Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-02
PAST AND PRESENT.
A Talk Before the Philosophical Society
of Washington.
Mr.. WATKINS DISCUSSES THE DIFFERENCES BE-
TWEEN ENGLISH AND AMERICAN sYsTEMs-Hov
THE RAILROAD BECAME PossIBLE-THE BEGIN
NINss OF MODERN TRANSPORTATION

cIuo was covered saturday evening with speci-
mems of old fashioned railroad tracks and
models and drawings illustrating the develop
ment of the rail, the locomotive and the rail-
way car. These were used to give point to re-
marks made by Mr.. j. Elfreth Watkins. curator
of the section of transportation at the National
museum IN paper on The Origin of the Rail-
way Systems Of England and America and the
Causes of the Differences." Mr. Watkins first
discussed the beginnings of modern Transport
tation. The time was ripe for the railroad and
the steam locomotive when it came. In England
the demand for coal becoming more and more
urgent as the forests disappeared directed
thought toward the improvement of modes of
transporting 1t from the collieries. The growth
of the iron industry also called for cheap
methods of procuring coal. Wooden rails.
from the collierles to the water courses, on
which cars were drawn by horses, materially
reduced the cost of coal used for manufacture
ing and for household purposes. The improve
ments made by Watt in the steam-engine, be-
tween l715 and 11S5. aided in mining coal and
increased the production. As coal was cheap
ened the price OF iron was reduced, and it be-
came possible 70 use iron rails for the tram
roads. Mr.. Watkins traced the DEVELOPMENT
of the rail and exhibited drawings of the rail.
designed by Robert Stevens, of America. the
hrst rail rolled with base, which marks the
American system.
LA1ALi NONb-bAONS IN AMEhlCt.
Coal was mined on the James river in yir-
ginia as early as l770 and was used at the
Westham foundry to manufacture shot and shell
during the revolutionary war. As in England,
tram roads were employed as a means of trans
portation. The first locomotive that ever
turned a driving wheel on tine western CONT
nent was imported from England in 1929 for
Use on a coal railroad. Thus coal, iron and the
railroad, even before the invention of the loco
had lly- Ir11rAO ant, 10
in the foundation of tine great systems of trans
portation. Mr.. Watkins discussed briefly the
different stages of the development of the steam
engine up TO the production of the locOmo-
tiye-Watts stationary low pressure steam en-
CINE. the high pressure stationary engine. and
the high pressure locomotive, with a multltu-
bular boiler and steam blast. America. with
Its many navigable rivers, he said, presented a
much more urgent need for the steamboat than
the United Kingdom. If Soho. with Watts ma
chine shops and trained mechanics. had been
transferred to the vicinity of New York he be-
heved steamboats, would have been running on
the Hudson, the Raritan and the Delaware long
before the close of the last century.
STORY OF FULTON.
Mr.. Watkins told an interesting story of the
manner in which Fulton procured the means
for building the ..Clermont." Napoleon. in
1906. wanting to devise some means of towing
barges with troops from the French coast to
hours the start of the English fleet he could
march an army into London. Being familiar
with Fultons experiments the Seine. he
sent for Fulton. The English government
paid Fulton large sum. said to be 1900 or
$4,000. to return, and with this money Watt
bought the engines for the ClermOnt Mr.
Watkins said he mad this story from the grand
son of the man TO whom Fulton bad told it,
and who had frequently repeated it to his
grandchildren.
The cause of delay in the development of the
locomotive long after stationary engines
were i'll use and the engine had been applied to
boats was. Mr.. Watkins said. due to unsuccess-
fui experiments with low pressure engines
The prejudice against high pressure engines on
account of the fear of explosions. was shared
even by men like Watt. The first locomotive
was used on cOlliery tramways. and then being
improved was used for passenger transporta-
ton and general Traffic. first on the Stockton
and Darlington road. in England. in 1925 The
failure of early experiments was due in part to
the defective manner III which tracks were laid
Stephenson. he held. deserved as much credit
iOr improving tracks for his connection with
the intention OF the locomotive.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLAND AND AMERICA.
Mr.. Watkins described at some length the
difference in environment that led to the diff
ferences in the English and American railroad
systems. Ut the outset in England the smaller
area and denser population provided better
prospect of remuncrative investment to rail-
way builders. The British railway projectors
had q trained force OF civil engineers to draw
upon. and many machine shops. coal mines and
iron fOundrlcS. 1t was possible to build via
ducts of stone and TO construct roads with
slight curves and small gradients. Tracks
were laid with heavy iron rails attached BY
strong chairs to stone sleepers imbedded in
stone ballast. With the exception of making
the rail heavier and substituting iron and
wooden cr0ss-ties and improving the joints
there has been no great change in the English
system OF track laying i'll the last fifty years
The stations at the start were made objects of
architectural beauty. But at that time the
only place III the United States where
engineering taught was West Point
When the cornerstone of the Baltimore
and Ohio's road was laid III 1928
there was not rolling mill in the United States
where Trails of the character laid on the Man
chester and Liverpool railway could be rolled
The only rails rolled in America for several
years were strap rails. The Delaware and
Hudson canal company was obliged to import
locomotive from England in 1929. Most Amer
lean roads i'll the early days were laid with
wooden rails capped with strap iron. The
Mount Savage rolling MILL in Allegheny county,
Md. rolled the first rails in America in 1874.
The nrst Trails were rolled at Danville, Pa.
in the following year. The bridges were sim
pie timber structures, while in England the
first railway bridges were substantial iron or
stone structures. which are still standing. In
America. Mr.. Watkins said. il would be diff
been rebuilt in the last fifty years. He ex-
cepted the stone viaducts constructed by the
Baltimore and Ohio. English capital cut
through instead OF passing around rocky hills.
THE PIONEER RAILROADS.
In this country railroads passing through
sparsely-settled districts had to be built cheaply
or not at all. The construction of English
roads in 1895 cost $4,000 mile; in this scoun-
try the cost was from $4,000 TO $1,000. The
Manchester and Liverpool road cost SSs, 900 a
mile. In this country some singleHrack roads
had been built where the topography was fav-
orable as cheap $500 a mile. and such roads
had performed important service in developing
the country. The projectors of early Amer
lean roads had difficulties in getting conces-
slons- They were opposed by farmers. who
feared that II steam took the place of horses it
would lessen the demand for hay and oats
Persons interested in stage coach lines also op-
posed the railroads. the mode of construction
OF tracks had It's effect in developing types of
locomotives. The small amount of curvature
on English roads permitted the construction of
locomotives with rigid axle. and without a
'bogle or truck. The police regulations rem
dered the steam-whistle and cowcatcher unne-
cessary. In this country. wood being plenty il
WAS used for fuel. and this led to the difference
in the construction OF locomotives.
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN CARS.
The condition of society in England, and the
exclusiveness of the high classes had brought
the compartment car into use in England and