The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-12-17

upon the track. They had heard 3
it, perhaps wondered what il was like
but now they beheld it. They locke,
at the rails, the ties, The spikes, tn
joints, wholly unable TO make out tn,
meaning Of such a structure. Sud
denly an engine shot round a cornt r
running at express speed, without
car attached. IL came thunderlns
down the grade. with black column
Of smoke belchlng from its chimney
and white clouds Of steam hissinl
from Its pipes. In an instant 1t SWEEP
past with an Internal scFeeeh.
Every Indian took to. his heels
some disappearing in the depths Of
the forest, others covering bshind
trees, others still, falling fat upon
their faces, trembling and quakine
With fear. My friend approached the
nearest.
What is the matter?' be asked
The Devil in his smoke wagon T.
was the one exclamation of the fright
ened savage. and he followed his CON-
panions as fast as his legs could carry
him.
The smoke wagon disappeared, but
it Is still laundering on-hying like
the igatnings over the iron ways.
Let Us see where It is going to, and
what is 10 come of it. It has already
gone on to the Paeiie-aeross the
prairies, over the Rocky Mountains.
1t has climbed the Sierras, and wound
its t0rtuous course down Their west
ern slopes to the golden sands of the
Sacramento. ..-fs-r. rif
Our country Is covered with q net
FORK Of rails. It is IS if q big black
spider were spinning iron webs over
The lands fastening many threads to
the Atlantic shore, and had stretched
one strong cable to the Pacific. and
was getting ready to bind another on
the south, and q third one across the
continent on the north. Not only
here in our own land. but in other
lands, this smoke wagon Is thunder
ing on, All oyer Europe, 9Eer and
under the Alps. through the Ape
mines, across the plains of Russia,
eastward to Siberia, down the Danube
from central Europe to Constantine
pie, from Smyrna to EDhesus; and
reaching on towards the EuphTates.
The smoke wagon is in Egypt, car
rying round the world travellers across
the desert, and up the Nile to the
borders of Nubia. $500
Ere long the scream Of the locomO
tive will be heard upon the banks of
the Euphrates. Joining the network of
European railways with the five thous-
and mile web already spun In India,
reaching from the Indus 10 Calcutta,
from Bombay to Burmah, the Hima-
layas to Madras. In South America
and Australia, everywhgrR except in
China, railways are being constructed,
and the time IS near at handWhen the
smoke wagon viii wake the long Stun
beriDg millions of that fowery empire
to new civilization.
The progress Of railways Is one of
the maryels of history. A half centu-
~ ago the locomotive was unknown.
In 1924 Stephenson produced thing
on trucks that ran six miles an hour.
Five years later he constructed the
Rocket" engine, by which he could
make fifteen miles an hour. At the
present time locomotives frequently
run 20 miles an hour. The quantity
of fuel used for generating steam has
diminished at the same time to i've
sixths of the quantity first used. Since
1910 more than fifty thousand niles Of
railway have been Constructed in
Great Britain and Europe, and more
than torty-6Ve thousand in the United
States.
1t is estimated that there are oW,
throughout the world, about one hun
dred aud ten thousand miles of rail-
way open 60 trafic. constructed at
cost Of four billion five hundred mil.
lions Of dollars
This is the outgrG 9Th of thirty
years. II is only when on9 sits down
and reflects upon the change OF meth
DDS of locomotion since railroads
came into use, that any true eeacep-
ton can be obtained of the progress
og the age. Thirty years ago We toiled
over hill and mountain IN the slow
creeping stage, making one hundred
miles IL a day; now VIC fly across the
continent IN week, a distance of thir-
ty-fve hundred miles. We annihilate
space and time. 1t is an age of pro-
gress, of physical and material forces,
an age in which mind triumphs over
matter.
We control the forces Of nature and
make them obedient to our wills.
And now what is to be the upshot
ofthis mighty development of material
forces2 Whittier is the smoke wagon
taking US? It is not merely a mate
rial force, machine of wheels, PIN
ions, springs, cylinders, pistons and
valves, but under God it is a mighty
moral force. The locomotive. run
ming from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
drops villages, towns and cities In its
path. Flowers bloom in the desert,
roses bud and blossom under its trans
forming power. IF you would see its
moral force, 60 to India.
At the beginning of the railroad
enterprise In that country, the Brah-
minis petitioned for the running Of
caste cars. They were 50 holy, in
their own estimation, that they could
not come in contact with those of
lower grade. The touch Of boot
maker would deile them 10 come
near q man who sold pigs ia the mar
ket would shut them ont. of heaven.
But English railroad managers had an
eye to profits on their investment.
Five per cent. was of more conse-
auence than Brahma, in their estima-
ton. IF they put OF cars for the
Brahuins they must for every other
order of caste, and it would result in
dire confusion. E..elishmen carry the
customs of old England with them
wherever they 60, classes In society,
roast beef, ale, side whiskers aud
stove pipe hats, and they said to the
holy men of the Hindu priesthood /:
1--WE shall put on class land not caste)
cars; you pay your money and take
your choice.
1t was the most terrible blow Brah-
ma ever received. The superstitions
Of thirty centuries we're scattered to
the winds by that one decision of the
railway managers. Thousands OF
idols tumbled like ''Dagon9 of old
from their pedestals, and to-day are
kicked about the streets Of Calcutta
Bombay aud Benares, By those who
formerly bowed down and worshipped
tie hideous images. Tea years ago
Eve thousand images of the one idol
Doorga we're sold 1t che annual festi-
val, held on the banks of the Gauges
in honor Of that god, but now the
sale has almost ceased.
A few months ago occurred the
great festival Of Juggernaut. The
time has been when half million OF
people attended that holy jubilee
when deVotees threw themselves be
meath the wheels Of the passing car
but on this occasion there were no de
voices, and only a small number Of
naonle Who manifested auV reliQious