The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-11-18
George Stephenson's First Railroad.

immense cOnStfuctlNeHeSS, WHICH us
played itself in pulling his watch to
pieces and putting it together again; in
making Il pair of shoes when he hap
pened to he some days without occupa-
ton: finally-here there is great gap
in my story-it brought him in the ca
1acity of nm engineer before commit
tee of the House of Commons, with his
head full of plans for constructing a
railroad from Liverpool to Manchester.
It so happened that to the quickest and
most powerful perceptions and concep
tiOns, to tho most indefatigable indus
try and perseverance, and the most ac-
curate knowledge of the phenomena of
nature as they affect his peculiar labors,
this man joined an utter want of the
gift of gab;" he could no more ex-
plain to others what he meant to do and
how he meant to do it, than he could
fly; and therefore the members of the
House of Commons, after saying,
"There is rock to be excavated to
depth of more than sixty feet; there are
entertainments to be made nearly to the
same hight; there is u swamp Of five
miles in length to be traversed, in which
if You drop an iron rod it sinks and dis
receiving no answer but broad, North
umbriam can't tell You how I'll do
it, but | can tell you will do it. dis
missed Stephenson as a visionary. Hav-
ing prevailed upon a company of Liv-
erpool gentlemen to be less incredulous,
and having raised funds for his great
undertaking, in December of 1926, the
\ first spade was struck into the ground.
!, And now | will give you IN account of
my excursion. "A party of sixteen per-
sons was ushered into large court
yard, where, under cover, stood several
carriages of a peculiar construction. 1t
Was Il long-bodicd vehicle, with seats
placed across it, back to back the one
we were in had six of these benches,
and was sort of uncovered elm a banc.
The wheels were placed upon two iron
bands, which formed the road, and to
which they are fitted, being SO con-
structed as to slide along without any
danger of hitching or becoming dis
placed, on the same principle rs thing
sliding on n concave groove. The car
riage was set in motion by mere push,
and, having received this impetus,
rolled with us down an inclined plane
into tunnel, which forms the entrance
to the railroad. This tunnel is 400 yards
long, believe, and will be lighted by
gas. At the end of it we emerged from
darkness, and the ground becoming
level, we stopped.-Atlamt;c Monthly.
The Truth AT distributing the war
an officer in the Army of the Potomac
was surprised on receiving q draft of
men, to fill up the gaps in his ranks, to
find that one of the names on the list
was Fitz. Herbert do Percy. Still great
err was his establishment ut the discov.
cry that the owner of this aristocratic
name was an Irishman, u man OF exceed
ingly plain features and uncommonly
broad accent. The possession of this
clearly impossible title exercised a
ANlreadful fascination over the officers of
the regiment, and numberless were the
attempts to discover what the wearer's
real name was, and why he had adopted
such an illus. All were baflled. Drunk
or sober, to orders or entreaties, artful-
ly pumped or abruptly questioned, he
made but one rcply-"Me name is Fitz-
Horboort de Porrcy." At last his term
expired, and lie received his discharge.
"And now, De Percy" said his COM
handing officer, 'you are out of the
army, and what ever your real name
may be, or your reason for abandoning
it, can make no difference in your rela-
tons with me- What was it? Come,
now" ''Capting," answered tho man,
II will not dcsave yez. Fitz-Horboort
de Porrcy was not my raal mann. That,
sor, l consahled for family raisons." 81
understand, understand" said the Of
ticer eagerly; land your true name is"
-"Me raal mann, sor," answered the
soldier, lis not Fitz- Horboort lie Porr-
cy. it is Fitz- Clarence de Montmoren-
shy."-PhiiadeIDhia Press.
A TRADITION OF SARAToGA.-There is
an Indian superstition attached to this
lake which probably had its source in
its remarkable loneliness and tranquil
y. The Mohawks believed that its still
ness was sacred to the Great Spirit, and
that if a human voice uttered sound
upon its waters, the canoe of the often
der would instantly sink. A story is
told of an Englishwoman, in the early
days of the first settlers, who had occa-
sion to cross this lake with a party of
Indians, who, before embarking, warn
ed her most impressively of the spell.
1t was q silent, breathless day, and the
canoe shot over the surface of the lake
like an arrow. About half mile from
the shore, near the centre of the lake,
the woman, wishing to convince the
Indians of the errOneousness of their
superstition, uttered loud cry. The
countenance of the Indians fell instant