The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-07-21
Stare Coach and Railroad

ntage Ooaon and Railroad,
In those good old days-"all DAYS are
good when old, saws Byron-the
Bull in Aldgate, the "Swan with two
Necks m Ladd Lane, the Angel at
lslington, and the white Horse Col
lar, Piccadilly, were the great coach
ing houses of London Merely to hear
these names mentioned brings to the
old-timer pleasant fancies of travelling
by maid through merry roads, with
blooming hawthorn and chestnut trees,
the lark singing aloft, the village bells
and the smiths hammer tfnkling in the
distance, and the roadside inn with its
swinging sign and its snow-white water
lng-troagh, its buxom landladv, and its
busting hostlers. AT each of these hotels
from 400 TO 600 horses were stabbed, and
their work was confined to within fifty
miles OF the metropolis How many
coach-horses would be required to-day
to accommodate the ingress and egress
OF the travellers coming to and going
from the modern Babylon?
When was a boy | well remember
the transportation of the sea coal from
the ''bank, asthe pit S mouth was call
ed. to the barges on the Tyne by means
of steam, but nobody ever dreamt of
being carried themselves by such mo-
tive power, and everybody laughed at
the Liverpool merchants and bankers
who first entertained the idea, and
brought into the House of Commons the
bill for the Liverpool & Manchester
Railway. Joe Hume, ''sum tottle Joe, -
declared it q preposterous notion that a
speed OF four miles an hour could be at
tanned, and kept up with tea-kettle fol
a horse.
But somehow or other it was impos-
sible to stop the advent of steam Canal
companies and coaching combinations
howled about the ruin OF vested inter-
estS, and while q tram-road at a col
liely, or lift from the TYNE or Wear
Side was all very well, the idea of ma
chine that would either push or pull a
load in addition to moving itself was
the hight of absurdity.
The first time it was actually done, |
was not, like John Gilpin, there to
see, but it was about 1920, and the
journey was made from Stockton to
Darlington, ninety tons being drawn
eight miles an hour.
All this time George Stephenson and
his son Robert were busy at work, and
the Rocket was the result, and on
the 10th OF September, 1880, it and seven
other locomotives, built on the same
model, were ready at Liverpool for the
grand opening of the Liverpool & Man
chester Railway. was bnt a young
shaver then. but [ was there, went all
the way from Ramsay, Huntingdonshire,
way down in the Isle Of Flyfens, with
my father, to see the new tangled fail
ure;' but somehow it did not prove a
failure after all, and but for one sad,
serious accident, was glorious day and
a decided triumph. What a day that
was for Liyerpool Every instrument
of music IN. the city, and for 100 miles
around, had been got together and were
being scraped, blown, beaten, twaneed,
and operated upon at once to an accom-
paniment of church bells and booming
cannon. Every hoHSe-top was crowded,
flags were flying from every available
C1llilChCC. AApatolhbiS hBptl iHpttodilbH
of people lined both sides of the road
for miles, with expectation to be ripen-
ed into wonder and admiration marked
upon their faces. And didn't the Man
chester ale flow! Barrels were tapped
in the streets, and temperance was no.
where. 1t was about 1880 IN the fore
noon when all was ready, and the
"Northumbrian" led the way. There
were four carriages to each engine,
making eight separate trains, carrying
altogether near upon 200 people. The
road was a doubled track, but both
tracks were employed, the first train
monopolizing one, and the other seven
| following each other On the parallel
line. The start was at length made,
without any mishap. Away went the
first passenger trains ever run in Eng
land for elsewhere), down the Sutton
incline and over the Sankey viaduct,
seventeen miles, to Parkhust, the
NORTHUMBERLAND carrying Wellington,
Peel, William Huskisson, NJ. P. for LiV.
erpool, and other notables, aecelerating
or retarding her speed on the south line
to permit her crew to examine any
points of interest or see the other train.
skim upon their way. All went well III
to this point, but here occurred tina
fatal accident which made the opening
of the first railroad day of mingled
JOY and sorrow-joe for the success o
the undertaking, and sorrow for the cat
astrophe which deprived liverpool o
its newly elected member of Parliament
free trade one of its earliest champions
and Great Britain one of her most ex-
perieneed diplomats and eloquent or
ators While the locomotives were tab
inc in water Mr.. Huskisson quit hi
carriage and went to shake hands wi
the Duke of Wellington. While so do
ing the Rocket passed on the other line
the M. P. became confused and fright
ened and in his furry ran on the track
In vain the engineer tried to stop II
engine. 1t ran over the statesman
breaking both leg and thigh, and other
wise SO iniuring him that he died tn
same night, after being carried to tn
vicarage of Eccles. The journey of tn
trial trains was made to Manchester
but gloom which could not be dis
sipated had been cast over the day, ant
the triumph Of the engineering eonsum
nation was saddened by death. Lon
don Correspondence. :
The St. Louis Industrial School