St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-05-10
IN american Triumph.

The locomotive, made at Patterson,
n. j., has won the gold medal at the
Paris exhibition. Carleton SAYS in
the Boston Journal:
The locomotive, appropriately named
"America,' contributed by the Grant
company, of Patterson, n. j., is one of
the same pattern as the best passenger ell
gincs in Use in the United States, and
admirably finished 1t is the great at
tractioa of the exhibition to machinists.
1t is interesting to stand in the shed and
hear the remarks of the men in blue
blouses-the engineers and workmen who
flock to see ia locomotive which is so
unlike those of Europc-so seemingly
light and so symmetrical, and which has
Il protection to the engineer and fireman ;
for engine drivers over here must take
the wintry storm full in their faces, and
keep their positions beneath the hot sum-
mer sun.
An Englishman objected to the shelter
on the ground that the engineer, if allow.
ed to sit under she'd, would be more
likely to get asleep than if obliged to face
the wind and storm, Perhaps if he wa:
to take run OF hundred miles ON q
cold December day, with the sleet cut
ting his face and the northeast wint
whistling through his hair, he might
change his mind.
The proprietors OF the locomotive de
serve great credit for their spirit in send
ing this specimen of American mecha
ni>m, at large outlay Of money, no
expecting any return from sales in Eu
rope Tor though America can make SUI
periCr machines, she cannot compete il
price with the locomotive builders OF
England and France.
The jury on locomotives came to de
ciSion yesterday on the merits of the diff
ferent machines The competition i
great. England has large number
France has at least a dozen. Austria
and Russia, have three or four each
, The Austrian and French members O
the jury took exception to the "-tmer.
lea" because it was 50 light i'll some o
its parts, and also to the amount o
polish TO the iron work, which they
thought was more for show than utility
They claimed that the lightness of som,
of the machinery was 4 sacrifice o
/ strength to beauty. But fortunately the
English member of the jury is we'll in
! formed OH locomotive engines, and he cx
planned that the railroads in America are
of an entirely different construction from
/ European roads: that tie country l. new
and the roads chsaply built, and the tie;
are subject TO displacement from frost
/ that to ride over rough roads there mus
he elasticity in the machinery: tina
/ American engineers had difficulties t,
contend with wholly unknown to Euro
peans that, taking all things into con
sideration. the American locomotive wa
superior TO any other in the exhibition
! His arguments were so convincing tina
the other Jurors gave way and GwUtl
ed tie gold metal To the "-lmrt'p" Thi
l. Il great triumph. and it has beer
achieved through the intelligence an'
honesty Of the English Juror. l'ntortu
matclv have not his name, but he /
thoroughly comycr~ant with American
RAILWAYS and American engineering. al,
though hi own country Is one of tht
lar-r>t competitors, he ha- been strenu
ou- for fjustice and las succeeded in oh
tanning il for the nitci States
This Is a good beginning AMI if til,
other contributions equally lc>crvin:
have equal justice, the | nlted States vii
nave tar share OF awards. nothwith
standing the mca"re contributions an,
faults ut management.