Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1910-09-19
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Locomotive That Was
Not StephenSOn'S
BY "HOIland."

! DR.. Plimmon II. Dudley is probably
( the best known man of science In the
world in his particular field, which is
the relation of metals to railroad rails
and other railroad use. IL was his
metallurgical studies that made posi-
BILE the development of the modern
highspeed locomotive. Recently he re-
turned from England, where he at
tended the international railway con-
gress.
while there" said DR.. Dudley, Il
! took time 10 run down to Newcastle-on-
| Tyne to see what remains OF the plant
where George Stephenson, who is
/ popularity. though enormously, looked
upon as the inventor i'm toto OF the
/ railroad locomotive, turned out his
! first locomotives. / had pointed cut
20 me the shop i'm which Stephenson
! built the first two locomotives that he
sent TO the United States, and In this
connection ] was surprised TO learn
authoritatively that at least one loco
motive that Stephenson made for
American use was his largely in
name only.
1T was in 1880 that John b. Jervis,
who died in 1885 at the advanced age
Of 80 years, became chief engineer OF
the old Albany and Schenectady Rail-
road. That year. ] believe it was, the
road received from George Stephenson
and put into service a locomotive call
ed John Bull" But, despite the stur-
dy character of its name. it didn't
work very well. The grades were too
heavy and the curves too sharp, two
difficulties that Stephenson did not
have to contend with TO such a degree
in his native land
THE failure OF the locomotive to
live up to the expectations Of its pur-
chasers proved a sore disappointment
and no one was more chagrinCd than
the roads chief engineer. who, never
I theless. made up his mind that the diff
/ iiculties must be overcome TO this
end he made a minute study of the
mechanism of the John Bull finally
reaching the conclusion about two
years later that the problem of TAX
! ing the curves easily and without dan
ger of n wreck would be solved by
giving the locomotive a swivel truck.
He had already decided that the
grades could be overcome by increas-
ing the steam power of the locomo-
tive--a comparatively simple matter
and with these two ideas in mind he
set out and designed a locomotive in
cooperating them. Then he had an
engine. which he called Experiment
built at the West Point foundry. That
was i'm 1882.
I've may safely say that the 'Ex-
pertinent was a successful one. The
West Point foundry, however, was not
adequately equipped for locomotive
manufacture, so II was decided to send
the plans and specifications of the 'Ex-
pertinent to Stephenson and ask him
to build a locomotive along those lines
for the Albany and Schenectady. He
did so, the locomotive in time reached
this country as a Stephenson product,
! and, being taken by boat TO Albany,
was put into service on the Albany
and Schenectady fulfilling from the
start everything expected of it in the
way of surmounting grades and taking
curves.
"The use Of the swivel truck, as ap-
piled to locomotives, Mr. Jervis gave
10 the world and the principle is IN
4 operation to this day. Nor was thai
the only important work that Mr.. Jer.
Wis did In the name of transportation
He took a prominent part in the build
ing and then the enlargement of the
Erie Canal. The Hudson River Rail.
road between New York and Albany
was largely constructed by his plans
and under his supervision. AS presi-
dent of the Rock Island. he was a
leader I'm railway development wesi
OF the Alleghanies. and within two
years after he had become president
of the old Pittsburg and Fort Wayn,
Railroad I'm 1861, he brought its stool
up from a value of eight cents on tn,
dollar to a point where 1t paid a year
ly dividend Of 10 per cent. Yet the
only public monument, so far as
know, that perpetuates his memory Il
to be found in part Of the name OF thu
town of Port Jervis. n. Y"
Copyright 1910 by E. j. Edwards. Al
rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
'sThe First Meeting of William II. Sc
ward and ThurlOW Meed.'