Smyrna times., 1885-11-18
For the Smyrna Times.
For the Smyrna Times.
Facilities for Travel on the Del
aware Peninsula-Past, Pres
ent and Future.
BY THos. B. CoURsEY.

If there are any who feel disposed to
complain of the present facilities for
travel on this Peninsula they should
take a retrospective view to the begin
ming of the present century, or even
seventy years ago if old enough to look
that far back. If not, inquire of some
one that is, who can tell them that at
that time and for years later all the
passengers from Lewes and be-
yOnd to the extremity of the Peninsula
in that direction, together with way
passengers from towns and villages ON
the State road below Wilmington were
transported by single stage drawn by
four horses and requiring six days to
make the round trip between LeWes
and Philadelphia. This was the United
States mail stage and the line run
through the State north and south.
At the same time a few stages cross
ing the upper part of the State east
and west transported all the passen-
gers between Washington and New
York. There were at that time nei
ther telegraphs nor railroads in the
United States. Any important matter
that could not wait for the slow coach
was sent by cOuriers on horseback with
relays on the route.
In 1909 the Newcastle and French
town Turnpike Company were author
lied TO construct a turnpike road be-
tween these two points and run stages
on the same, the elective points he
ing Washington on the one hand and
New York on the other. Hence it be-
came necessary to avail themselves of
the fruits of Fulton's genius to accom-
plish their object. Stages were of
course necessary to convey passengers
from Washington to Baltimore, thence
they took steamboat to FrenchtOwn,
thence stage to New Castle. From
there steamboats, took them to Tren-
ton, via Philadelphia, and stages thence
to New York. But this arrangement
could not last long as the population
of those cities were increasing 50 rap
idly that it would soon be impossible to
accommodate all the travel in that way.
TO meet the requirements Of the time,
the company in 1899 obtained a char
ter for a railroad from New Castle to
FrenchtOwn, at the completion OF
which the stages had to retire, the
horses be put to better use and their
places substituted by sinews of iron
There was a tram way at that time us
ing horse power from the granite quar-
ries of Massachusetts, and in 1927 nine
miles of railroad was built from Mauct
Chunk to the Lehigh river, but no To-
cOmOtives were used on either. We
! therefore think that although the
! FrenchtOwn road was not the first rail
road in the United States, it was the
first to use locomotive steam power
The first rails on this road were bars o
fiat iron laid on wooden stringers
| These, however, were soon removed
and replaced by 7 rails. Locomotives
at their first introduction, were yer!
crude affairs compared with the mag
nificent and powerful machines of tn
present day. Attempts were made a
early as 1770 to propel carriage b.
steam, but the first successful at
tempt was by Trevethick, in England
in 1904, who afterward adapted it t.
drawing wagons on the Nerthy
Tydvill railway Locomotive pOwe
was employed by George Stephenson
on the Killingworth railway in Eng
land, in 1914. The Stockton & Darling
ton was the first railway on which cal
riages travelled with passengers abOu
1921. The locomotive was still an in
perfect machine and did not make q
good time as a common carriage hOrs
some five or six miles an hOu
Speed was finally attained by sendin
the exhaust steam up the smOke-stacl
thereby creating a current sufficient
generate steam as rapidly as required
They have since been improved b
Stephenson, Baldwin and hundreds
others until they have attained almO
the speed of a swift-winged bird an
, are under perfect control of the eng
neer, seeming to be as perfect as min
; and matter can make them. With ii
locomotive thus improved, the bus
ness of this line increased from year
year, but was, in consequence of i
distractions found inadequate to Il
requirements of the travelling publ
and some enterprising gentlemen co
ceived the idea of an all rail from Ba
timOre to Philadelphia, and in 18'
formed n company and obtained
charter under the title of the Wilmi
ton & Susquehanna Railroad COmpaI
and were authorized to make a rOi
from the Pennsylvania to the Mar
land line, and in 1885 formed a uniC
y with the Delaware & Maryland Ra
road Company and in 1889 with Il
Philadelphia, Wilmington & BaltimO
Railroad Company,
If we are not mistaken the road
tween Wilmington and Philadelph
EV,fohoI md ov,nrokn1 hVVk -
\ whole line was completed in a ft
years and connected with the Bal
more & Ohio to Washington, whi
was commenced in 1928, and Camd
:. & Amboy, to New York, which W
commenced about 1888 to '36. T
o. cars on the Philadelphia, Wilmingt
& Baltimore Railroad were at this til
= ferried across the Susquehannah
Havre de Grace on the large aud pO
erful ferryboat Maryland. In 1855 t
company was authorized to build
bridge across the river at that poi
which has since been completed in
d, very substantial manner, so that
is now all rail from Washington
40 Jersey City and passengers may go
- sleep now at Jersey City and wa
up in Washington for breakfast,
great change from the old stage COS
of former years. This line, we p
81 sumo, carries more passengers I'll
any other line in the United States
equal distance.
en- Returning to the lower part of
Peninsula we find the old stage col
where we left it, still plOdding alC
cry between Wilmington and Lewes, IN
ing long and tedious trips, betw
ent Georgetown and Philadelphia. I
let lines of stages ran from Georgetown
fsP Lewes, Snow Hill and other towns
de- DE- low, bringing mails and passengers
Georgetown, where they were tri
,+ ferred to the larger stage at that pli
esh In 1926 a company was formed uu
ges, the title of the Philadelphia, Dover
ana Norfolk Steamboat and Transpo
ton Company, and obtained authO
~0' by an act passed in February of
year, to strengthen and improve
State and county road between Sea
2, on the Nanticoke, and Dona Lane
. on o tributary of the Delaware ]
The equipments of the line cOnsiste
two steamboats, and ten stages.
steamboat PHILADELPHIA was place
the Norfolk end Of the line and
steamboat Norfolk on the Philadel
40. end. Ten stages were run betv
- Seaford and the Landing on the 1
ware, drawn by forty horses, with
LAYS at St. Johnstown, Browns Bra
Camden and at each end of the rC
,eS' requiring a large number of no
which had to be of the best mettle
- had to be frequently renewed, re