The New York herald., 1871-12-18

SO~~-~-
railroad at much less cost than tho canal ana ne
also alluded to the possible employment OF locomo-
uves. lie was laughed at for his pains, and New
York State lost ae honor OF beng the first sister OF
the Union to embrace locomotive and railroad"
civilization.
We have thus followed Mr. Brown In his digres
sion about rails because he Is here very interesting
though 1t has but little to do with his avowed sub
jecI We shall however, skip some dozen or 80
or chapters in which he tells the story Of the gradual
working out or the iron morse problem In England,
beginning Dis narrative, rs was natural with liter
airy beginner, with Hero OF Alexandrias account OF
thar statue OF Memnon which used TO howl by
Steam power.
The first locomotive ever seen IN America was I'm
ported from England for the Delaware and hudson
Canal and Railroad Company. 1t was named the
StourDrldge Lion, and was landed IN New York, ut
the loot OF Beach street. about the middle OF May,
lS20 1t created much excitement and visitors were
INDUCED with view oil the "critter going through
It's motons' by steam. About the lst OF July 1t was
shipped up the North River to Rondout, thence
taken by canal to Carbondale and inally tried upon
the railroad at Honesdae. Between the sd and Sth
OF August It ran a few miles upon the road but had
then TO be taken from the track as the road was not
strong enough 10 carry IL. Experiment number one
with locomotives In America was therefore, an ex-
pensive hzzle.
In the early part OF 1897 meeting was held in
Baltimore for the purposi OF forming . railroad
road company to connect the waters OF the East
with the waters OF the West committee, then ap.
pointed soon reported tnat the project was feasible,
and charter applied for and obtained, ana the
Baltimore aud OniO Railroad Company organized
on April "a. 1891. The corner stone Of Tne road was
laid by Charles Carroll the Fourth OF July In the
following year. with appropriate reIocings and
ceremonies Charles Carroll, chen ninety years OF
age, made the following memorable remark TO a
friend:-"l consiaer this among the most important
acts OF my llle second only TO my signing the De-
claratl0n OF independence, II even " be second TO
70 tnaL" Posterity will agree with him. The
corner stone once laid, work was vigorously begun.
The following description OF the process OF con.
strgc!l9n Is extremely interesting, al least TO en-
/ Gineefs:-- -.
| Alter Tie ground was brought to level for the
track two square holes were dug, fou, feet apart.
twenty inches wide, two feet long aud Two 1897 dee
In these holes broxen stones were put, sufficient TO
down. Eacn paiIlc OF stone was tested ana passed
through an IRON ring, to insure Its proper dimen.
s0ns. On TINS point great care was taken that every
stone should be or tile uniform size required After
the foundation Is maze trench SIX inches deep, and
rllled with stone broken and teSed with the ring as
at first, extended the track IRON one OF the
dllednp holes 70 another opposite, upon which
aae s,o o ceaa seven a. eea Long s LAID by
from the eiccs OF dampness OF frOsts, ana nrmness
und stability are impaired to it. These cedar cross
them properly. In eacn end Of these cedar
Foundation, Foundation, norcSes were as cut and @ ssoto care
faly levelled into these notches were laid wooden
rails or strlngpeces and securely Kept In their
places by wedges. These sIringpieces were OF yell
low pine, from Twelve to twentyiOur feeeL long ana
slx inches square, and signify bevelled on the top
OF the upper side for the iange Of the wheels which
at that tile was ON the outside. ON these string
| pieces iron rails were placed and securely nailed
tuur ne i,nu lnnn
| The earth between these cedar sleepers was care
| 1nuy removed. 50 as not TO come In contact with
the bottom ot the strlngpleces, and thus the decay
which otherwise might take place was prevented.
Yet with all these difficulties to contend with our
pioneers OF the Baltimore aud ONO Railroad perse.
| vercd until they brought their work 10 successful
termination After several miles OF this description
OF road had peen made long granite slabs were sub
slltuted for tue cedar cross5leces ana the yellow
| plle strin gers. Beyond vinegar Hill these huge
blocks OF ihls solid material could be seen deposited
along the track. and gangs oil workmen engaged IN
the varioas operauons Of d1essing drilling laying
and afixing tue IRON.
| The Baltimore and ohio road, after due consider
ation determined to avail themselves OF steam
| power. The experiments In England were very
closely watched, ana very soon o dlniculty In the
way OF introducing the English locomotive was
started In England the roads were pretty straight,
| or at any rate. took very long curves; but In
America the nature Of the country necessitated
sharp curves, for at that time capital
to procured for the cutting or tunnels and the
| CONSTRUCTION OF emUauktueutS. COuu u LOCOMOTIVE
! turn sharp curve and keep on the track 10
solve this problem Mr. Peter Cooper, with charac-
terisc public spirit ana energy, built the first loco
motive ever constructed In America at the st. Clair
! Works, Eear Baltimore. This was first run on the
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad some time In the sum-
OF 1922 but It did not act as well as was expected
| and the plan was therefore considerably modified.
| Tho first actual experimental trip was made on
August 2s $780, about year after the first and last
| Journey Of the Stourbridge Lion. We wish we could
reproduce for the benefit Of our readers the sketch
| given by AIR. Brown OF this first OF American loco.
motives. 1t is as unlike modern iron horse as
| could be imagined. 1t is sort OF freight truck,
! with very small wheels and furnace and boiler,
| and piston rods and tubings strewn promiscuousy
over tine surface of the nat platform. The rear OF
the engine was used as q coal box. The following
| is description Of 1t by Mr.. Ross winans:-
MIR. Ross Winans tells that Mr.. Cooper brought
the boiler from New York III the sprlnY early in
| the summer OF 1929, and It was on a frame ana
| rested on four wheels belonging to the company;
the road was then used thlr.eea miles to Ellicotts
| Mills and with horse power. me boiler was
tubular and upright In position. Mr.. Wlnans does
not recoect the dimensions OF It, although says
lay In MS shop tor several years. lie thinks was
not more than twenty incnes In diameter, and
perhaps. from i've to SIX feet high. There was O
single cylinder OF three and one-luarter inches
diameter fourteen aud ne.ouarter inches stroke,
that pro- ected It's piston rod and connecting rod SO
as 10 take iod OF tile crank by direct action
on the crank shaft, which rested on tne frame OF
the car was q spur-wheel which geared with a
pnlon the forward road-wheels, so as TO increase
speed, the road-whees being only two and one-halt
ieet In diameter.
The fuel was anthracite coal, and an artificial
draught IN the re-oox at the bottom OF the boiler
was created by a fan, driven by belt passing
around wooden drum attached to one OF the road.
! wheels and pulley on the ian-shait.
I Al the best, however, Mr.. Cooper's locomotive
! could .only be regarded as working model" AT
the final experiment 1t drew weight or freight
and passengers amounting to four and half tons
iqr sa,r!eena aay m,es n sxty9ne minutes one way
trp there was race with fast trotting mare; but
lust as the engine was badly whipping the horse, q
band slipped from the drum, and the engine was
for the momen. disabled. Old Peter Cooper. who
ectcd as his own engineer and foreman, In vain
ha ID. ha nnIx anccaanol