The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-21

back the whole length Of the train. Each
or the outside passengers who had an UNI
brella raised ii as protection against the
smoke and fire. They were found to be
but momentarY projection, for think IN
the first mile the last one went overheard,
all having their covers burned of from tie
frames, when a general melee took place
among the deck passengers, each whipping
his Deighbor to put out the fire, They pre-
sented very motley appearance on arrlv-
ing at the first station. There rails were
procured and dashed between the trucks,
taking the slack out of the coupling chains,
thereby affordiug us more stead run to
the top OF the inclined plane at Schenec-
tady.
The incidents off the train were quite as
61riking as those on the train. A general
notice having been given OF the contem-
plated trip, it excited not only the curiosity
Of those living along the line of the road,
but those living remote from it, causing
large collection of people at all the inter
sectlng roads along the line Of the route.
Everybody, together with his wife and all
his children, came y distance with all kinds
of convey ances, and being as ignorant OF
what was going as their horses, drove up TO
the road as near as they could get, only
looking for the best position to get look at
the train. As it approached the horses took
fright and wheeled, upsetting buggies. car
riages and wagons, and leaving for parts
unknown to the passengers, il not to their
owners, and it is not positively known that
some OF them have yet stopped.
Previous to the trial trip Of this locomo-
tive train on the Mohawk and Hudson rail-
road, the coaches had been drawn by horses
being fret hauled up an inclined plane out
of Albany by "a stationery engine, at the
top of which the horses we're attached to
them. The conductor of this pioneer loco
l0hr, n CLARK IF
trauspor alton of the road. he was the
first railroad conductor in this country.
Before that the drivers Of the horses that
pulled the coaches collected the tickets. The
signal to start the train on this memorable
occasion was given by Conductor Clark
blowing a blast on tin horn. His place on
the train was on the platform of the loco
motive near the smokestack, which was in
the center Of the engine. He went through
the coaches aud collected the tickets, which
had been sold at hotels and other public
places. before he gave the signal to David
Matthews the engineer, to start. This inn
portant and historical railroad trip was
thought worthy of as much space as the
following in the Albany Argus Of Aug. IL,
1881, two days after the event:
"'MOHAWK AND HUDSON RAILROAD
On Monday, Aug. 8, 1881, the "De Witt
Clinton attached to train Of cars, passed
over the road from plane to plane. to the
delight of a large crowd assembled to wit
ness the performance. The engine per-
formed the entire route in less than one
hour, including stoppages, and on part OF
the road its speed was at the rate of thirty
miles an hour
That pioneer New York railroad was
fifteen miles long between Albany and
Schenectady planes. In spite Of the credit
able performance of De Witt Clinton and
other primitive locomotives, however, it
was several years before the company de.
fidence in its being successfully utilized on
the road by the machines then acting as its
medium, for as late as 1886 horses were still
kept in readiness along the line 20 help out
refractory locomotives on their trips.