The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-07
TRAVEL SIXTY YEARS AGO.
New England Experience by Train and
Stage Coach.
People who Took Short Journeys Only
Had Plenty of Time to Get Acquainted

vicinity people who can remember when
the only railroad there was the one run
ming to Hartford about sixty years ago,
and when the only thoroughfares OF any
consequence between here and New York
city were the Long Island Sound, over
which the steam boats went once day,
and the big stage road from New YORK
to Boston through Bridgeport, Norwalk,
Stamford and Greenwich. A It that time
1t wassnot thought feasible to have rail-
road from that city to New York, be-
cause it was not thought that 1t could
successfully compete for the passenger
and freight traffic with the steamboats,,
as 1t was said that steamboats, were more
comfortable that the cars for passengers.
ana the boats could Garry freight cheaper
than 1t could be carried on the four
wheel freight cars that were in use on
all the railroads of that day. Natural
water ways like the Long Island Sound
were thought to he advantages that
nothing artificial, like railroads, could
ever hope to compete with, says the New
Haven Palladium.
The locomotives on the Hartford and
New Haven road were small machines,
weighing about nine tons. engine and
tender both included. Coal was not
then thought of as fuel for American
railroads, and the tender was short,
four-wheeled affair that held about half
a cord Of wood. The tender had to be
replenished at Merlden and Berlin.
There was only one pair of driving
wheels, three and one-half feet in diane
ter; and under the huge faring smoke
stack and Loiler was pair of small
trucks about twenty-four inches in dia-
meter. On the side of the boiler was the
name of the locomotive in three-In Oh
brass letters. The first track trat was
laid down. was composed Of bar iron two
inches wide and one-ha1f inch thick
laid lengthwise. These sleepers were 16
feet long and 4x6 inches thick. They
were laid upon cross ties that were about
three and one-half feet apart. The
weight of a locomotive of those days be-
Ing nine tons, and an ordinary freight
OnA uOOuU 4OuL UOab WlCA lO0uCuy Az 1O1-
lows that one locomotive and twenty
one freight cars would weigh about as
much as one of the big m ogul looomo-
tives of the present d ay.
But the freight and passenger trains Of
those days, small and insignificant as
they were. used to make big racket as
they pulled along through the country.
The passenger trains nsed to go from
here to Hartford in two hours and half
in warm weather, but iii the winter it
usually required three hours to make the
trip. The train was usually composed
of two passenger cars. eaon car aoo0mmo-
dating about twenty -four passengers.
On the top of the passenger car was an
iron railing about a foot in height,
which YVES placed there SO as to form a
place to.carry trunks and other baggage
of the passengers. The brak eman had
top, where he manipulated sort of lever
brake. Each passenger car had four
wheels. and the seats ran across the car.
Entrance was effected by sliding door
in the side of the car. There was at first
no stove in the cars, but about tie year
1870 a small sheet iron stove that burned
wood or charcoal was used to make the
passengers comfortable. The freight
trains were composed usually of half a
made eight miles an bour they thought
they were making excellent time.
The engines before described were APP
parently much larger than they really
were, owing to the fact TINT the smoke
stack was such a big faring thing, about
foot in diameter at the base, running
up about six feet in height. At the top
of the stack it was about two and a half
feet in diameter. When the smoke and
steam poured ont in dense Glands and the
engineer rang his bell as he approached
a station, it was really an inspiring
sight, and the horses of that day used to
dance in fright In consequence of the
appearance made by this new monster
that YVES in time to revolutioniZe travel
throughout the country.
The old stage coaches that used to run
on the highway between New York and
Boston when New Haven was one of the
prjn cipal stations on the line were pecu-
liar institutions. There were very few
that travelled either for business or pleas
ure, and when man did travel he was
supposed to be very forehanded or else
that he represented some very wealthy
Institution or corporation. The usual
price for carrying passengers on the old
coaches was from to 10 cents.per mile,
according to the speed and aocommoda.
lions. LII person had to ride on the roof
OF the coach, where there were seats for
from nine to fifteen pers0n he could go
for cents mile. If he was an inside
passenger where there were accommoda-
tions for twelve, he must pay 10 cents y
mile. In the dead of winter it was much
plehsanter to be an inside passenger. But
in warm June day, when the cool
breezes came off the Sound, it WAS much
pleaaalter to be an outsider. When ever
the coach stopped for meals the pHssen-
GER had to pay 1871 cents for breakfast
or supper and rs cents for dinner. If he
wanted q stimulating beverage he had to
pay six cents for q glass of French
brandy. three cents for glass of gin or
Jamaica rum and two cents for glass
Of whisky. If no purchased Il cigar he
generally paid ono cent for one made of
domestic tobacco, or three cents if he
TOOK warranted Havana cigar. The
stage driver, as may be supposed, was
also great man in his way, and he was
generally on terms of intimacy With
every prominent person along his route
which was about forty-flve miles. He It
was who would give out important news
at Eevery stopping place where it was
asked for, and when he stood at the bar
of a hotel with his long drab overooat
canning down to his heels, he looked like
one of the old English coachmen Just
stepped out of a frame of picture of