San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-07
AMERICAS FIRST LOCOMOTIVE.
Unique Distinction of Horatio Allen, Re
Gently Deceased at south Orange.

Unique Distinction of Horatio Allen, Re-
Gently Deceased at South Orange.
Horatio Allen, who died at his home in
South Orange, N. j., recently, was the first
man who ever ran a locomotive on this con-
tinent. In the year 1922 Allen was appointed
as an assistant to John B. Jervis, chief en-
gineer of the Delaware and Hudson canal,
and showed such tact for railroad and en-
cheering enterprise that he was during the
latter part Of 1927 commissioned by Chief
Engineer Jervis to go TO England for the
purpose of purchasing the necessary iron and
chains for the construction of railroad be-
tween Honesdale and Carbondale, Pa, a
distance of some fifteen or twenty miles He
was also instructed To arrange for the build
ing of three locomotives
On his arrival in. England he sought out
Stephenson before whom lie laid his plans
for the construction e tne three locomotives,
but as Stephenson WIS very brsy Il; :. tiins
he refused the order Allen. ,,'C .ii>cuuraged
at the refusal, next cGll'yl III Foster, Ros-
wick & Co., of StAurbriLge, england, who
finally agreed 30 Construct the locomotives
Allen remained with this firm, studying the
"Onstrl "..ou and workings Of the different
PARTS Of the engines, until the fall of 1928,
when he returned to America. The first of
the three Locomotives was shipped from
England in April, 1929, and arrived in New
York the following May. 1t was one of what
was called the ''Grasshopper" make, and was
christened the 'Stourbridge Lion" from the
fact of its having had painted in red on the
front Of its boiler fierce lions head.
Soon after its arrival it was set up at the
West Point foundry, foot Of Beach street,
New York, its body resting on blocks, so as
to enable the directors of the company to
witness its workings. The locomotive and
tender were both four wheeled, with spokes
and feloes of wood and iron tires and wheel
centers The locomotive was without cab,
cylinders upright, and walking beam on
each side applied the motive power to tho
wheels, 1t was not until the following sum-
mer that the 'Stourbridge Lion" was re-
moved from New York. The delay in for
warding 1t to Honesdale, Pa, where it was
destined, was occasioned by the canal not
being open. On its arrival at Honesdale it
was placed on the newly constructed track,
alongside the canal, and preparations for its
initial trip were made under the direction of
Mr.. Allen.
On the Sth day of August, 1922, at Homes
dale, the trial trip was made, commanded by
Horatio Allen himself. The event very nat
urally caused the assemblage of large and
curious crowd, which came from within a
radius Of forty or fifty miles to witness the
interesting spectacle. 1t is said that an old
Queen Anne cannon was brought all the way
from New York to Honesdale to boom forth
its applause in honor of the great occurrence.
The people predicted that Aliens effort to
successfully operate this engine would prove
futile, most likely by the breaking down Of
the track, the rail upon which was laid on q
continuous treStle of hemlock timber; in fact,
few of these present had an inclination to
trust their lives on the Lion. Mr.. Allen, nom
apprehensive of danger, jumped up and took
his position ON the locomotive, at the same
time declaring that if there was any danger
he was ready 10 meet it. Pulling the throt-
tie valve open and running a few times slow
ly backward and forward, and sending q
cheering good-by to the crowd, he dashed
swiftly away over the swaying trestle and
around the dangerous curve, thus setting in
motion the first locomotive engine that ever
turned a wheel in the western hemisphere
The track over which the engine ran was
Of scrap iron, spiked next the inner edge to
large hemlock sleepers. At the time of the
trial trip of the locomotive the timbers and
ties, although having been securely connect
ed, had become warped, and it was marvel
GUS that the engine remained on the TRACK.
The railroad crossed the Lackawanna river
over a trestle AS the locomotive passed
over the road its weight firmly pressed every
thing underneath down to its place on the
roadbed Mr.. Allen, after running the
Lion" a sufficient distance to enable him to
rpcOoniZe its merits reversed the enpine and
returned to his starting place at Honesdale,
amid the applause of hundreds of sghtseers,
without encountering an accident of any
kind. Allen was engineer, fireman, con-
ductor, baggagemaster, brakeman and pas
senger Allen was at one time president of
the Novelty works of New York. and at the
time of his death was in his nineteth year
William Morris Hayes in New York World.
Mr.. Kelly's joke.