The Washington herald., 1914-07-04
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How the Rsilrpad Idea Wa. Ez-
panded.
Written erprrssly for The Hsraldl
BY DR. Il. J, EDWARDS.


Written expressy for Ths Hsraldl
BY DR. L. J. EDWARDS.
In the spring OF 1sSs. the late John W.
Garrett. whose lifework was the devel-
opment Of tfe Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road. spent a few days In Charleston.
8. c. He told me at that time that he
was taking a little vacation. and that
he was fond OF going to the South IN
the early spring months. As he was
wholly at leisure. had opportunity for
several talks with him and found him n
delightfully."- reminiscent companion. He
was not disposed TO speak Of the Balf-
more and Ohio Railroad as II was az
that time, but he fingered fondly upon
some OF his recollections OF the early
days Of this property.
when the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road was finished to Parkersburg. on
the Ohio River. IN early fifties, we all
thought that the final terminal had been
established there" he said. I'VE had
constructed a railroad which communi-
Gated with river navigation even as far
as New Orleans by way of the Ohio and
the Mississippi Rivers and the RAILROAD
at its eastern terminal at Baltimore.
Therefore we were convinced that there
was nothing further TO be done The
Ohio River and the railroads together
tween the East. or that part Of the
Atlantic seaboard, of which Baltimore
was the metropolis, and the West
ut was. not very long. however. before
We realized that We were mistaken and
that the growth OF the West and the
enormous interchange OF commodities
between the East and the West would
make 1t essential that the line be ex-
tended to the great cities Of the Mis-
sissippi and the Ohio Valleys"
A year or two after Mr. Garrett had
spoken this to me l repeated II to the
late Charles c. Clarke. who was asso-
ciated with Commodore Vanderbilt from
the time the commodore began the con-
solidation of various lines into what be-
came the New York Central and Hud-
, son River system.
~ can match Mr.. Garrett's recollec-
tons said Mr.. Clarke. I remember
well when the Erie railroad was char
tered and when its construction was
completed as far as Dunkirk, on Lake
Erie
Everybody said that with a terminal
at Dunkirk. on one OF the Great Lakes.
all OF the facilities for transportation OF
commodities between the West and the
East by way Of the Great Lakes as far
as Buffalo had been furnished by the
completion Of the Erie railroad to Dun
kirk. which possessed a fine harbor. The
belief was that Western shippers would
consign their freight by water as far as
DunkiTk and then cause II 10 be shipped
to the Erie road, which would bring II
TO the harbor OF New York. The Era
Canal was furnishing good facilities. but
II was very slow navigation and was. o.
course. closed by ice from late fall 10
spring.
1T was only a few years after the
Erie was built to Dunkirk that II be
came apparent that this would by no
means furnish transportation needed.
and that the idea which had earlier
prevailed that II was necessary to build
railroads from the seacoast to navigable
waters east OF the Ohio waters or the
Great Lakes. but not necessary to build
them any farther was a mistaken idea.
Nobody realized that the stupendous
growth Of the Western country was -
he. and that II would he facilitated by
the construction of railroads which paid
no particular attention 20 naviGable
waters.
THAT was the fundamental idea of
Commodore Vanderbilt upon which ne
based his plan of creating trunk line
operating between Chicago and New
York city"
tCopyrighi. 1914. by T J. Edusris. All rights re
seTred.l