Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-12


Steam raElwSys bad their birth in
England In l72e, when WATT took out
= patent for cars propelled by stationary
locomotives, and designed to cary
stone and coal abort distances; bal
steam was not applied rs 3 motive pow
er for passenger travel until 1880, being
first successfully tried in EngifnI II
was in the same year adopted In the
United States. A railway had been laid
from Baltimore TO EIlieOtt's Mills, and
PETER COOPER having built an engine
weighing not over ton, attached Il to
an open ear, and conveyed the directors
Of The road with q few friends this short
distance, their highest rate Of speed be-
ing eighteen miles an hour.
From that day the growth Of railways
IN the United States has surpassed that
Of sll other countries combined. The
vast area Of our territory has neeessi-
tated long and continuous lines There
are few hills and valleys 60 remote as
not to be awakened from their slumber
Of centuries by the stately tread Of the
iron bcrse or the Ear-of echo Of his ad-
yanciDg footsteps. Railways are the
pioneers Of progress, the advance guard
Of civilization. To them we owe the
wonderful development Of our natural
resources, our unprecedented growth IS
q nation. The great trunk lines Of the
United States traverse the territory like
mighty rivers from which digerge
counties smaller tributaries. They
may be elassed as Eastern, Central,
Southern and Western. The Eastern
lines run through the New England
and Middle States from New York TO
Maryland. The central trunk lines
traverse the North Ceatral States from
Michigan through Illinois; the south
ern trunk lines cross the South Allan
tic and South Central States. The
western trunk lines &re almost entirely
west Of the Mississippi. The most col
IOsal Of all our rail way systems has just
received its most important accession,
the Northern Pacific railway, extend
ing from Duluth and the Mississippi
river TO the Pacific ocean through the
great States and Territories Of Minneso-
IA, Dakota, Montana and Idaho, and
passing along the boundary line be-
tween Washington Territory and Ore
gon, forming the longest continuous
line Of railway in the world.
This gigantic work, retarded for a
time by financial difficulties, required
thirteen years for its completion, and
on the SLh OF September, President VII
LARD in the presence Of a party Of dis
tinguished guests, foreign and native
born, whom he transported across the
continent, contaminated the greatest
work of this century by driving that
last golden spike, in giving that final
tap Of the hammer which proelaims to
the world the completion Of an enter
prise whose magnitude none can COM
prehend who have not travelled along
the route Of the grandest Of our three
trans-cOntinental highways.
We are told that the age ofmiracles
is passed, but in modern triumphs OF
science and engineering, in mans mas
terry Of natural obstacles, the world be-
holds greater wonder than the mythic
lore Of any nation holds. In this army
Of labOring men before whom hills are
leveled and hollOws uplifted, these Ii
tans who hew their way through ada
mantine rocks and mountains, who
bridge rivers and span abysses with
their iron network, we behold nobler
army than any Cesar or Napoleon
Ted. Peace has her victories far great
or than those of war, and foremost
of her cOnquests is this mighty sys-
TEN OF railways throwing their giant
arms all over our land, fusiDg diverse
interests, bringing remote sections into
closest neighbOrhoOd, and doing more
TO make our States and territories one
in deed and truth than all other infiu-
encts.
Their line has gone out through all
the earth, their words to the end of the
world" Knowing whence man has
derived this power to dare and do, to
plan and execute, in view of the COM
pletion OF this grandest of national
highways, We may well say: at is the
Lords doing and it is marvellous in our
eyes"