Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-02
A GREAT EXPEDITION.
The Record Union Correspondent on the
Chicago Exposition for Railway
APPLIANCES

pliances opened last night at S o'clock.
The great building was ablaze with electric
lights that made the dashing waters of the
fountains dance like animated diamonds.
The crowd filed the great structure COM
pletely, and it was an assemblage every
way Representative of the wealth, culture
and worth of this marvellous city of the
west.
Prof. Swing made the opening prayer,
Mayor Harrison the address of welcome,
and Vice President French responded in
the absence of the President Hon. L. B.
Washburne was then introduced and deiv
cred the Grafton, which was brief, retro
spective and presented in concise manner
the history of
RAILROAD BUILDING
In the United States, and its effects upon
the people and the country. One eloquent
passage from the address must give you
in full :
I There have been expositions in many countries,
and nations have We'd with each other in the display
| Of all that ingenuity and taste could suggest or
wealth procure but it is safe to say that the world
/
| this organized solely by private enterprise, and
pushed to what see before us by private citizens,
| with degree Of unsedshness aud devotion rarely
| Witnessed and without pecuI.iary compensation.
Rut thew will find their reward in the gratitude OF
that public which i'll appreciate all their labor5 and
responsibilities and all the great services they have
| rendered to sci nee and to mankind
| INTERESTING INCIDENTS.
One noticeable feature of the Exposition
is the large attendance of people, invent
ors, mechanics and railroad operators from
Canada. One of the especially pleasing
events of the opening exercises was the
introduction to the great congregation OF
railroad veterans. First came Horatio
Allen. aged 81. He brought the locomo-
tive Trowbridge Lein from England In
1928, and ran it on the first rails of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He related
his early railroading experiences with much
interesting detail Geo. Hollingsmith, Of
Paterson, n. j., was next introduced as
an engineer since 1887, and who is now in
the Roger Locomotive Works. William
Holloway came next as an old engineer.
He has been on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad for forty-two years, and still runs
his locomotive. In all that time he never
had an accident in which passenger was
hurt. David Matthew came next as an
engineer since 1929. He spoke briefly and
told of his labors on some of the first loco.
motives. built in the State of New York.
Joseph Whitehead was then introduced az
the man who ran on the Stockton road in
1927 and George Davis bowed to the peo-
pie next as the man who built the locomo.
tive Sampson and first ran it. The noise
of the machinery in the building is very
great, but this is a machinery exhibition,
and no one must come near it who is moi
prepared for great rattle and bang Of
ponderous machines, and the whir and
buzz of smaller ones.
NOTES.
1 do not propose in this letter to take NJ
the great list of exhibits. There are sc
many so interesting, so intricate, strange,
beautiful, and some of them so peculiar,
that must examine and be myself cleal
as to their purposes before can speak in.
telligently of them. There are too many
strange entries which only need 70 be men
toned, but even these l can scarcely begin
upon in this letter, so confused DO / feel IL
the wealth of things worthy of mention
that meet my eye on every hand. How.
ever, let me say that there are some of the
Oldest and the newest, some of the most
primitive and some of the most beautiful
ly and delicately constructed articles.
SOME OF THE EXHIBITS.
Here is the first headlight ever made fol
a locomotive.
| IN al
The signal lantern that hung in the bel
frey of Old South Church when Paul Re
we're made his famous ride by night II
l775.
The first locomotive ever built-tht
original Rocket-constructed by the father
of all locomotive construction, George
Stephenson.
The first locomotive ever brought tc
America from England.
Three engines built in England for the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad in 1884.
The largest locomotive in the world
the Mastodon- weighing over 90 tons.
The "Grasshopper," the first locomotive
that ever turned wheel on the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad.
The first locomotive that ever ran sue.
cessfully on rails in Illinois, October, lS4S
An electric railway, making wide cir
cult of the building and carrying passen.
gers. But it was not put into operation
until to-day.
The early style of car wheels, side by
side with the Allen paper car wheel, the
latest triumph in wheel construction.
Fale boxes of every style imaginable,
change gates, change slides, change boxes,
car couplers by the hundred, switches,
bolts, nuts, lubricators, springs. scales,
brakes, refrigerators, car wall lining
alarms, registers, signal lights and Ian
terms, all manner of inventions relating tC
steam and locomotive appliances. car doors
windows, ventilators, roofs, seats, uphol
stery, panels, tanks, trucks, rails of al
kinds, ties, spikes, derricks, dumps, hand
and push cars, ballast unloaders, railway
watches, nut locks, rail joints, interlocking
switches, car pushers, arch bare, frogs
punches, automatic road and crossing sig
nails and alarms, car glass of every kind
bridges, pumps, bells, boilers, planners
matching machines, sleeping cars. berths
etc.
A VAST EXHIBITION.
This will give some faint idea of tn,
scope of the inventions and exhibits shown
but conveys no adequate information as TX
the number of classes of articles shown
which extend from pianos to grindstones
from electric lights to lead pipes, from
richest frescoing to pile.driver, from
rarest tapestry to coarsest mating, from
locomotives to shovels, from curtain pint
to the most beautiful machinery, from
monster locomotives to the most delicately
adjusted watches.
The exhibition building and its annexel
cover eleven acres of ground. The appli
cations for space have far exceeded thai
which can be granted. l prophesy for THU
great exhibition the completest success
and that it will be of the highest value tC
the country. W.