The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-02
AMERICAS FIRST LOCOMOTIVE.
History OF the ''stourbrIdge LiOn"-Tho
Experimental Trip-A Description.
IPittsburg Dispatch]


IPittsBurg Dispatchl
The first locomotive in America was
brought from England by the Delaware
i Hudson Canal company, placed upon
the track and given its trip at Homes
dale the site of which was then laurel
and hemlocl; thicket, broken only for
the construction of half dozen
humble houses. 1t seems strange that
the first locomotive on the continent
should have been tried in this obscure
spot, and upon a railroad which, though
now doing atremendous carrying trade,
employs none at all, but such was the
fact
The locomotive, which was called the
'fStourbridge Lion" was built in Eng
land in the city whose name it bore,
under the supervision of Horatio Allen,
an American, and a civil engineer who
had been engaged upon the company's
mountain railroad. 1t was intended
for use upon the so-called ''leVels" of
the road between the planes, whose
stationary engines supplied the power
necessary to draw up or lower coal-car
trains. Allen returned to America in
1923, and the Lion" became veritable
lion of New York in the succeeding
autumn, being given partial trial
there (the wheels were reVolved while
the body of the strange mechanism was
supported upon blocks), greatly to the
admiration of the metropolitans of the
time.
Brought to Honesdale by canal in the
summer of 1929, it was duly placed
upon the track and duly given its initia
tory trial Aug. 8, before a great crowd
of people who had come from the sur
rounding country, some of them many
miles, to witness the novel spectacle.
1t was thought to be too heavy for the
trestle-work, of which the railroad
largely consisted, and many predicted a
disaster, but Allen, who was to act as
engineer, was willing to assume the
risk, and bravely started out alone.
The trestle creaked rather ominously,
the people lifted up their voices In
cheers, and the clumsy little pioneer OF
locomotives sped along the strap-ran
track with considerable swiftnesS and
as smoothly as could be expected.
1t was run only two or three miles,
but the experiment demonstrated the
practicability of the use of locomotives
and convinced the most far-seeing at
last that they were to form the trans
portation of the future. The 'Stourbridge
Lion" in proportion to power was large
and cumbrOus compared with those OF
the present day, and not of strikingly
handsome appearance. 1t had no cab,
but was supplied with a small tender.
The wheels of the latter, and of the To-
connective itself, were four in number.
The spokes and felloes were wood; the
tires and hubs of iron. The cylinders
were upright, and the power was con-
veyed to the wheels by walking beam
on each side. The smoke-stack was
straight, and there was nothing about
its construction, or that of the entire
machine, which was ornamental. This
locomotive was little used upon the rail-
road, horse and gravity power being
employed, and the latter finally taking
the place of the former entirely. Some
portions of the locomotive are still pre-
served at Carbonate.
Horatio Allen, who enjoys the dis
tinction of having been the engineer of
the first locomotive in America, is still
living, a hale old man of 81 years or
thereabouts, and has comfortable
home in South Orange, n. J. When he
made the trial trip of the Lion at
Honesdale there were but twenty-three
aniIes of railroad constructed in the
limited States, and now there are about
100, 900 miles in operation. He LETT
the scene of his now distinguished
labors and assisted at West Point, N.
Y, in the planning of the first locomo-
motive built in the United States and
the second one placed upon a track.
This was THE Best Friend of Charles
ton, placed upon the South Carolina
railroad, connecting Charleston and
Augusta, Ga, on Nov. ?, 1880.