Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-01
RAILROAD BUILDING.
Progress of this Glass of Highways in
Fifty Years.


The Boston and Lowell Railroad Com
pany recently observed the tiftieth ami
versary OF its opening. The Trareler de-
votes considerable space to review Of rail
road progress Fifty years ago there was
only one short railroad west of Albany
viz, that running out as far as Science
tady. In 1888, a citizen writing 10 the IL
bajty ArguS, predicted the following deyel-
Opment of travelling facilities:
" Chicago is on the great Western thor
oughfaTe TO the Valley of the Mississippi
and in few years we shall have regular
chain of steamboat, railroad and stage COM
munication from the city of New York to
St Louis and New Orleans on this route.
Thenatural route is a railroad from Albany
to Buffalo, steamboat from thence to De
troit a railroad across the territory to the
mouth Of St. Joseph's river about two
hundred miles, a steamboat from thence
across the lake to Chicago only forty-tive
miles, and a railroad from Chicago TO the
Illinois river, one hundred and ten miles,
where it viii meet steamboats, OF the largest
size from New Orleans and St. Louis, and
this will complete the route. When this
route will be established you may travel
from Albany to st. Louis III nine days and
| il Will combine such advantages of GER
tainty, safety, comfort and expedition, to
say nothing of the great attraction Of coun-
try and places through which it will pass,
that, in my opinion. il Will be the great
thoTOughfare between the Atlantic States
| and the Valley of the Mississippi. If this
be SO, the interests of St. Louis, Chicago
Detroit, Buffalo, Albany and New York are
identical, and should be so regarded,
The first railroad constructed in the
United States was in 1927, when three
miles of road with iron track were built
! from Quincy to NepOnset 10 be used solely
| for the purpose of Il sporting stone. 1t
| had strap-irOn rails, and the motor was
! horse power. But year later, viz, on In
| dependence Day, 1925 work was begun on
! The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. in two
! years fifteen miles of that road had been
| completed. The investment of capital in
| that way was considered foolish, nor was ii
| generally believed at that time that rail
| road would greatly facilitate travel Il was
not till 1880 that work was begun on the
| Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, n section
which has since been incorporated into the
! New York Central. A year later seventeen
miles Of that road had been put in opera
ton.
1t was five years before, or in 1926, that
! the first boat had gone through the entire
| length of the Erie canal. That means OF
| transportation reduced the cost OF moving
| 4 ton of freight from Buffalo to New York
from 800 to so, and reduced the time
from twenty to eight days. On August s
1899, the first locomotive was brought into
practical use on the Baltimore and WOr
cester Railroad. II was one of Stephen
sons, and was named the StOurbridg,
Lion The railway advocates had de
clared that if their plans could be carried
out, passengers could be transported in per
feet safety at the rate Of thirteen miles al
hour. This statement provoked a grea
deal of Tdicule. A newspaper correspond
( ent expressed great Indignation that rail
road proprietors should attempt to deceive
the people in that way,
To-day there are hardly less than 1850
miles of railroad in operation in this coun
try, and the capital represented in Ties
, | roads is little short of 81 GOO 0UQ 600. Il
1888 the capital then reported in thes
roads was s., 70S, 060, $50. The railroads il
that year transported over 400,00O,000 ton
of freight, and they gave employment I
about 100000 people. The speed Ia
been brought up from thirteen miles a
q hour 70 forty miles and in some instance
/ sixty miles. The strap-iron rail has disap
peared, and the solid iron rail has give
place to the steel rail. The old boX-car
=, have been supplanted and in their place az
q parlor and sleeping cars Great lines {
e railroad traverse the continent, and a tri
a from New York to San Francisco in 81
b days is now SO common an event that n
+ one thinks of it as out of the ordinary lin
t OF experience. The world moves, and tn
d railroads are moving it. Neither has tn
o maximum of speed, comfort and accomm,
5 dation yet been reached. But the fiit
years have brought marvellous changes.
: these Improvements were to go on in Il
j. same ratio, what would be condition
n railroads as to travelling and transportatic
o facilities in fifty years hence?