The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-27
The First Locomotive In the United States.
We take the following letter from the Cevean

FRnGHr OrncK, C. b P. R. R.,


FREIGHT OFrcE, C. b p. r. R.,
CLEVELAND, Jan. &c, 1855.
There ia locomotive at the freight depot Of the Ceve
land and PttsburR Railroad in this city, which deem
sufficiently antique and curious to entte it to honor
bic mention 10 the papers and confident that
your to behold the venerable old machine, II
would receive from you what it richly deseTvesa hrs
rate notice" But, you have and perhaps
win not do so, permit me to give you few items in
lation thereto, which, if you deem II OF suiciest i'm
portance interest please lay before your readers
The locomotive recently purchased of tae N. Y
f. r. r. Co., by Messrs. Atkinson Stdger of Carroton
o., for five hundred snd fifty dollars and 10 to be used
what is called the Carroll Branch r. RI which
tends from rrolton to Oneida distance of ten and
halt miles.
Mr. Atkinson, who has the machine in charge informs
me that it originally purchased in Liverpool Eng
land, for six thousand dollars, by Messrs Rodgers,
Ketchum Grosvenor, celebrated locomotive manIfac,
turers Of Paterson, NJ and used by them pattern.
AS my knowledge of machinery Is sufficient to en-
able me to give any thing like accurate description Of
this locomotive, will not attemptit will simply say,
however that the engine and tender have ten Wheels
drivers included-which, in form and Appea
semble locomotive wheels Of the present day
more ,han they do the qu whees'' used by great
well written document is posted upon the engineer
eae OF the engine which Purports to be the biography"
1.-The Pioneer Locomotive OF the Uaited States.n
THE McNEIILp,
The Mcneil imported 70 this country from LIVER
pool, England, as ''mmpe enginen and was re-
garded the plus ura OF the age both style aud
locomotives built in the United States she
running the Paterson and Hudson River Railroad
tween Jersey City and Paterson year 1928 For
time hnIdreds and thousands came great distance TO
zee her. by whom she regarded the greatest
der VI the times For years past she has been wonder
too mot because Of beauty strength, but because
she the pioneer of locomotives Al hough entitled
to discb from labor she is still TO be employed on
a new road in OHIO As she commenced running on the
shores Of the Atlantic it is hoped she will retire until
she has reached the shores Of the Pacific Her history
and progress intimately connected. Woe to the
man who dares speak Of her in derision -
i mr. ines NJ
the above in every particular in fact quite sure
the statement in regard to date is erroneous still it
may be correct-I confess / do not inow.
once had the satisfaction Of examining Dr. Frankns
printing press in the National Museum Patent Office
building Washington. 1t interested me exceedingly
not only because it had been used by DR.. Franklin
(Which Of itself was SUFFICIENT to render IL object Of
interest," but because 1t enabled fully to ap
preciae the wonderful improvements made in single
century in the manufacture Of printing presses
think o comparison Of the ''McNeiln with the loco
motives turned out at many points in this country
equally wonderful, and even SO, inasmuch the
time required to bring locomotives TO their present de-
gree OF perfection has been comparatively short The
McNeiP will remain several days at the machine shop
of the C. p. Railroad for the purpose of undergoing
some repairs previous to entering upon her on
the 'Carron Branch " VIM. W. Chandler.