Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-09-19

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to s. M. FELTON,, Esq, late President of the
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore
Railroad, on Saturday morning week last,
Z by about twenty of his most particular friends.
The presentation speech was made by the
Hon. Mr.. Broomall, M. c., and was as fol-
lows
Mr.. Felton-I have been commissioned
by a number Of your fellow citizens to pre-
sent to you testimonial of their respect for
YOU as a man, a friend and a citizen.
Though little fitted for the duty l am
proud to perform it, since it accords so well
with my own feelings and sentiments
The gift is one eminently adapted to the
occasion-a miniature locomotive, OF silver
and gold. You have recently retired from
the Presidency of the Philadelphia, Will
mington and Baltimore Railroad Company,
a position in which you displayed singular
usefulness as we'll to the corporation as to
the public.
Taking hold TO that great enterprise at its
lowest point toward ruin, with its finances
bankrupt, its credit wholly gone, and when
IL required no small amount of courage to
assume the direction of 1t, you LEFT it, after
years Of patient toll, in condition to COM
pare favorably with the most successful en-
terprises of the kind, and you LETT il with the
reputation of at least one OF the best railroad
managers in America
Nothing but the consciousness that your
health required this step, has led those who
so long have reaped the benefit of your ability
and industry, to aequiesce in your resigning
the position.
But not alone as a railroad manager have
you acquired the respect and esteem of those
who in this seek TO testify their regard for
you. Your services to our common country
during the late Rebellion, are of its history.
In the darkest hour of our national danger,
when your cars had been stopped In the
streets Of Baltimore, and the first patriot
blood shed by traitorous mob when all
communication between the capital and the
loyal North had been cut off by the burning
Of the railroad bridges; when some of those
by whose vote you held your high position
thought it not safe TO aid either side until
they could see which would be successful,
you never hesltated ; you took the responul-
bility of deciding at once for the great inter
ests you represented, in favor of the right
without regard to consequences
You placed the entire transporting power
of your road at the disposal Of the Govern.
ment you induced other companies TO do
the same thing.
! More than that There was time when
Washington was within the grasp of the
! enemy = President, Cabinet and all. Its
] native population was disloysl, and only
lacked the courage to be traitors. A few
undsciplined citizen soldiers alone defended
the city. No aid could come from the North
and none could be trusted from the South.
For moment the cause seemed hopeless.
But by your ingenuity and perseverance q
new route was opened to the capital, and the
, first news from the apparently devoted city
told us that it had been relieved by Northern
troops thrown into it by way of Annapolis.
For four weary years, your mental and
physical energies were taxed to their utmost
In aid of the Government. Its danger is
over. Your company no longer needs the
sacrifice of your health, and those four years
of labor must be followed by rest.
Take with you in your retirement the
gratitude of those whom you have served so
well, and the best wishes of your fellow.
| citizens.
Take with you also our tribute to your
past usefulness and let it serve to remind
you that in your case the brakes are only nut
( down for time that the engine Is only
switched off the track for repairs, and that
natures great machinists-rest and recrea.
/ tion-will renew the defective parts and re.
tit the machine for its former services in the
I busy world.
Mr.. FELTON, replied as follows
Mr.. Broomall and Gentlemen:-Idi notin.
/ tend and you will hardly expect me to make a
! formal speech, but cannot resist the impulse
] OF saying few words to express to YOU the
/ gratitude and pleasure feel on receiving
this beautiful and appropriate token of youi
e esteem for me as an officer of great public
Z, Work, and as man, and one of your fellow
e citizens and more especially do feel pratt.
full for the kind and complimentary word
h. accompanying the presentation Ihave al
ways, IN managing railroads, ,endeavored TO do
! my duty, not only to the stockholders. but
likewise to the public and the Government.
Indeed should have failed utterly had i
: not regarded my duty to the public and the
Z Government as even more imperative than
that TO the stockholders, had there been any
= conflict between the two, but luckily there
never has been and never can be any con
! fiict, for discharge of ones highest duty Ia
u the public and the country always subserye,
9 the interest Of the stockholders, and canno
but make road prosperous and remunera
e tive,
n This beautiful and exact model of the frs
y really successful locomotive for burning coa
u on passenger trains, ia an appropriate AM
II touching memorial, for it will always remint
me OF my trials, as well as my final success
in that department. Many years ago. Will
II was upon the Fitchburg Railroad, | cam
n 10 the conclusion that if railroads Multiple
n in the future as they had in the past. ou
g beautiful and green hillsides would be strir
= ped OF the foliage, and become barren waste
,e unless some other fuel than wood could b
l. found for locomotives and accordingly. /
D. le4s, got up locomotive for burning coal
T. II succeeded, by good deal of nursing i
" making now and then trip whom ali tn
Z circumstances conspired in It's favor. II
II however, served no really useful purpos,
= save as scare-crow to those who furnishe
~ Wood, persuAding them, through their fear
- that 1t was or would be a success, to reduc
q, the price ofwood at once fifty cents corf
D. So far SO good but ii was not success az
u coal burner 1t only paved the way to bette
a, things.
see opposite me Mr. Dimpfel, a eentl,
T. man to whom the railroad interests are grea
y " indebted for his untiring zeal and pers
n tent efforts in introducing coal as fuel fc
y "a locomotives; for though his plans are NJ
ID generally adopted, yet his efforts and hIs e,
n periments turned the attention of railroa
y men 10 the subject, and gave an impulse
Inventions and contrivances which did M
stop till success was achieved. He was ii
III pioneer IN devising ways and means OF NAL
A. ing coal successful fuel on passenger loe,
a, motives, but his reward, as l am sorrv
81 say, is as yet nothing more substantial tha
ng work e'N
as In 1855, Mr.. VIM. A. Crocker, of Taunto
II and myself, built at our own cost and troub
VI passenger locomotive for burning coal 4
u H. MT Dimpfelsplan, We were very sanquIr
e. OF It's success, but the subject was compar
" lively new. Engineers and firemen wel
.. used to wood, and coal was black and dir
VI to handle, and there were thousand pref
~ diees to contend with. We obtained lea,
to try some experiments on the Worcest
70. and western railroads, as the locomotive WI
mn then in Massachusetts. Our second expel
M. ment there was with very heavy passeng 2
nd train, composed mostly of emigrants I
Le Kansas. We proceeded successfully for
in or 30 miles, and began to think the probe
,aa was successfully demonstrated, when ii
h he engine began to lessen its speed. The pulls