Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-28
cts GREAT TO BE A
GEORGIAN"
BY John 7. BOifeuil1et

1t has become a proverb-a legend-to
the travellers on the lines OF this progress
sive corporation. 1t has an instructive
value
Day by day each passenger looks with in
terest for the informing and entertaining
poster-announcement which the popular
and familiar maxim is the comment. FIRE.
quently / experience fresh joy in reading
the declaration, which at times is historical,
then biographical, or literary, may be sta
| tistical, or patriotic, perhaps poetical, and
so on.
I am confident that the ringing refrain
Its great to be Georgian''-has caused
many grouchy passenger to hush sounding
his doleful note, and strike chord of hope
and gladness.
A few days ago the following statement
appeared in the Atlanta street cars:
The first passenger railroad in the world
ran from Augusta, Ca to Charleston, S. G.
First train January, 1881"
Here the worthy Homer, Of the Georgia
Railway and Power company, nodded, unless
all my readings of the early history of rail
way building have been faulty.
England Had the First
Numerous encyclopedias have informed
me that the first railroad in the world for
carrying passengers was the Stockton and
Darlington railway, England. 1t was au-
thorized by parliament in 1921, and its open
ing for business was on September 9th,
year, the company commenced to run a daily
coach called the Experiment" capable of
accommodating about twenty-six passengers.
The first train to run over the road was drawn
by steam engine driven by Stephenson him
self, who was the first to apply the locomo-
tive steam engine to railroads for passenger
traffic
According to authentic records, the Stock
ton and Darlington line commenced trans
porting passengers more than five years prior
to the date mentioned in the Atlanta street
cars as the time of the transportation of the
first passengers on the Augusta-Charleston
railroad.
The Liverpool and Manchester railway
England, opened on September Is, 1880, and
was designed for carrying passengers at
rapid speed 1t is historically stated that it
was for this road that the first high-speed To-
connective of the modern type was invented
and constructed.
The Liverpool and Manchester railway also
antedated the Augusta-Charleston line in
carrying passengers.
The Blue Ribbon in America
Now let us come to this side Of the At
lantic, and We find that the Augusta Charles
ton road was not the first in the United States
to carry passengers. This distinction belongs
TO what is now known as the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, which was begun July 4, 1925
1t was chartered by the Maryland legislature
in March, 1927, and was the first railroad
IN America authorized to carry on the gen.
eral business of transportation. Peter Coop
er, later"of New York, built, in 1880 in
baltimore, small locomotive called tom
numb which drew filled with pas
sengers, at speed of eighteen miles an hour,
from Baltimore to Ellicotts Mills
Appletons American cyclopedia SAYS:
This was the first locomotive for railroad
purposes ever built in America, and the first
one used in the transportation of passengers
on this side of the Atlantic"
South Cardinals High Honor
The name of the historic railway line re-
terred to on the posters in the Atlanta street
cars as the first passenger railroad in the
world was the South Carolina railroad
generally spoken of as the Charleston and
Hamburg railroad. 1t was designed to con-
meet charleston with the Savannah river at
Hamburg, opposite Augusta. The citizens of
Charleston were the inspiration of the proiact
Ihey beheld with grave concern that Charles
ton commerce was declining, Whereas that
of Augusta and Savannah Ga, was increas-
ing.
The main objective of the Charleston busi-
ness men was to capture the trade of Au-
gusta, and divert to the port of Charleston
much OF the cotton that went from Augusta
by boat to Savannah.
The merchants of Augusta and Savannah
became alarmed over the prospect of the
building of the Charleston and Hamburg
railroad.
The work of construction commenced late
IN 1881, possibly, but some records say in
1873. Inc second American-built engine
was designed by E. L. Miller a director of
the South Carolina railroad, and it was made
ny the hembles at the West Point foundry
New York. Miller attended the opening of
the Liverpool and Manchester railroad and
Witnessed the operation of Stephenson's en-
slne. Inc Miller locomotive was called the
oest Frlend, being regarded as Charles
ton best friend 1t was received in that
ely october, 1880. Six miles of track were
constructed from Charleston toward Ham
Durg, and the Best Friend was tested on
Decemoer 9th, with results most gratifying
The Encyclopedia Americana says: "On
January Is, 1881, the Best Friend made the
first of a series of regular passenger runs"
The road was completed from Charleston
to Hamburg a distance of 13 miles, in the
latter part of September, 1888. 1t was at
that time the longest railroad in the world.
The cost was nearly one million dollars. A
regular schedule was established between
Charleston and Hamburg inIOctober, 1888.
Georgia Not Entitled to Credit
Its great to be a Georgan!" but neither
Augusta Georgia is entitled to any credit
for the construction of the Charleston and
Hamburg railroad. An unfriendly attitude
was assumed by Georgians toward the enter
prise. The South Carolina line was prevent
ed for many years by Augusta from making
physical connection with that city. Augusta
INSTRUCTED the road in it's efforts to bridge
the Savannah river so it could run it's trains
within the town. Augusta feared the effect
the running of the trains into her limits
would have the trade of the city. She
apprehended that it would direct the ship
ment of cotton her river boats to Savan-
nah. She wanted to stand loyal to her sister
city.