The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1853-01-21
POOR THOMAS GRAY, THE IN.
YENTOR OF RAILROADS.

sA XElN ON Or hAlL-NOADos
A ihoughfGl man visited one Of those
tramways in the north OF England, which
connected the mouth OF colliery with q
wharf at which the Goals were shipped,
and, after watching The passing trains foI
some time, he turned to The engineer ol
the line, and said "Why are not these
tramroads laid down all over England, SC
as TO supersede our common roads, and
sieam.enginss employed 10 convey goods
and passengers along them, SO as to
supersede horse poweri" The engineer
looked at :he quesiioner out Of the cotne;
oc his eye, and said, "Jusi propose thai
10 the nation, Sir, and see what you will
get b. ii! Why, Sir, you will be worried
to death for your pins" The converse.
iion on this topic terminated; but Thomas
Gray, the thoughtful man, did not allow
tho theme 10 escape him. Tramroads,
locomotive steam engines, and The super.
sediug Of horse power engrossed bis
medita,ions. 81, was his thought by
day; it was his dream by night. He
talked of il till his friends voted him an
iniolerable bore. He wrote of il till the
reviewers deemed him mad" The sys
TEN Of coaches and canals was, in his
estimatian, unworthy of The age. His
far.reaching aniicipations shadowed forth
the path which others have since trodden,
where they have realised profits, achieved
fame, aud by means of which an ines,im.
able boon has been conferred on The
nation and the world.
In 1920 Mr.. Gray published work, in
which he propounded general iron
railway, or land steam conveyance, to
supersede The necessity Of horses in all
public vehicles;" and he maintained its
"vasi superiority in every respect over all
the present piiiful methods of conveyance
by turnpike roads, canals, and coasting
traders" So great was the merit Of this
work, that, despite the opposition which
attended any innovation on the coaching
system. it ultimately passed through five
editions. The author declared, concern
ing those who refused to further his
scheme: "Eyes have they, but they see
moi, they have ears, but they hear mott"
while, in full assurance of the ultimate
success Of his project, he inscribed the
following couplsts on the plate which
illustrated his volume:
,NlS, ,no,d ,;t. tbJ, .,o f,..aSs 80 .Hr,r.sS
No weight like this, canal or vessel hear,
As this will commerce every day promote,
To this let sons of commerce grant their vote"
To readers, thirty years ego, some Of
Mr.. Gays suggestions we're doubtless
surprising. After proposing that his plan
should be first attempted between the
towns Of Manchester and Liverpool, he
thus described the beneficial results.
The convenience and economy in the
transport Of goods, bought by merchants
at the various markets, and the sdespatci'
IN forwarding bales and packages to the
c nnot fail 10 strike the merchant
and the manufacturer as points Of the
f st Importance. Nothing, for example" :"
said he, ,"would he so likely 10 raise the
ports Of Hull, L rpool, and Bristol to an
pitch of prosperity, as the
Of railways 10 these ports,
thereby rendering the communication
from the east to the ives, seas, and all
places, rapid, cheap, and
effectual.. Amy ole at all conversant
with commerce must feel the vast impor-
lance of such an undertaking, in for.
warding The produce of America, Braz Is,
the East and West Indies. &C., from
Liverpool and Bristol, pia Hull, TO the
opposite shores of Germany and Holland; |;
pice rersa, the produce Of the Baltic, pia
Hull, to Liverpool and Bristol" He
to show, that by the establish
nent Of morning and evening Email
steam carriers" the inland communica
ions would be greatly improved, and the
postal conveyance materially aided by
The rapidly OF transit and the diminution
Of cost.
Aher propounding his theory, Mr.
Gray mos. s,renuously advocated its
PRACTICAL application. He visited Brus-
'els, and, hearing there proposal 10
canal, he urged the superior
advantages Of railway. From Belgium
le proceeded to Manchester, aud laid
lis scheme before the capitalists Of iha,
;i,y; bu, the men who passed their lives
lmong the marvels of machinery, and
,wed their fortunes 10 steam, could not
ppreciate the project. They listened
,raciously, and with a smile somewba,
kin to pity, dismissed him as an incor-
igihle visionary. He petiiioned Lord
,idmouth, giving reasons for the adoption
# his plan, which he thought would be
10 q statesman Double or
reble the amount Of taxes, he said, then
evied upon horses or carriages might be |
ecelved from the transport Of vehicles
nd their contents On a "general iron
while the cost to individuals
would be considerably diminished. He
subsequently, made application TO the
Government, the Board of Agriculture,
nd the Lord Mayor and Corporation oil
london, for their assistance; and in 1927,
dr. Hume presented a petition from him
o the House Of Commons. The only
esult Of these and other efforts was, that
.o.. L., al |