The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-08-13
THERAILROADSCARE
ooo Effects oF T-E FIRST sio-T
cF a LocovcTwE.


America caro1t iaT claim 20 the first
locomotive Or the frst railroad. That
great honor lies with England Yet
Yankee -e-i-s was not very Far behind
her. fcr. when George Stephenson
launctei lis drst real locomotive. the
Rocket. cn the Liverpool and Manches-
tsr rad in is--4 tie drst spike bad been
driren On the Baltimore aud Ohio rail-
road July . IS. by Charles Carroll
g Carrolifo1. the last surviving siguer
q the ueciaratiou = IndepcndeOce.
THIS vas fte frst road started ia the
United S-Etey ald in lso0 it had reach
- Ellcott Muis. - nlles from Balti-
more
B1t the south can claim the honor %
courittlr- fte longest railroad 60 the
world at that date. being the old
Charies-Cu aud Hamburg road. now
rsrt of tle south Carolina and Georgia
system. which was begun in l>3o. and
hr October. iss3. 10 lad 10 miles o.
track in operation. 90 a letter from
Mr Samuel a. Clarke ~ Georgia.
tirsuau q tie writer. who attained
the extreme age ~ % years and who
LAD seen The BE- nulns and the compile
ton of ibis road De- thus gives lis ex-
per.euce upon FIRST sight u a loc0mO-
tive.
zone day while going down 10
Charleston with a party of gentlemen
90 attend the races as we approached
the city we saw in the distance the
new railroad. finished some i0 or i
miles ont o. Charleston. II was built
urou piles. longer ~ short. according
20 the nature Of the ground. Sometimes
Co crossing ravine the rails were 20
feet from the surface. Our track ran
near this elevated road. and soon
horrid shriek as from - panthers was
heard On the woods. By this time we
were nervous. Elephants and liovs
we had beard Of. and some Of Us had
seen them. but what monster was this
whose screams we heardf Presently
II came In sight. flying aloft through
the air and breathing fire and smoke.
and our frightened steeds became un-
manageable. and in fact I think that
I some Of our party were as badly fright
c1ed as their horses. II any of my
readers are old enough 10 remember
I the Introduction Of locomotives and
how they felt at first sight % them.
| they VIII perhaps understand our sell
satiOns that day IN the pine woods.
a mile or two farther on we came
/ 20 a broken wagon by the side Of the
/ road. and near II sat n Georgia cracker
/ smoking his pipe on being asked
n IA D.
I stranger, I've often hearn tell Of uulli-
fcatiOn. and now / reckon I've saw IL
for true"
II is somewhat amusing now 10 read
OF the superstitious dread with which
the inhabitants looked upon the build
ing Of these first railroads. Some
thought the smoke of the continual
passing trains would cause pestilence
or destroy all the crops along the road.
Others were afraid 10 ride on the cars
for fear Of having their breath taken
away. and the people In the cities OBJ
jscted 90 the railroad being built be-
cause they feared the smoke from the
engines would soil the clothes which
were hung out 20 dry.
Many are yet living who looked upon
the terrible, screeching iron monster
with awe and trepidatlon. Mr.. Nat Nc
Gee Of Ivy, Albemarle, tells joke upon
himself that when he heard the train
coming he jumped from his horse and
got behind a tree, where he viewed II
for fear Of being run over. Mr.. w. T.
Prouf who was taking wagon load Of
produce 20 Richmond, when he reached
Gordonyile heard the whistle and ter
rIble noise Of the approaching train,
and lie and his companions were so
scared that they sprang out, leaped the
fence and ran across the field 10 a safe
distance, leaving the wagon and team
10 rs fate. but when the train appeared
/ II was only an engine and one coach.
/ The first roadbeds were formed. as
/ has been stated. by driving piles in the
/ ground, upon the top OF which were
| placed wooden stringers, I'm which were
cut a groove for the wheels 10 run
These were called wooden railroads
and at distance appeared Ike the ele
waited railroads in the cities OF the pres
ent day. The honor Of this Invention
was contested between John Hartman
OF Scottsville. Va. and John Williams
an engineer II Ohio, but II did moi
prove a bonanza 20 either. for the
wheels were constantly bouncing out oi
the groove, and the piles soon aftel
gave place 10 solid dirt embankments
and strap iron rails were substitute,
for the wooden groove. But the grad
ing was very imperfect and uneven
which made riding on one OF thes'
primitive railroads like going over I
corduroy road In a sprngless wagon
with the cars bouncing over thes'
rough rails 20 the Jlngllng music Of tn
wlndows.-Rlchmond Dispatch.