The Ottawa free trader., 1876-11-18
PENclLINGS.
The Centennial and Eailroadins--Thc First
Crest Railroad--The B. Il d. road from
Chicago to BcnwOod, West Va.

the English department, finely built and highl
finished specimens of the English coach lnsid
shey were large and roomy; outside, the eleva
ted, richly cushioned seats, high backed ant
broad, were tempting indeed.
"Whcn breeZcs are soft and skies arc iair'
what could be more delightful than swift whir
over tine country road, in position TO com
mand wide prospect, with the cool Dreczes
The meadow or the mountain tanning ones lore
head, and with all the life that comes with rapio
motion? No DUST, no crowding into ovcr-heatcc
cars, none Of the nuisanccs Of railroad trave
trouble the posscssor Of a seat on the top OF q
coach. The life, the stir and the breezy motion
of such ride is said to be one of the most de
lightfu experiences mortal man can enjoy. This
is not, to be sure, a perfect picture of the ole
English coach, but from it one can readily form
e too young to have seen it, his idea OF Tho
stage.coach-the first step in the progress to
ward fast travelling.
In another position of the grounds-wcst o.
Machinery Hall, on the route from that building
to the glass mandatory, stood the first locomo
tive and railroad cars built in the United States
and in the front Of the Maryland state building
stood an old locomotive marked "B. IL o., No. q,
belonging to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Co. The former stood upon rails used at the
time the cars were used, laid as they were then
laid, on stone ties. The latter were placed at in
teryals OF say three feet, and were about foot
and half square. OF course there was no bal
lasting of the road bed, and altogether the road
must have been abomnablc. The cars were
short and narrow, with low ceilings, small,
square windows and hard uncushioncd wooden
seats; while the locomotive was small and i'm
perfect (as we consider it now in many respects
In front of the Maryland building, along side of
The locomotive above mentioned, stood another,
marked 4" B. & o., No 600" magnificent ma.
ehine; and in Machinery Hail. Others OF various
makes, even more handsome. In Machinery
Hall, west of the great Corliss engine, were, also,
r number Of the celebrated Pullman Palace and
Parlor cars, and cars made in this country for T.
K. II. Dom Pedro, OF Brazil, all splendid coaches.
Near the fountain Avenue entrance to the L. s..
Gov. Building were two cars Of the famous,
though short-liyed, Fast Mail" line, standing
on track laid according to the regulations of
The Penn. Cent. r. X.
view of our progress in the art Of locomotion
The contrast, it will be readily believed, is
amazing, and becomes more SO when it is re-
membered that it is not yet 80 years since the
" Best Friend" the first American built locomo.
tive, was put upon Il railroad running from
Charleston, S. C., to Hamburg, upon the Sayan.
nah river, which was also the first route upon
which the L. s. mail was transported by steam.
That is less than half century ago, but SO rapid
mas been the American triumph over time and
space, That 1t Gccmcd no anachroniSm to place
The first American locomotive and cars in a Cen
lennial Exhibition Of human progress.
Nor can We wish for the old time mode of
travel, much as We admire the old stage 1t
would be delightful in spring or autumn to cross
The Alleghanies on top of one of those English
coaches, IN easy stages by daylight, through a
route now occupied by one of the great eastern
lines, bat few, with all their romantic notions,
ana love oi the beautiful and Of old times would,
we reckon, consent TO see the rails torn up, even
while holding that our improvement in travel
has been only in the matter of speed They
would be slow to give up their pullman" for
the nnest stage coach even in the midst of the
sunshine OF summer, to say nothing of the wet
Of spring, chills of autumn, and piercing cold of
winter.
Ore Of the first railroads in America was ,he
Baltimore 81 Ohio. Several roads Were built he
Ore Il, but rs they were all short roads the Bal.
LimUre q Ohio may be set down as the first great
railroad enterprise lnauguratcd in the L. S. The
first stone for the road was laid on the 4th Of
July, 1888. Cars were first run on the road in
$50, in which year locomotive was built for
thc road by the venerable and lately "laid out ~
Peter Cooper. 1t was, therefore, in keeping with
The spirit OF the occasion that in going TO the
great centennial, one should take the Baltimore
< Ohio railroad. Ansthcr induccment Is that il
iS one OF the most picturesque routes east, passes
through country, beyond the Ohio, fun of his
tor!c interest aud is also the only route TO Balti
more, Philadelphia, New York, &c, via Harper's
Ferry Washington City, Mount Vernon, Alcxan.
dria, Va, Sc.
BY taking the l2:21 T.. VI. mail at Ottawa. we
arrive in Chicago just IN time TO comfortably
reach the Exposition Building depot, purchase
tickets and slecping-car privileges, and have a
little time to stretch and talk politics. (ths was
Just after the Indiana election, rcmcmbcrO be-
fore starting. Atj:Os the bell rang; all aboard
ran down the long line of cars, the engine be-
gan its pulsations and soon VIC were sweeping
along the lake shore OF for the east. 1t was
soon dark-dark before We were out Of Illinois,
and scenery there was none. With no excite.
ment from watching the ever changing face of
The country, and too dark to read, no wonder.
having neglected TO take any lunch with us, the
lnner-man," or whatever animal it is, began to
poster Us with his gnawing attentions. We asked
The porter, where do we take brcakfasty' AT
Benwood, Wes; Nirginiam After that the ain.
ner man could, We imagine, be heard for half a
mile, aud things rot 20 be serious, when in came
one of our uniformed friends from the rear,
who said he was managing dining car with
the traiu and asked what would we have for tea
Our first impulse was to tell him 10 set ont all
ne had, but on examining the bill Of fare, saw
that We might as well attempt to cat out a small
Palmer Hlns, fhas ipg,