Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-08-17

address of welcome made to the gathered
throug at the Rock Creek celebration, by the
president of the day. kindly furnished tho
press, is SO happy, that although somewhat
Late, we lay it before our readers
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN by the ap-
poinlmcnt OF the Committee of arrangements,
| it devolyes upon me 10 extend to you. in be-
half of the citizens of Morgan, our heartfelt
| thanks and most cordial welcome. We feel
! proud of the honor you couter upon US in
meeting US here to-day. When we consider
what is the occasion of this meeting OuI
hearts are filled with emotions which are bet
ter ielt than expressed. Those iron bands
yOndcr (pOintlng 10 the railrUad) which run
along the surface Of the ground, aud bind to-
getber our mutual Interests, tell the story bet
ter than tongue can tell il; and they awaken
within us thoughts aud memories which
| thrill our hearts with gratitude and Joy
We cannot help, ON an occasion like this,
going back into the past and calling up TO
our minds the old modes of travel, and con-
trasting them with what we have now. Take,
if you please, the most civilized nation on
tue face of the globe. and 90 back only one
century, and see what the mode of travel was
then compared with what il is to-day. Ii as
tonishes US to see what the intelligence and
inventive mechanical skill of men has ac-
complishcd in eight or Ten hours.
When it was first proposed to travel with a
locomotive upon rails, the idea was every
where laughed To scOrn. l remember that in
1876, when the scheme Of the Manchester and
Liverpool railway was before the committee
ot the House of Commons, and when George
Stephenson, the inventor Ot the locomotive, IA
man who spent twenty-five years OF close, pa
ticnt and perscyering study and experiment in
| completing his Invention, when he was before
that committee and proposed to run his To-
cOmotyc only six miles an hour, they treated
him as cra2y headed enthusiast A man
named Richardson stood up and declared that
II would be impossible 10 run such thing
even four miles an hour, and even ii il could
be done. 1t would be eff,ctunlly Obstructed
with wind, ram and snow; and ii they should
increase the steam to overcome these Obsiruc-
tions, the boiler would burst This is the
Kind of opposition the locomotive met with
on its introduction. Thank God all the bub-
bles of opposition bursted, end the locomo
tive is running to-day ON its errands of pro-
grcss and civilization all over the world; yes,
even into MUrgan Such is the triumph of
mind over matter
We desire now publicly To thank you citi-
zcns of the townships along the line of this
road, for your hearty corporation with us In
| this great enterprise; especially you men OF
AShtaOuIa, Tor your untirng devotion, in your
large material aid We hope you vii enjoy
yourselves today, and that this occasion viii
p:uve 10 be such IA one that you will be will
ing to bear in your memories in all coming
time.
And now, in behalf Of the people Of Nor.
gan, wish 10 present our thanks 10 III. A.
waneke, Esq, for his kindness in furnish.
ing locomotive and cars for uie accommod
tion of our Ashtnbula friends and others
along The line; thus, also, To Mr.. Andrews,
who has charge of the locomotive, and Mr.
COwen the foreman of the train hands, ior
their genilemanly and kind department Ia
their passengers. And we would not forget
the laborcrs themselves, upon whose bone and
muscle this great enterprise SO much depends.
We feel under obligation to them Tor their
gentlennnly behavior since they were amongst
US, aud particularly upon this occasion.