Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-01-16
PETER COOPER'S LOCOMOTIVE.
The First Steam-EnRine ever Run ON
American Tracks.

AmeElCtth lEaChSs
Peter Cooper, the venerable million
naire, was found recently sitting at a
little desk in his private Office at his
residence. ."I built and ran the first
railroad" " said he. He was in excellent
spirits, and conversed as vivaciously as a
man of half his age. 4" was in Balti-
more at the time. I owned three thou
sand acres of land in that city-the same
property now owned by the Canton Com
pany. sold it to them. 1t cost me
/ $105, 900, but I don't doubt it is valued
at $15,000,0 to-day Well, as was
saying, the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
was horse railroad at that time-this
was in 1S29---and ran to Ellicotts
Mills, a distance of thirteen miles from
Baltimore. The road didn't pay, and
the stockholders were beginning to get
frightened They refused to invest any
more money in the road. I was afraid it
would stop running. l went to the di-
rectors and asked them to hold on awhile
until | tried a steam locomotive that I had
an idea would do for the road. You see
in that short road there were a good
many cu,ve5-short curves-for it ran
through rough, rocky valley. The
report had come from EnglaRd that no
engine could be built to turn curve of
less than 500 feet, and some of these
curves were only 200 feet.
"Ross Wynans, an engineer on the
railroad--Ross is the man that made 50
many millions ont of the Russians, build
ing locomotives for them. Well, he gave
me an invention Of his, and built the
locomotive. 1t was little thing, and
weighed only a ton. Why" and Mr..
Cooper laughed at the recollection, ''the
boiler wasn't as big as barrel But
here, I'll let you read what Mr.. Latrobe
says about it. He was counselor of the
railroad, and guess he is yet He rode
on the engine with me. Here, read
what he says"
While Mr.. Cooper was speaking he
had risen from his easy chair, and was
examining several papers which he took
from desk in the corner, talking all the
while. "Ah, here it is" said he, un-
folding large printed chart and return
ing to his seat. His aged hand trembled
as he held out the sheet for the visitors
inspection. A rough wood-cut of a
primitive engine and car adorned the
top of the sheet beneath, the page was
filled with extracts from lecture deliY-
cred by Counselor Latrobe. The cut
represented vehicle as large as a hand
car, resting on four slight wheels, and
containing an upright boiler and smoke
stack, and six persons. Nothing else
was visible except two upright bars
meeting like the strokes of an inverted
V in the front of the engine. Mr.. Cooper
explained that this was the machinery,
and the man standing by it was himself
All the people wore low hats except Mr..
Cooper according to the cut), and he
was distinguished by a high, broad
brimmed beaver. He was thirty-nine
years of age then, and Mr.. Latrobe was
few years younger "I had been a
Common Councilman at that time, said
Mr. Cooper, in parenthesis. 81 repre-.
sented the Twelfth ward, when it ex-
tended from the Bible House to Kings
bridge"
At Mr. Coopers suggestion the writer
glanced over the printed matter which
explained the engine and related its
exploits Mr.. Cooper, it seems, invited
the directors of the road, with a few
Others, to accompany him on his trial
trip when the engine was completed.
The party that accepted the invitation
numbered about forty-one. Thirty-six
were conveyed in one cara great carry
all wagon on four car-wheels-aDd the
other five rode with Mr.. Cooper on the
engine. The machinery of the locomo-
tive did not differ from that of the time
i'll which it was built. 1t was simply q
combination of belts and cog-wheels
The draught necessary to keep up steam
in the little boiler was supplied by a
blower, driven by drum and cord at
tached to one of the car-wheels. On the
day of the trial trip, in the summer of
1880, Mr.. Cooper lighted the fire under
the boiler, and when sufficient steam was
generated and the company had taken
their places in the train he pulled the
} lever, and the first locomotive engine be-
| gan its first trip. The ride is described
| as most exciting. Grades were passed
over with ease, curves were turned with
out slowing up, and with every moment
the rate of speed increased. Ten miles
an hour at first, then twelve, thirteen,
) fifteen, and even eighteen miles an hour
, were made 1t is recorded that the en-
, thusiastic passengers with one accord
produced their notebooks, and demon
strated the possibility of writing even at
this speed
We are not told how long it took To
reach Ellicott's Mills, but the return trip
was made in ffty-seven minutes.
" Was the locomotive used upon the
. road afterwards ?" the visitor asked
r when he had read the description re-
s ferred to.
t 81 sold it to man named Ward, >
said Mr.. Cooper, "and he ran it during
: the summer, carrying pleasure parties tc
. and fro. The next year three OF foul
i locomotives, each one an improvement
II