |
rate the reasons, which hundreds Of thousands inter
csted IN the completion OF the NewYork and hs
Railroad have for eIutation and congntuallon
In these feelings, the Engineer Department Of ms
work fully sympathlse, but TO them the event Nna
with it painful a, well as joyful emotions. Il hAe
separation from work in which they vii og
take the deepest interest, 1t brings with Il sF
ration from associates IN labor and responki0AIl
and especially II brings with II a separation nA
tie President OF the Company, with whom hes
relations have ever been Of the klndcst chafaeah
for whom their respect and admiration has y
creased, under great variety OF Circumstance
WINE vi All tut range Oh ouiyttts UoHl tn' ."p. 4
question down 10 the least his great traits Of cAL
acter have commanded their attention. dosN
not that every Engineer on the Work he l1
that intercourse has not only been an agreeaos !.
also a useful one, and that he will not be leSn
caclOus Engineer from having been brongh N"
business relations with Benjamin LOder - |
With these feelings on the part OF the DepAup,, \
which represent, | cannot refrain from pTop0s4 1
again the name so often repeated on this occasion Il
BfnjaziH LOdey-Our hearts best wishes Aehd ~ II
In his path ard 10 the great Station above, may ~.
the Track order. the Grades and the Cures s