The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-10
sTEPHENsoNs fRlAL TRIP.
%he Inauguration OF Railways in Belgium
Account Of an Eye Witness.

%he Inauguration OF Railways in Belgium
Account Of an Eye Witness.
brussels letter.
We have Just been celebrating the fif-
tieth anniversary of the establishment
of railways on the continent of EUROPE.
Belgium was the first country on the
continent that took up StephensOns
idea at first with anything like alacrity,
and on the 9Th day of May, 1885, the
first official experiment with train loco
motives was made at Brussels amid
great manifestations Of popular wonder
and delight, and in presence Of King
Leopold |, accompanied by the diplo-
matte corps, his ministers and ediles.
The inauguration of railways on that
occasion was of most important char
acter, and as have been lucky enough
to happen on an account OF
the proceedings that characterized
the 9Th of May, 1885, in Brussels,
written twenty-four hours after the
great fete, may be permitted to trans
late it. Having described the various
preparations for the starting of these
wagons, of one of which he is an occu-
pant, he pictures his sensation as fol-
lows:
No! no. no. One can not form any
idea, without having personal expert
ence thereof, of the feeling that mas
tiers the entire human system when one
sees ones self hurried along for the
tolpho riding hypogriphus might be
able to understand it; but it is no
longer phantasy of Ariosto's, referred
to so humorously by Cardinal BembO-
here we are face to face with grand and
solemn reality! The eyes roll in wonder
or rather in stupefaction. Trees, men,
and houses are whirled along as if by
magic. Transiunt ct ecce non Grant!
do not know what took place in the
other wagons; but in ours JOY reigned
supreme. The passengers laughed,
wept, or wrung their hands in delight
at the speed of the vehicle! And, to
complete our happiness one Of my
friends, an engineer, seated next to me,
whispered in my ear: You see that
gentleman to my left-that firm looking
Anglo-Saxon tigure-whose features are
so calm and meditative, and whose head
is crowned by those white, venerable
locks? He is Stephenson, the laureate of
Manchester, the genius to whom we
owe this wonder of wonders
Il Immediately addressed myself to
Stephenson, who quietly aVOWed his
identity, and when the other passengers
in the compartment were made aware
of the presence Of the great engineer in
their midst, we all. without exception,
rendered him a frenzied ovation, and
he had to shake hands all around and
receive the hearty congratulations of
his sincere Belgian admirers. Without,
on the way from Brussels to Mechlln,
the spectacle was in @ cry sense worthy
the occasion. Stray huts and villages
emptied themselves of their inhabitants,
who rushed along either side of the
railway to feast their gaze on the won
derful engine Along the passage from
end to end We witnessed one long file of
men, women, and children.
"Crones of some seventy winters
knelt down in the fields and made the
sign of the cross, looking upward to
the sky ever and anon, as if in mute
prayer; others held their arms extended
in the attitude of stupefaction, and
somewhat of ectasy. These primitive
hearts were laboring under an extra
ordinary emotion. During all this
time oxen and horses, feeding on the
pasturages of the prairies around, fed
wildly in all directions-the COWS bel
lowing and the horses neighing-ter-
rifed beyond measure at the presence
and quadruped the fascination seemed
almost the same.
What strange and what a joyous
day! Our attention being for mo-
ment turned from the spectacle by
three salvos Of artillery that hailed our
passage at Vilvord-a demonstration
that prompted wag in our company
to remark that the goodly steeds draw
ing the train would not, he hoped, be
too much frightened by such attentions
we continued our route without fail
ing to find till we arrived at Mechlin
the same crowd of curiosity-seekers,
and to feel the same emotions that
dominated US from the start
Gould you guess the prevailing idea
that passed through our minds during
the journey1 1t was this: 'Ah' people
cried-'ah! if Napoleon had had such
as this at his disposal, what
might he not have won't This peace
festivity, after all, had TRANSPORTED it.
self into a festivity OF war. When one
compares the slowness of the diligences
of the best category with the speed of
even the slOweSt train, one can not but
feel astounded at the progress of |
science. In a short time, however. Gus
tom will make US quite familiar with |
these monsters, and the time will come
when the oxen of the field will not even
turn aside their heads to look at train
passing by Thus doth progress march,"