The McArthur enquirer. (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1873-1884, 1873-06-18
NNTON COUNTY OHIO M I'M



I4or Kallgreg2dlssi ,F9ftyI Years Ago. di
J AWriter in the Hartford G5alg.-
az ,l,l ,l ~ y conversation recently
{ wit some Of the elder, railroad
| OC'llffi OllfiSlllls IF iif6st that city, derived
some Interesting "reminiscences
Ito'f We early days. Of railroad
trays il the United States
! lo copy Ia portion Of his
researches IN this & direction.
!. ja9 ll'e conversation began by a
rsiefgpee. TO the, great advance
madegip railroad construction
, andBe11lpmept during the last
twenty years. Yes, said one,
there's been a great improve
meQtsince the Hartford &New
Haven road was opened. 1T
bad then worry meager faculties,
AthefRat t-tedsNas poor 'hadonly
scraPssllls which were all the
tnhes,clialing up and running
through the floors, the ears
were small and the locomotives
wealsI In fact it didn't fake
much to bloclGa a train in those
days. Sometimes an inch Of
snowon the rails would do it.
Henry 70, White, one of the
first conductors on the road,
tells how HI and the baggage
master used to sit in front off
the loc0mdt tive, one on each
side, and brush the snow from
the rails with a broom as the |
tram slowly crawled along.
Each had a pale Of sand and
sprlnlded a handful on the rail
when necessary. The driving
wheels (engines had only one
pair them used to slip round
and round, and torment them
almost to death. a. oaa g,aJI
aaOn one occasion a train got
stuck on the Yalesville grade.
by one inch of snow, and the
wood andwater gaveout before
the locomotive could overcome
it, AT last they got the neigh
bors, yoked four pairs of oxen
to the train and drew it pass
engers baggage and all into
the Melfden, with flying coIors.
In the early days of the road
the stage coach drivers used to
regard tle cars with great CONF
tempt. Indeed thirty years ago
The passenger trains were three
OF four hours on the road to
New Haven, and the stage
coaches went in about the same
line. Superintendent David :
SON remembers riding in a car !
'i9ge with his father drawn by +
,To horses I'M the year 1846lr
which had race withia pass
'nge7 train near Walingford q
where the railroad and turn G
bike are parallel for three or
our miles, and during all that
lme the carriage kept even =
With the train. There we're only =
wo trains each way daily then, q
10Th carrying passengers and Il II
reight. The old ears were di- y
lded three compartments, open :,
d on ope side, and had ltwentyI y, u
our seats. The locomotives @ y
.ad twelve inch cylinders, and II !;
o cabs to protect the. engineer i i
nd fireman from the weather. i; u
he Oldest locomotives were the - -.
Hartford" f" "Quinipac," "Char- -, ~
~ 0aB' New sHatelyH ard :, :,
Merlden," whose combined H. H.
over would hardly equal one a, a.
the SPLENDID machines now /,
use on the road,o.iThe "regu- E, ca
ls," designed by the General =,
nperintendenta Reed, 90 .sa and ~,
lllt in the company's shops in nj
aftiord, one OF the newest III
eight engines, will pull nearly 10
le hundred cars with ease. ~ ~
here is no need to dwell upon af ~
which the splendid mba m
ad road 6e ana superb equip i,,' i,p
emf to-day PRESENT toi tie u,
culties of those early days. nn lr'
very passenger may do that ~
r himself Great credit lis
le Superintendent Reed for .
s able and efficient manage ! q
ent in putting the road in its be
esent first class condition An
x large stone bridges have ma
en- bullt GiideF his Immediate sly
perEisioni, besides tlieh tButinnel 9o
der Albany avenue andMain lty,
ect, beautiful and asubstan- be
ohm, M, ,.,s - -. a. -. Al 40 ala nj