The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1879-10-17
reRfY-aiNE YEARS AGO.
OPENING OF THE FIRST PASSENGER RAIL.
read TN THE WORLD.
Baltimore e American

| Baltimore American. H.
just ferty-nine years ago-tlat is, Sept.
is, 183 1.-THE first passenger, railroad in
England, the Liverpool and Manchester
railway was opened with great ceremony.
| A year before prize Of $500 had been
offered for the best locomotive engine,
which had been won BY Robert StevsAson's
Rocket, upon which were subsequently
modelled the old grasshopper engines of
tAe Baltimore and Ohio railroad, their ap-
pearance bsing suggestive of their name.
Eight locomotive engines had bean COM
pleted and placed upon the line, and all
had been tested with perfect success. To
every eng;ne was attached four passenger
carriasss saTsh containing twenty persons.
The drs5Rngina, the Northunibrian, drew
the most distinguished guests--the Duke
of wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and other
members Of the ministry. The other sev-
en- locomotives, with their carriages, fol-
lowed each other on the other line. The
procession started from Liverpool at eleven
O'Clock with music, flags, fine weather and
great enthusiasm. Seventeen miles from
Liverpool they stopped to take in water,
and in order to afford the Duke of Yelling
ton an opportunity Of seeing the process
sion, the other seven locomotives then
we're ordered to pass by slowly With the
Northumbrian standing on it's track. Sew
eral gentlemen had alighted while the To-
comotives we're taking in water, and one Of
them, Mr.. Huskisson, member OF Parlia-
ment for Liverpool, and an earnest support
or Of tho railroad cause, catching sight Of
the Duka OF Wellington, between whom
and hiDeslf thero had been some political
GOODNESS, ran eegerly across tho track to
shake him by the hand. At that moment
the order vas given for the seven engines
to moxs forward. Mr.. Huskissoa yes be-
wildered. The Rocket, which ves the
leading engine, struck him chile he sas
still in doubt vhsre TO fee. The vhesls
gent oYsr his ls= end thigh, aad he sx-
pired tkrt evening. The escidcnt cast Q
deep gloom over the das's festivities. The
trip sgs concluded, thct tha people wsiting
slong the line might nat b disappointed,
but oil rejoicing and gaiety vere at an end.
The next day the rnilEay gas opened for
passenger traffic. and carried 140 passen-
gers from Liverpool to Manchester in two
hours. The original calculations Of the
constructions had been based on the prob
able returns from the heavy merchandise
trafic-ooal, cotton and iron. They had
formed no high expectation of any great
emolument from transporting passengers.
Bot the railway was hardly opened before
an average Of 1900 persons 6aily vers will
ling to trust it with their lives. In few
years it was found that the enormous traf-
fic was too heavy for the original rails, and
it became necessary to relay the road at
considerable expense. But though Sept.
Is, 1880, is the greatest day in railroad an
mails, being that on which the worlds first
railroad was opened complete, our own
Maryland railroad preceded the Manchester
& Liverpool in utility. The first sod for
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
and traffic between Baltimore and the Re
lay House and Ellicott's mills. a