New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-20
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
THE FIRST LOCOMOTIVE IN AMERICA.
1hE JOHN BULL THOUGH BUILT By STEPHEN.
sun. HAD sEVEEAL pRInICEsSO

OF HE Tribune Of April IL Informs tho public
u 'ne departure OF the original John Bull locomotive
e"e LOT chicago. but Is careful rot 20 give 1t the
priority claimed by o'hcr papers.-a claim regret
10 say TOO common for one tina, Is illioundcd That
Is lhe original engine by tina, name Is doubtless
'T"c' Ou, that II l. the nrst locomotive used upon
i ''"o"d Tor Passengers or freight In This country
"o' iur Nor Is the time when. nor The place where
hoi tie road on which the first locomotive used
IN TINS country correctly stated !, Il noteworthy
'la' AFTER the ap>e OF only sixty -four years this
coming summer 80 mach confusion and error should
exist upon 80 Important subject Too much interest
cannot be given 10 "r iclt In properly tN!ne ne
pace where was trst laid the iron rail over WHICH
was turned tie first whccl Of a locomotive IN thi5
hemisphere. II was not In New-York. Philadelphia.
Boston. Charleston Baltimore. great city.
or any great river seaboard town. where CONNER
cia thought and enterprise dominate. but II was In
the little borough Of lIonc>dac. in the county Of
Wayne. Pennsylvania. 13j miles west from the city
OF New.lork. 1t not the John Bull. the
Sannpure. the Alran or tho Best Friend. Jut it
was the Sioncbrdce Lion ttlat made the first runthe
pioneer In that vast system of railroad iral.sporta
ton that more tlian 100000 miles
In America. 1t is time that due credit
and justice should be accorded where 1t rightfully
belongs.
lloratio Allen. famous civil engineer after
completing his surveys and work for The Delaware and
Hudson Canal COMPANY on the lire which the
hrst locomotive was TO pass resigned his position ana
made n visit TO England and Wales IN 1s21 fer the
purpose OF examining the much takrdof system "fusng
steam as "a motive power In handling coal from the
mines. H. had heard OF The success OF GeorS"
Stephenson with locomotives. While on this visit
had some correspondence viii John i. JcrviS the
chief engineer OF the Delaware and Hudson Canal Conn
pany. who learning OF his PURPOSE commissioned him
to purchase the iron in England for the railroad be
tween Honesdae and Carlondale. and the chains to
be used for their Inclined planes and also TO purchase
three locomotives run on their rails. Mr. Allen
devised the plan or form the rail The ronmaStcrs.
except one or two, pronounced them I'M
practicable. He finally ordered Them made ut Mrr-
thyr Tydvl IN South Wales. but they were so badly
made that he refused Ia take them lie then
went TO Woverhamrton. England. and contracted for
their manufacture Here for the first his plan was
approved The rails were manufactured. shipped.
laid and formed tn. first railroad track Of the COM
pany intended only for steam power. The English
manufacturers continued 20 use Mr.. Aliens rdii. lie
could doubtless have Obtained Il patent Tor his
invention and secured Il large fortune, hn he gener
ousIy gave it to the public. While, In England Ia"
Liverpool and Manchester Railway WIS being con
structed the point was disputed whether 1t should be
operated by stationary power or ioc"mo'N" 'hHu''s
The prevailing Opl ioi among engineers seemed 10
favor stationary power. While the subject was Dehe
debated Mr. Allen ordered three locomotives bull
one for the Delaware and Hudson Canal Companys
road They were built under his SUPERVISOR, ~
suggesting many improvements upol 'hose lac h'u
sean one WAS the removal OF the ircbox from the
boiler and locating underneath In Tie ia oil leo
Mr. Allen returned to America. In the spring oil
1929 one of the locomotives built by George stephen
son n, Newcastle on-T yn" arrived IL was
kent on exhibition in New-iork at ue shop
OF E. Dimscomc IL Watcr-st Aho'her WAS o"'
hv Foster Bos wick d CO., OF Stonebridsc' fhsiahd
II was received and put on their road between Ion
dale and Carbondale IN the summer OF l'.'' Inns
I'm
handling of such strange machine WIS Vi sue"
doubtful safety that Mr. Allen Obliged 10 di'Pl
all fears on the subject by manning ana running
In person as Sulcyvilc. where H. reverse" "''
engine and returned In safety TO lloh"sda'"' Inns
was on August o. 1920. The whcle country for miles
around assembled TO witness the beginning "i '"'
greatest triumph In human progress and material DE-
velopment the wcrld has ever bchcd. This lo'om"
tive was called the Stoncbridgc Lion. "i'h'h siAS
davs after tn. trial OF the ctonebidge Lion, ana on
the 9th day OF october. 1H2o, the conp""" ">'
of locomotives took place at Liverpool. four i'como
lives being entered TIE Rocket took first pnle'
running fourteen miles an hour Um npp,iwny wa,
1880. the Liverpool ana Manchester hn n nils
81 ibc r n Of iirty miles an hour. This settled
the railroad question. The Rocket was h"n ~, The
country Great sur pic ion, ana DOUBTS NUM- oh 'no
success Of the s,oncbrdge Lion. but Mr. Alirn saw
Le, ond The present hour and int" graf n'i' ~
The new moyr pow"r Years ,, ' "ro ie scattering
fragments of first locomotive were gathered any
Company at their works replaced them WIN nv Jew,
and the StOncbridge Lion thus r"construel'u, wa" u,
placed in the Smithsonian Institute under IN" care VI
he Government Alr. Allen left lloncsdne, inc seem
Of his triumph for the city OF Charleston anu w."
charge OF the building OF the south 'aiollii Au w
c,u,n RoiIroad IEder his direction a IncoE"'iN's
was built a, Wes, Point called the Best ificld anu
nIaccd on the read November IoJo'
ana ana was the first one built In tiis c .,
irv and the second placed on raliIH" "h,"
in f. IL wa, then the longest railroad IN "N.
i.tencc aud tn frs ever constructed primarily
for passenger travel. They were both belCrr 'ns ",
John Bull In May, 1880 about hii.'n mile ",
ihc baltimore and Ohio Railroad were bnll' ana opn'a
Tor travel but only horse cars were u>cd Oh ~ Io'
veor after There only twcnty-lhee MI pl
roilrood I'm hi, country when Mr. Mlen put 'he
soncbiidge Lion in motion ~, ,,, T., ,or
Vow one word about the John Bull. wmch Is coz
stantlv bcInc represented the first lOtomutN' "hH
several preceded II in this country In - H,r'Dnrs
Magazine" for August. 1895, an artcl" VIII be loho
con aiming a full account Of American loonOuvr,;
which was Endorsed by IIOraiiO Allen. AZ pae" IT,
* the following: " In August. 1881, the locomouNr
John Bull built by George and Robert Stephenson
& Co. OF Newcastle upon Tyne. II wa T criV,n III
Philadelphia for the Camden and AnlbOy lIahsPoi'h
lion Company years after the Stonebridg" LION
was run on the IOnesdalc ans Carbonate, Ioad anu
one year after the Best Friend was IN use mp1" 'nr
smith Carolina and Augusta Railroad hope MAJ
hy the foregoing hi-tOiica, facts have ucc"dri III
turning public opinion toward the truth OF hlsl0ry
o e. V. X. LUD1NGTON.