Evening journal., 1912-05-10
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Story Of the Building Of
Americas First Great
Railroad
By Holland


many years the leading partner in
one of the oldest and greatest inter-
national banking houses, was some
times prevailed upon by his friends TO
tell the story of the organization of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany and the manner in which the
first constructive work on the road
was done.
Mr.. Brown was familiar with this
story because the banking house with
which he was for years identified was
first established in the city of Balti-
more about the beginning Of the nine
teenth century. Mr.. Brown used to say
that in the early years of the past
century Baltimore was in many re-
spects the most important commercial
American city. Much of the foreign
exchange behind which stood Ameri-
can products like tobacco or grain or
cotton was negotiated in Baltimore
and from the wharves of that city
much the greater part of the COM
merce between the United States and
European ports was enlarged.
AS late as 1920" Mr. Brown would
say, Baltimore was regarded as sure
to maintain its commercial supre-
macy, although some oil the city's
merchants had begun to feel little
apprehensive lest the opening of the
Erie canal, which would connect the
Great Lakes with the navigable waters
OF the Hudson, would threaten the SUI
premacy OF Baltimore. These appre-
tensions we're realized abou 1926 or
1876. The completion OF the Erie canal
served to divert a considerable part of
commercial business from Baltimore
to New Yorg city The merchants of
Baltimore, under the leadership of
some Of those who had established our
banking house, had several meetings
for the purpose of deciding the best
way to meet and overcome the com
petition which New York city was
beginning to exert.
After a year or two it was demon
strated thar unless Baltimore did
something her commercial and finan-
cial pre-eminence would be lost to
New York. Just at that time the Bal
timore merchants and bankers heard
that an English engineer named Geo.
Stephenson had a railroad between
Liverpool and Manchester. whose mo-
tive power was exclusively the loco
motive Il seemed to these Baltimore
men as though the achievement of the
Engishman might he duplicated in
the United States Therefore il was
decided TO organize a company 10
build a railroad running westerly
from Baltimore ultimately to the Ohio
river They felt confident that il they
built such a railroad they would Off
set the commercial influence Of the
Erie canal
THE money was subscribed and the
organization was perfected; but then
very important question arose-whC
was the engineer who would show the
company where to lay out the line and
how to build the road?
1T has been my experience that an
emergency in the United States al
ways provides the man, and it was SO
in this case These Baltimore men
heard that there was a lieutenant in
the United States army who was an in
structor in engineering at West Point
They communicated with this man
they asked him to visit Baltimore. He
did so. and by a wonderful intuitiyg
grasped the situation and assured the
Baltimore men that the railroad could
be easily built.
They put the whole matter in his
charge. They sent him to England
where he spent a few months studying
the railroad which George Stephen
son had built from Liverpool to Man
chester. When he came back he be
gan the surveying and construction
Of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
and the first section Of the railroad
running westerly through much o
Maryland. was surveyed and In par
constructed by him.
IT sometimes think that this mans
name ought to stand pre-emineut IN
the list of American engineers whit
have done great things. His name wal
George Washington Whistler. and h
rose TO be a major in the army. But HI
will probably he better known to pos
terity as the father of James Abbot
McNeill Whistler. the famous and &c
centric artist. than as the enginee
who surveyed and constructed III
first part OF the Baltimore and Obi
Railroad. which was planned to sav
commercial pre-eminence to Balti
more"
Copyright, 1912, by F J Edwards
All rights reserved
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
Tho American Engineer Who Bull
-. .H..ra -. .