Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-08-08
p WILLIS ON THE BALTIMORE AND
OHIO RAILROAD. r.H

Mr. Willis recently travelled over the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad in company with sew
srsl literary and scientific gentlemen, and he
has written to the Home Journal an entertain
;ur account of the excursion, from which we
extract the following paragraphs.
His opinion Of the great work itself is thus
bapniIy expressed: -E
10 make Baltimore the front door to the
great cathedral Of the West, with a railroad to
1be Ohio for the entrance to the broad isle 1.-THE
aim and successful achievement of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad,) was the Thirty
OliaT-I improvement which we
we're kindly invited to look at. 1t is the great
ct single enterprise Of modern times: but II ia
curious that the man whose far-seeing and mar
velous belief is now acknowledged and honored
a. the main lever which achieved it, is Of the
same name as the Scripture-famed apostle of
unbelief-Thomss Not only that. but it is
Thomas, Philip having been the other apostle
Of whose limited faith our Saviour made an ex-
ample in the question before the miracle of
bread. Truly, this great man has retrieved
the names Of the hesitating apostles
Being invited to ride upon the ''cow-catch-
er." the impressions formed while in that
novel position are very amusing.
We had reached Msrtinsburg on our return
-retracing in sixteen hours the four days route
a
railroad speed-when our kind official enter
tsiner, Prescott Smith, pointing to the front
Of the engine, asked if l would like to ride
there The thought delighted me, of course;
and | took nv seat at once on the sort of grid
iron wedge, in front Of the locomotive, built
.or throwing to the right or left any number of
stray cattle on the track. With the sun in
teusely bright and the thermometer all day at
uiuetv-fouT degrees, my black iron seat was
not the coolest and the glowing admiration of
the crowd Of Martinsburg boys, who gathered
around in the few minutes that L sat alone ON
the cOw-catcher, in front Of the sultry station
house, made lis promise at first, to be too warm
an experience Presently however, was Joined
by another Of our charming party to whom my
example had proved tempting: and with Pres
c,tt smith on one side of me and Thompson lof
the Southern Literary on the other. felt
a little more recOnciled to the risky possibility
that Of being wiped of with my two brother
authors, by any colc that should cnmber the
tTack. or. in other words, served up to fate in
a literary sandwich with forced cor-cuU
bcTs'
WeIl-the iron steed gave his accustomed
snort (which 1t takes pretty good ear-drums to
enjoy as you sit directly under his explosive
diaphragm) and of began to rattle the fore
loot we bestrided: Behind glided the streets
aud people Of Martinsburg, and the hot air
along with them-for, to our exquisite delight.
If grew cool enough, in the second or third
minute. Smoke, cinders, and second hand
atmosphere, were all famed to the rear. With
the accelerated speed, the rush of air was a
strife Of unseen caresses, myriad of soft fingers
s.rOking back the hair upon ones temples and
pulling gently at the corners Of ones beard
like shampooing by the daughters Of Eolus-
"a little imaginative, perhaps, but remember
there were three authors on the cow-catchery-
while the handkerchief with which endeay-
ored to blow my nose was so forced up nv nos
fri!s as to make me sneezs. The = sleepers.' -
OF braces across the rail-track, at first separate
and distinct, confused into solid plank. Cow
sitter COW came in sight. and the next instant
had narrow escape of our rather r-bc-excused
b0soms-pig after pig, tdem-ideDa fOcks Of
sheep. grazing horses, drunken men, and Irish
children What gauntlet Of accidents runs
cpEmon cow-catcher, to be sure,
Bat, to be thus telegraphed in ones hat and
boots strangely removes some of ones carly
IreJRdlces The way we jumped chasms and
SKINNED ponds-pOpped across rivers and cleft
'pen hiils-shot into caverns and under noun
talnS, and spun away on the other side as If
netting had unprecedented precipices and
rounded bluffs-all at the same pace and with
no msnner Of recognition of mortal mans COM
mon IA ndrance and obstacle. Why il amount
ed to "a fight Of fancy" 1t was thought
uavel-ghost- t-AittiDg-angel's errand- going Tor
rather = adams Express before the fali1-a
fetizltIon, IN fact, of two of my own once i'm
asinatlve questions, in an early poem:
Are We thought-rapid' Can ye hy as far,
AS instant as thought
10 which any rider on the cow-catcher of the
Baltimore and Ohio" would now answer,
Yes Stree