Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-01-26
Railroads Past and Present.

The San Jose Patriot on the occasion of
the opening of the Railroad to that place,
thus discourses of Railroads past and pre-
sent:
The march of improvement is NOSE strik-
incly illustrated in the construction Of rail-
roads and locomotives than perhaps in any
other way. In 1882 the first locomotive, and
it was Of English manufacture and called
the John Bull was put upon the l6 miles
of road between Albany and Schenectady, \.
Y. At that time it was not known that rail-
roads could be built except upon water level
line, and the expense was enormous IN COM
parison with the roads as now constructed
The road above mentioned, ran over sandy
plain, with but little excavation, and was
built when labor was cheap-not over one
fourth the cost of labor at the present time in
California. Still, the road, when completed,
cost over $50, 900 per mile. The superStruc-
ture for the ties was made by excavating
depth Of three or four feet, where each tie
was to be placed. This hole was filed with
macadamized stone firmly pounded down,
upon this was placed block of cut stone,
the rails were laid upon wooden ties, placed
upon these; strap rail only was then In use.
When the excursion train passed over the
road, Luther Tucker, Esq, the editor Of the
Genesee Farmer, was one OF the party, and
m an editorial article describing the trial
trip, and in which the engine showed its
greatest speed, Mr.. Tucker stated that " 1t
went at the rate Of nineteen and half miles
an hour! and it was believed by those who
witnessed its performance, that as high rs
twenty-five, or perhaps twenty-five miles
might vet be accomplished for several hours
together on railroads when machinery was
perfected" How well the prophesy has been
fulfilled every one knows--45 and %, in some
instances 60 miles per hour have been run.
The improvement in locomotive machinery
is such that upon the Pennsylvania Central
there is a rise of 80 feet to the mile for II
miles, where the road passes through the
great tunnel % miles west of Altoona. Up
this ascent heavy freight trains daily pass,
and descend about the same grade OH the op-
posite side. At the time of the excursion on
the ALBANY road, and for a long time after,
stationary engines were used to drag the
trains ND the ascent at either end of the road,
with an immense cable which ran on station
ary wheels to keep it from the ground. On
one occasion the freight train became de-
tached when part of the way up the hill, and
speedily found its level, going through the
depot and smashing things generally. How
vast the improvements since that time, only
about thir.y-two years We no longer pat
ronize Mr.. Bull in the purchase OF locomo-
tives, neither do we follow his mode of track
ing our road beds. Yankee ingenuity has
found how to build road at one-eighth the
cost of the Albany road, and to climb hills
by steam, which astonishes the natives. Mr..
Bull has also had some new notions instilled
into his knowledge-box since the Monitors,
the Parrots and Dalghrens have made their
appearance.
The first excursion train on the San Fran
cisco and San Jose railroad showed to the
vast assemblage that accompanied it the full
maturity of railroad enterprise. The trial
trip on the Eastern, or Atlantic end, was its
childhood. We have great reason to be
proud Of our young protege. Soon will 1t
bind the East and the West in bonds Of union
which no foes from without nor traitors with
in our borders can ever sunder.