Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-31

Description of One of the First Railroads
Operated in This Country.

" hAlLkOADs VOL No.
A Description of One Of the First Railroads
Operated in Thi. Country.
Correspondence Of The Evening s..-
ELkroy. Mp, December 50. 1891.
The young man OF the present are finds Il
particularly hard 70 rcalize the difficulties q
travelling long distances experienced by the
people Of generation ago. Watts kettle had
made everything possible. but the possibilities
OF steam were not dreamed Of even after Full
ton had stolen RamseyIs thunder and begun 20
traverse rivers against wind md tide. What
steam might yet 30 to annihilate space wac con-
sidered at it's popular value by the friends Of
the enthusiastic Stephenson, who bade him
curb his ardor lest the prstension OF ability 10
move heavy bodies on . tramway at rate Of
twelve miles an hour should be deemed a Wild
vision of lunatic. The concessions OF the
fretted spirit who had to rc,nce the rate At
winch he expected steam cars 20 move from
twelve miles an hour 20 eight. in order 10 keep
within reasonable bounds. tell- the youth OF
today more than . sermon could Of what an
age may develop.
But Stsphenson's hopefuiness found less i'm
mediate encouragement than did the doub.ingr
OF the sconers, and il was many years before
the railway began TO show that the vision Of it's
protector WAS not wild. The rice OF the loco
motive with the stage coach from Baltimore TO
tLc htiay mouse. IN winch tne equine ttce0e
landed the wager, is only one specimen OF
what man had TO accomplish before the tee
kettle should develop into the unclaimed light
ming. This problem, vet 20 be solved, had its
amusing accomplishments in the earliest or one
Of the earliest passenger tramways of this coun-
try. which ran from New Castle on the Della
ware to Frenchtown. this county, on the Elk
river.
PRIMITIVE RAuwAr
The steamboat had suggested swifter way
Of travelling from Philadelphis to Baltimore
than the old numbering stage coach, whose
ten miles an hour was only reached BY the
sacrifice Of the horses heart and so IL came
TO pass that . connection from New Castle 90
French.own Was established. Passengers were
changed from boat TO car at one end Of the
rail. staged across the peninsula and conveyed
in steamboat to the further Journey The
turnpike was destined 10 be superseded by
the railway, and after . hard tussle gave up
the contest. But the railroad. What shall be
said OF Its sleepers and OF Its csrt-tire track?
1t was an improvement over the rough pike
even when horses still continued to supply the
motive power.
But when ii came to the steam there was the
rub. The engine was built behind closed doors.
lest some Paul Pry" should catch a hint. and
when it was finished il became a laughing stock
People laughed till they cried at the idea OF a
gresshopper pulling a stage coach. but when IL
did move they stopped laughing till IL was
hooked to car. Then the laugh began again.
Ii could move a little Bit on a dead level but
when the grade was reached. ten feet in q mile
all 1t could do was to hiss and phiz.
The road referred to was OF the first built
IN. the United States, and the very first upon
which steam was successfully applied. The
company after much trouble was granted
charter by the legislature of MARYLAND at its
session of 1928 and 80. 900 was tbs amount
OF its capital stock. After considerable delay
work was finally commenced looking to the con-
struction Of the road, and in the year 1881 the
last rail necessary 10 the completion of the
road was laid As in modern times, the rails
were placed exactly the same distance apart
but instead of being laid on wooden sleepers,
| as are the rails of the present age, they were
set upon blocks Of stone, which measured ten
to twelve inches square In these stones were
drilled holes of sufficient size TO admit a wooden
plug. 1t was upon these stones that the rails
OF the most peculiarly constructed railroad ever
built were laid.
WOODEN RAILS USED.
Now at that early day steel was not thought
Of, and queer as it may appear to us living in
this advanced age, nevertheless it is true, the
| rails upon which the iron monster was to GO
laundering over was nothing more than cou-
mon wood These rails were about six inches
squa8e and measured some twelve or fifteen
Ieet IN length. They were made fast to the
| stones by the use Of piece Of fat iron not IN
| like the letter IL" This piece Of iron was
fastened to the stone by means Of Q large spike
driven in to the rails through hole in the iron.
Placed about three feet apart were the blocks
| Of stone, and each stone contained two OF these
iron attachments, one on either side OF The rail
Shortly after the construction Of this peculiar
| road it was discovered that il was impossi-
BILE to proceed any great distance without the
| care leaving the track, which was due 20 the
| spreading of the rails. This was finally rem
edied by substituting ties that would reach from
Il nf thar i'm ha la
This was before steam was tried, the cars at
| that time being pulled by horses In 1888.
after steam was introduced, the company was
| compelled to rebuild the road, and this time
instead Of wooden rails iron ones were substi-
tuted. These rails were also n great curiosity,
| being hollow and shaped like two capital LIE
with the horizontal part Of one reversed and
the upper part OF the two letters Joined to-
4 gether. They were made fast to the sleepers
\ by means OF spikes which were driven through
| the fange Of the iron. Tradition tells us that
three days were consumed in making the trip
| from what was then known the Bull Frog to
Frenchtown, distance of less than one mile.
! 1t was not always destined to make such slow
| time, however for after 1t had been working
| for some time the trip across the country from
the picturesque Elk TO tho waters Of the Della
| ware, a distance of nearly twenty miles was
made in less time than one hour Passengers
| were taxed twenty-five cents for the entire trip
and twelve and one-half cents was charged for
baggage not eAceeoing lWpounds- 1he engine,
which was the hrst seen in this country was
called the Delaware and was constructed in
England. When the Philadelphia, Wilmington
and Baltimore railroad was built the business
Of the Frenchtown and New Castle road began
to decline, and in the year 1854. after being in
operation for twenty-three years, she finally
gave up the ghost Today the bed or the most
part OF il is under cultivation, and the only
| thing that remains Of the first railroad In this
country is a few dilapidated buildings then
used by the company as Offices.
Alexandria County Notes.
Among the many Christmas festivals none
| were probably more successful or afforded more
IL