Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-08-26
RAlLR0ADING SO YEARS AGO.
Burlington Man on the First
Through Train to Boston.
Fl. II. Howe Talks IntcreStingIy Of a
Two Days Battle with snow
Drifts between Burlington
and Middlebury in 1850.

Railrooding in Vermont sixty years
ago. There are few people in the
state or In the country who can re-
member It, but there is one man In
thls city who was an express messen-
ger when the first Rutland train
came into Burlington. II. II. Howe Of
30 South Willard street was n young
ma when the Rutland Railroad com
pany completed its tracks into Bur
lnSton and he was on the first
through train that ran from Bur
iinRton TO Boston, December is. 1s49.
ON that occasion there were great
festivities and the road we, onened
with appropriate ceremonies A lug
Of water from the Atlantic Ocean
md one from Lake Champla,n were
PUT upon the trains starting from
Boston and burlington and when the
trains met at Mt. Holly the waters
were mingled At that place here were
speeches and general merry making.
Apropos Of his Mr. Howe says that
the story that cask of rum was
opened and passed around In tin cups
Is false. Az least. no such thing oc-
cured to his knowledge and he was II
participant In the fcstivities, as he
was an express messenger on the
train.
Tho company for which Mr.. Howe
worked was Bigelow e. Fiske ono Of
tho many local express companies
which preceded the great corpora
tions of to-day. The regular train
service was begun between Bcrlinz-
IN,
during that winter there was the
most severe snow storm that Mr.
Howe can remember. HIS train pulled
out of Burlington on a Monday morn
ing with two engines and force Of
40 or 80 men for the purpose of
shovelling. They left this city at
seven o'clock in tho n,orni~g but by
niEhtfall they had gone only as far
as North Ferrishurgh. A. the men
were about tired out they laid up
there over night and started the next
morning to continue tho fiTnt with
tho storm.
Tuesday. working all day with the
same force Of mon and the two en-
Pincs, IT was nftcr dark before they
reached New Haven. distance Of l2
and tho next day at ten o'clock in
tho morning pulled into Middlebury.
where train coming from Boston
was met, The way was thon easier
and they made Boston Thursday. It
must not be Inferred from the above
that the regular time was slow and
little I'm advance of stage coach
speed. on the contrary. It was re-
markahly fast. The regular trip took
about ~ hours. or from seven in tho
morning TO about five or six o'clock
at night It is now made In leas than
eight hours.
The make up Of the trains in the
early fiftes was rather primitive,
There were no observation cars. no
diners. and no sleeping cars. There
was the engine followed by n com
hination car which included baggage,
express. and sometimes a smoker.
and ono Of two passenger coaches.
Tho "TudloW" 90 ton engine. pulled
tho matt train ont of burlington for
good many wears. The "Chester",
another engine Of the same type. ram
between Rutland and Bellows Falls
for long time. In 1853 train ran
from New York city to burlington in
eight hours. and this was the regular
time In took ouly 10 hours 10 go
by train from New York to Montrea1
Mr.. Howe thinks that tho good old
days beat even tho present for sroed.
Before the coming Of the railroad to
Rurlingtnn Mr.. Howe was an express
messenger and carried express by stage
y, nF
railroad to Burlington once each week
The Burlington banks ut TINT time kept
deposits in Boston for the redemption Of
their bills and there was \ large amount
~ money IN the messengers hands each
trip The merchants, also, II they had
occasion to send money 70 Boston, did
so by means of the express. Mr. Howe
carried n large carpet bag in which he
sometimes had as much as $4,000" AT one
time.
At tn time the late Gov. j. r. Page
was cashier Of the Rutland bank and he
lived about half mile from the hotel.
Mr.. Howe arrived in Rutland at 100 p.
m. and he had to deliver the money i'm
mediately ut the house Of Mr.. Paige.
The road was lonely and with an aver
age Of $50 eco or $4,000 in the old carpet
task Mr. Howe SAYS that he often used
to ride from Rutland to- Ludlow, over
Mt. Holly. with s'0,oo In his charge and
only the stage driver for COMPANY And
during all this time he never carried a
gun and was never held up.
In 1872 Mr.. Howe was conductor on the
railroad and for some years he served in
that capacity He says that he knows
Tf n,,l, ,,.t loA