Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-20
STORY OF THE
FIRST RAILROAD

0HE world was thousands of
years old. The great Atlantic
ocean had been crossed and the
United States had become an
established nation, but still
people kept tn the old ways of travel.
They believed that any plan 10 carr,
them from place to place faster than the
old stage coach was a dream to he
laughed at. When it was discovered that
steam could be used to move machinery
and that steamboat could work its own
way through the water most people be-
gan to think that no greater wonder
could be accomplished. About seventy
years ago a coal digger in the Northum-
brian mines of England invented loco
motive. Stephenson claimed that his en-
CINE could take the place of horses in
drawing coaches along tracks.
AS he was a man who had very little
book learning he could not give bright
answers to those who asked foolish ques-
tions about his wonderful scheme He
knew, though, that his ideas could be car
ried out. Finally he went to the house
OF commons OF England with a PROPOSE
ton to build a railroad between Man
chester and Liverpool. How the men,
bers of parliament, who supposed them
selves very wise. laughed at his plan of
whisking people through the air in such
an undignified and careless manner. For
their part they were content to jog along
the rest of their lives in the clumsy old
stage coaches such as their fathers had
used.
Had it not been for the merchants of
Liverpool who saw that the building of
the railroad would add to their trade and
thus add to their wealth, Sterhenson's
plan would have failed for the time.
These men subscribed the money neces-
sary for the project. In December, 1876.
the road was begun. AS Stephenson had
none of the modern appliances for. blast
ing rocks, boring tunnels, building
bridges nor sinking piles in marshy places
the work of laying a generally level track
took four years. Today inventions are
welcomed by the whole world. The la
boring man and the millionaire are alike
interested In such wonders as the airship.
In those days il was very different. The
wealthy were satisfied with their COM
forts, while the poor thought every in
vention where machinery could perform
the work of people was an invention to
them poorer. When the first trip on the
railroad was made the nobility of Eng
land were the passengers.
All along the way the working people
placed their threatening mottOeS- III
fact, a riot was feared. but the strong
arm of the law preserved peace and
quietness Those who rode were delight
ed at being carried through the air so
rapidly. They said that 1t seemed as II
they were flying. To journey through
hills and over streams on a level road
was such a wonder to them that they
said the impossible had come to pass.
In our country the first railroad of any
Importance was opened at Charleston,
s. c., I'm 1881. On account of an accident
the popularity of this road came near
meeting with disaster. The fireman was
q negro who became greatly annoyed at
the kissing steam at ii escaped from the
safety valve. In the absence of the en-
gneer he fastened down the valve and
then to make doubly sure that the noise
would cease sat on the top. You can
easily guess what an explosion followed
The result of this action caused people
to fear riding in the new railway cars
until a barrier car filled with bales o.
cotton was put between the locomotive
and the first passenger coach. The pub
lie had also to be assured that no one
but the engineer would be allowed &c
touch the safety valve. In some OF the
first trains the locomotive started at the
signal from the conductor, who blew mu
steal notes from a tin horn.