Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-03-01
AN INTERESTING RELIC.
kskTuckv's LIBRARY GETS WHAT
IS LEFT OF A RAILROAD.

kENruckY'S LIBRARY GETS WHAT
IS LEFT or A RAILROAD,
n 10 . ri~rs fr~sn ~ Fsrss hallway Wess
~ tie Aiisg,.saies-A 1se.a Acesases
C~n.<. the Nanss,osas - sas.stsses
Her~s Poser for Sseaus.
: State Litrxrian Thompson, through the
suggestion Of Col john 0. Hodges. OF
Lexington, and the courtesy VI Vice Pres
ident VI. H. Smith of the Louisville and
Nashville railroad. WAS put into possession
Of relic for the state liorary. which has
an interesting bit Of history attached TO
il. The relic consists Of two large stones.
e.ct, about four feet long, eighteen inches
wide and twelve inches deep. One stone
j, followed ont on the top, the full length
of the nlfiIle, about two and one-haif
inches wide and two inches deep On the
edge of this chiseled indentation is a Hat
strip Of bar iron about two and one-half
inches wide. fastened with iron spikes
driven into drilled holes in the stone.
The other stone has the bar iron fastened
At the edge of the outer surface. These
stones arr all that is left of the first rail
road west of the Allegheny mountains.
and the second railroad ever built in the
United States.
STONES FOR s1RINGERA.
The road had its beginning in Lexing-
ton. Oct. 81, 1881, when the corner
stone" was laid with appropriate public
demonstrations. 1t was finished to this
city, distance of twenty-eight miles,
in December, 1885. stone sills like line
Of broad flat street curling in cities. tax
ing the placeof what is now called string
ers, to which the rails were fastened.
The ordinary straight or slightly curving
lines of the road were constructed with
plain fiat surface stones. but for the av-
erage or heavy curves, the stones with a
/ chiaeled gutter way in the center were
used as double precaution to keep the
fiange Of the wheel from jumping the
rails.
The engineers OF the day claimed that
the road was the safest and most sub
ssantial that could BE- built. but it was
found that for any length Of time the
action Of the machinery pressing heavily
against the edge Of the stone rendered il
liable to wear and crumble. requiring
constant attention at great expense to
Keep the road in good repair. Despite
all this care and cost in the construction
this road had the honor Of the first rail
road accident in the United States This
-,
point about two miles the other side Of
this city From a report of Thoma.
Smith, president of the Lexington and
Ohio railroad. of which the Lexington
and Frankfort was part. published in
1896 and reproduced by Col john O.
Hodges for his March number of The
Trades Journal. the following excerpt is
aiken.
Notwithstanding these precautions OH
the occasions alluded tu, the fianges Of
the wheels OF the engine. while passing
with the usual speed over an embank-
ment, lost their hold upon the rails. and
before the brakes could be used the en-
CINE and several cars, one Of them con-
taining large number of passengers.
were upset and broken Two individu-
ais were killed and several wounded. 1t
is probably not within the scope Of human
inv ention to devise a means OF travelling
entirely free from all hazard.
WHAT ONE ACCIDENT DID.
The locomotive first used upon this
railroad was built by Joseph Bruen, of
Lexington, in 1885. 1t had an upright
boiler and two upright cylinders and
lever beams. both attached to one axle.
with crooks at right angles. Bruen got
his idea from Thomas Il Barlow. who,
it was claimed. built the first locomotive
in the world at Lexington. 1851
Barlow had car for two passengers at
tached to his locomotive. which had
power to ascend an elevation eighty feet
to the mile. In May. 1897, it was opened
for public exhibition in a large room over
Joseph Bruen's machine shop, where an
oval track around the room was con-
structed. This was the first train in
western America Gen. Leslie Combs
and DIR. W. s. Chipley rode in it at fifty
cents trip. The locomotive was after
ward exhibited in Louisville and other
cities in the south.
The accident referred to. lin conse-
quencc Of the responsibility Of the suf-
ferers and the novelty of the occurrence. .
directed public attention SO strongly to
it that the company substituted horse for
steam power in the transportation Of
passengers. This primitive mode of con-
structing and conducting railroad was
continued until 1872. when change of
ownership brought with it a change from
stone to wooden strinyers and return
10 steam from horse power. An inclined
| plane at Arsenal Hill. in this city. was in
use until ls49. when the tunnel was COM
pleted to give entrance to the city and
connections with the division OF the road
to Louisville part of which. from the
center Of Louisville To the Portland
wharf. had long been in successful oper-
alton. -Frankfort (ky.) Cor. Louisville
| Courier-Jnurnai.