The Russellville Democrat., 1879-10-23
FORTY-NINE YEARS AGO.
Opening of the Frst Passenger Railroad in
 the World.
Baltimore American.

l Baltimore American.
 Just forty-nlne years ago-that is, Sep
 tember 15, 1S30-the first passenger
 railroad in England, the Liverpool and Manchester railway, was opened with great ceremony. A year before prize of e500 pounds had been made for the
 best locomotive engine, which had been won by Robert Stephenson's Rocket, upon which was subsequently modelled the old grasshopper engines of the Bal timore and Ohio railroad, their appear ance being suggestive of their name. Eight locomotive engines had been con- | pleted and put upon the line, and all had been tested with entire success. To every engine was attached four pas senger carriages, each containing twenty persons. The first engine, the North umbrian, drew the most distinguished guests-ihe Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and other members of the ministry. It had one line of the double track to itself. The other seven loeo- motives with their carriages, followed each other on the other line The pro. cession started from Liverpool at II o'clock, with flags, music, fine weather, and great enthusiasm. Seventeen miles from Liverpool, they stopped to take in water, and in order to afford the Duke of Wellington an opportunity of seeing the procession. the seven locomotives, with their carriages, were ordered to pass slowly by the Northumbrian. stand ing on it's track. Several gentlemen alighted while the locomotives were taking in water, and one of them, Mr.
 Huskisson. member of the parlia- ment for Liverpool, and an earnest supporter of the railroad cause, catching sight of the Duke of Wellington, between whom and himself there had been some political coolness, ran eagerly across the track to shake him by the hand. At that moment the order was given for the seven engines to move forward. Mir. Huskissen was bewildered. The Rocket, which was the leading engine, struck him while he was still in doubt where to flee. The wheels went over his leg and thigh, and he expired that evening. The accident cast deep gloom over the days festivity. The trip was concluded, that the people along the line might not be disappointed, but all rejoicing and gayety were at an end. The next day the rail way was opened for passenger traffic, and carried one hundred and forty per sons from Liverpool to Manchester in two hours. The original calculations of the construction had been based on prob- able returns from heavy merchandise traffic-coal, cotton and iron. They had formed no high estimate of emolnment from transporting passengers. But the railway was hardly opened before an average of 200 persons daily were will ing to trust it with their lives. In few years it was found that the enormous traffic was too heavy for the original rails, and it became necessary to relay the road at considerable expense. But though September 15, 1880, is the great est day in railroad annals, being that on which the worlds first railroad was opened complete, our own Maryland railroad preceded the Liverpool and Manchester in utility. The first sod of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was broken for it's construction July 4, 1928, and by the next year horse cars, assisted by one locomotive engine, were carrying passengers between Baltimore, the Relay House and Ellicotts Mills.