Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-22
RAILROAD RATTLE,
Notes OF News Picked up Among the Cars
Personal Mention

Personal Mention.
The first railroad in the United
States was built in 1926, was four
miles long and was constructed to
carry granite for the Bunker Hill
monument. The corner stone OF
that historic pile was laid on June
IL, 1925. by Lafayette, and in the
same year Gridley Bryant, wealthy
man in Boston, bought the old
Quincy granite quarry for the monu-
ment for 1925 if they would cut and
transport it. The offer was gladly
accepted. Then Bryant said he
would construct a railway to carry
the granite from the quarry to the
nearest tide water The stone was
to he carried thence in vessel to
Charleston. Thus it was that the
first railroad was conceived and
built. the work being done in 1926,
by Col. L. II. Perkins, a noted en-
gineer of those days. Its first cost
was $50, 900, and its method of con-
struction most curious to the rail
road builders of to-day. William n.
Gardner. now 81 Years old, and a res
ident of this pretty suburb of Bos-
ton, tells how it was, for he was the
stonemason who did all the stone
work. 1t was laid to a 5-foot gauge
on stone sleepers, the rails being SIX
inches thick ard twelve inches high,
and covered with iron plates. The
wooden rails were afterward replaced
by stone ones, so that in the end
complete stone road was the result.
The Tiskilwa Wreck.
AS usual in such cases it is hard to
get at the exact amount of damages
in railroad wrecks owing to close
mouthed officials. 1t i said. how
ever, that $25, 900 will rot cover the
loss Of Thursdays catastrophe at
Tiskilwa. About 20 horses and 40
head of hogs were killed. A pecu-
liar happening in connection with
the wreck was that horse from the
car right behind the engine of the
stock train was hurled through the
air and lodged up on top of the
steam chest of the other engine,
where it was found when the crash
was over.
Along the Tracks.
George Hull. of the Rock Island &
Peoria; has Just returned from a trip
to Chicago and the great Columbian
exposition.
Robert Williams. yardmaster of
the Rock Island & Peoria. is back
from an extended trip north and to
the Worlds fair.
James Fuller. of the x. |. & p.
freight offices. leaves this evening
for Chicago to spend week viewing
the sights of the Worlds fair.
George G. Chambers. travelling
passenger agent of the Sante Fe. was
making calls in the three cities yes
terday in the interests of his COM
pany.
Travelling Passenger Agent Jones,
of the Northwestern, was in Rock
Island the latter part of the week.
looking after the Turner excursions
and other matters of business per-
tanning to his company.
Charles Laraway. manager of the
lunch counter at the c., K. l. & p.
depot. is enjoying n S-weeks' trip
to Chicago and the Worlds fair.
The counter in the meantime is being
managed by his brother. H. Larawav,
of Chicago.
The c., X. l. Il p is doing itself
proud in the way of platforms. The
one in front of the passenger depot is
being extended up and down and the
tracks are all being planked, which
makes it decidedly more convenient
for passengers getting on and off
trains.
The employees of the Rock Island
shops, at Davenport, have been cut
down in hours so that they now have
4 half holiday on Saturday. In ad-
dition to keeping all the men en-
ployed, it seems to be agreeable to
them to have little rest during the
hot weather.
Some men have queer ideas as to
what constitutes joke. a stock
man coming east on the Rock Island
4 couple of days ago was standing on
the platform of q caboose. and as the
train passed through Walcott. Ia. he
reached out his foot and deliberately
kicked section hand in the face.
who was standing long side of the
track. and then nearly killed him
self laughing over his funny move.
The telegraph headed him off, how
ever, and he was pulled off the train
at Davenport and fined. as indeed he
should have been.