The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-02-02
FACTS CONCERNING
. RAILROADS OF US.
History Of RalIroadIng In This coun,
try Very AttractiveIy Set Forth
In Booklet Recently
Issued.
MISSISSIPPI IS BR1DGED
But Not Until After Abraham Lincoln
Successfully Carried Appeal to
the Supreme Court,
Was 1t Done.

In booklet entitled "The Wealth
of America" the Boston National
bank delineates the development OF
land transportation in this country,
from its first crude stages to the
present system Of railways.
A part Of the context Is as follows:
Since the Pilgrims set foot on
Plymouth rock, America has passed
through all the successive stages
that mark It's growth as a
human achievement-from the car
ry1ng of game and other burdens
on the backs of men over forest trails
to the bearing Of pounds with ease and
speed on the wonderfully equipped
modern train electrically driven or
stem-propelled over shimmering rails
of steel, through tunneled mountains,
across trestle-spanned gorges and
cunningly bridged rivers.
Burope's population per mile of rail.
road is nearly six times ours. while
cur railroad mileage to SQUARE miles
of area Is nearly one-half larger than
hers.
Before locomotives were perfected.
railroads were in use both in England
and America to facilitate the moving
of horse-drawn loads from mines and
quarries.
AS long ago as 1868. Oliver Evans
was experimenting in the uses Of
steam power, and in 1772 actually
operated steam-driven machine in
the streets Of Philadelphia, but could
awaken no interest in his invention.
Other American inventors produced
|steampower vehicles in the early nine
teenth century. But diminutive en-
CINE of two and half tons weight,
built by Peter Cooper in 1S29-3O was
probably the first American locomo-
tive to run on nails, making its trial
trip In Maryland, August, 1880.
Regular Service Begins.
Regular service on the Mohawk &
Hudson road began In October, 1881,
but trial trip was made on August 8,
when ne Dewitt Clinton" three
and a half ton locomotive, hauled six
coaches from Albany to Schenectady
IL Understanding the same day.
The coaches" were made by fasten-
ing old stage bodies to trucks fitted
for running on rails.
At the close of the civil war the
city of Cincinnati, as a needed COM
chattanooga, at cost Of $1S,000.000.
! 1t was at once leased to the Cincin-
natl, New Orleans and Texas Pacific
railway.
In recent years the city of Cincin-
natl has been receiving from this
source an annual income exceeding
81 100000.
This situation of city standing as
the protector and builder of a railroad
is probably unique in the world.
Across Mississippi.
When the first railroad bridge across
the Mississippi at Rock Island, Ill, was
completed in 1856, the ST.. Louis
steamboat companies Immediately de-
manded its removal as nuisance and
obstruction to navigation. In April.
1860, the United States district court
of Iowa adjudged the bridge a nui-
sance and ordered its entire removal
within six months. Abraham Lincoln,
who had been retained by tho bridge
company, carried an appeal to the SUI
preme court and with great effort Sc
cured, by narrow margin, reversal
of the district court decision which
had made illegal all bridging of the
Mississippi for railroad purposes. For
some years permission to build rail
road bridges was accompanied by an
order that the draw must stand open
at all times except when train was
crossing.
The first steel bridge in the world
was built for the Chicago and Alton
railroad across the Missouri river in
1879.
Nearly a hundred miles Of railroad
Ii I-,aitcad SfntQG