The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-11-10
TIE FIRST RAILROAD.
now TT W1S YED.

now TT WAS YED.
The Invention Of Thomas Gray, Of
England.
From the Rail,cay ago.
Strange us it may now seem, not
farther back than 1920, there was
not railroad in existence. Now
thoy form an iron network over
this country and Europe, and have
almost annihilatod space, in like
manner as the magnetic telegraph
has almost annihilated time. Doubt
less most people, in these times of
universal Intelligence and universal
travel, are well acquainted with
the progress Of railroads; but how
few chore are who can tell us any,
thing Of the author or inventor of
that wonder of the nineteenth
ccntury-the railway system. It is
SO, too, with the author of the great
and useful inventions of the ago.
How little is generally known Of
Whitney, the inventor Of the cotton
gin, of Watt, Of Fulton, and a
hundred other ingenious men,
whose inventions have made the age
what it is; their works live after
them, and are likely to live for cen-
turies but their names by SEEM
ing ungratefulness of the age, ure
suffered to sink almost into oblivion
Neither Whitney nor Fulton has
even statute among lis to per~
petuate his memories; and rs to
the author of railroads, there may
not be twenty persons in tho United
States who ever heard his name,
although he is still living.
About half Il century ago (the ex-
act year is not known) there was
born at Leeds, in England, man
named Thomas Gray scarcely any
thing more than this is known of
his early history. He was, we be-
lieve, poor collier and being very
ingenious, he conceived the idea Of
facilitating the transportation of
coal from Middleton Colliery to
Leeds, distance of three miles, by
means Of q sort of railway which he
constructed of wood. Upon this
his cars moved along ut the rate Of
three miles and half an hour to
the great merrimont of O wise and
discriminating public, who laughed
at the idea Of u railway as some>
thing very visionary, and as the
mere suggestion of laziness. Poor
Gray thought otherwise. Mag
niticent visions Of future railroads,
such Us ore now stupendous reali-
ties, loomed up before him, and he
began to talk in public of a general
system Of iron railroads. He was
of course laughed ut, and declared q
visionary, moon >struck fool. But
the more Gray contemplated his
little railway for Goals, tho more
firmly did he believe the practica-
bility and immense usefulness Of
his scheme, lie saw in it all that
is now realized, and he resolved, in
spite Of the ridiculc, the sneers and
rebuf1s that were heaped upon him,
to prosecute his great undertaking.
He petitioned to the British parlia-
mont, and sought interviews with all
the great men in the kingdom; but
all this had no effect, except to
bring upon him, wherever he went,
the loud sneers and ridicule of all
classes. Still no persevcred, and
at length no engaged the attention
Of men of intelligence, who finally
embraced his views, urged his plans
and the grand results are now
before the world. Thomas Gray,
the inventor of railroads, who, no
longer ago than 1920, was laughed
at for even mentioning the iden of
them, still lives in Exeter, England,
in tho full realization of all his
grand and noble railroad schemes,
for which he was declared insane.
How much has the world been
benefited by his Insanity
But the world is still that same
ungrateful, soulless thing it always
was. English writer's thus speak
of him: Cup to 1346 he had been
neglected. While thousands had
been enriched upon the consumma-
zion of hia brilliant schnmas. ha