The San Francisco call., 1896-09-10

THE FIRST RAILRoAD-A large number of au-
thorities give it as TACT tn lat the first railroad
in the United States was the one that was built
from the Quincy quarries to tidewater on New
port Greek, already mentioned in this depart
ment, but A. N. Hungerford OF this City in
letter to Answers to Cores pondents, differs
from these authorities. He writes:
The first railroad in this country was the one
built on Beacon Hill, Boston, by Silas Whitney in
1907 eighteen years before the one from the quar-
ries was built The second one was built by
Thomas Leiper in 1909 in Ridley Township Della
ware County, Pa The survey and draft Of tae
road were made by John Thompson. and the origi-
nal map is now in the rooms Of the Delaware
County Institute of Science The road three
quarters of mile In length and the estimate Of
cost was 1882 Al. 1t was used in Transporting
stone from the Ridley quarries TO tdewater on
Ridley Creek a tributary of the Delaware. The
rails were woOd. and the road continued in for
nineteen years when it superseded by iron
rails and a canal The first railroad chartered IN
the United States never built. The charter
was granted in about 1915 and the road was 10
have run from the Delaware River near Trenton
to the Raritan near New Brunswick.
In 1916 railroad was built in Western Penn
sylvania on the Kiskiminitas River and used
to convey coal to Andrew Bogg IS salt works below
Salisbury. on the 9TH Of April, 1928 the New
York Legislature granted charter to the Della
ware and Hudson Canal Company TO construct
canal and railroad from the coal fields OF Pennsyl
yanla to the Hudson River at Rondout, n. Y. The
canal was completed in 1928 and the railroad in
1929 The latter was sixteen miles long aud
tended from Honesdale to Carbondale. In 1873
miles in length, including branches, TO haul gran
ite blocks to the port OF Newport from the quar-
iron plates three inches wide and quarter Of an
inch thick. In 1927 the Mauch Chunk Railroad
in Carbon County, Pa, with four miles of siding,
built TO connect the coal mines of the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company with the Lehigh
River. The road was nine miles long. In August,
1880, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad for the
carrying of passengers and freight from Albany to
schenectady, distance of seventeen miles, was
commenced, and was opened for travel september
H. 1881 The charter was granted In 1925. On
the 18th OF February, 1927 the Maryland Legisla-
ture granted charter TOR the construction Of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which was the first
one in the United states 10 carry passengers.
Its construction was commenced July 4, 1928,
Charles Carroll of Carrollton laying the corner
stone. The road was opened from Baltimore TO
Elliotts Mills, a distance of thirteen miles,
May "a, 1880. The Charleston and Hamburg
Railroad was chartered by the South Carolina
Legislature. December 10, 1927, the road was
begun and six miles were completed in 1929 and
opened for travel December 8, 1880. Inc road
was completed a distance of 135 miles in Septem-
Der, 1888 then the longest continuous road in the
world. All these roads used wooden rails with
iron plates on them, and some roads used such as
late as 1850. In 1888 wrought iron rails Of Eng
lIsh manufacture were laid down part OF the
line of the Baltimore and Ohio before the road
was constructed to Point of Rocks. THESE rails
were known as the Blrkenshaw rails. having been
patented in England by John Birkenshaw on the
goth of october, 1920. The Clarence rail, i'm
provement on the Birkenshaw, was used the
Allegheny Portage Railroad. The II rail was first
used on part of the Boston and Lowell road which
was completed in 1885