The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-11-07
PENNsY THE OLDEST
RAILROAD
DR.. Samuel Harden Church, Presi-
/ dent of Carnegie Institute, Com
piles Data Showing Early
History OF PENNSYLVANIA

HASCOry VI pennsylvania
System
Recently the query of which rail
roadfis the Oldest in the country
was brought up, and valid claim
OF the Pennsylvania Railroad, Com
pany to that distinction was proved
by DR.. Samuel Harden Church, presi-
dent of the Carnegie Institute. In
his historical research, DIR. Church
has traced the activities of the Penn
sylvania Railroad sponsors back to a
charter granted them 101 years ago.
Colonel John Stevens, declared
DR.. Church, is really the father of
the Pennsylvania Railroad, and
might even be given the distinction
OF being the father of the American
railroads in general.
Colonel Stevens was first attract
ed to steam power by Watching the
progress made by Robert Fulton, in
whom he took great interest.
His mind, however, turned to- the
horseless carriages that were being
made in England and called loco
motives, and with his own models
OF these he experimental on his
estate for some time.
In 1912, when talk was first start
ed regarding the building of the
Erie Canal Colonel Stevens came
forward and ventured the sugges-
ton that a railroad would be much
more appropriate, and declared that
he could build railroad, at
much less cost than building
of the canal would be. His
views of the matter, however, were
not looked upon with favor by the
commissioners, and the canal was
built.
Being of an interchangeable natrue,
Colonel Stevens turned his attention
to New Jersey Here he was grant
ed charter to buid railroad from
New Brunswick to Trenton in 1913.
This was the first charter of any
sort for the building of a railroad
in the United States. But the peo-
pie of New Jersey, feeling skeptical
of the project, failed to back him
financially, and the railroad was
never made.
In the early part of 1921, he
wrote etter to Mayor Robert
Wharton, of Philadelphia, advocat-
ing railroad from Philadelphia to
Columbia.
On March 81, 1923, he received a
charter from the Legislative of
Pennsylvania. The charter auth
orized the Construction of the, rail-
road, and the act, declared that
the enterprise should be called
1.-THE Pennsylvania Railroad" This
marked the beginning of the nows
famous Pennsylvania System.
But this railroad, too gradually
dropped into oblivion for the want
of funds to carry it on. Stevens
died on March 6, 1888, at the age
of SO years.
In the meantime, however, other
men began to advocate the railroad,
and on April 81, 1926 new char
ter was granted which covered the
same district that Colonel Stevens
had mapped out.
On this railroad, CONSTRUCTION pS-
gan almost at once. Forty and
half miles were completed by April,
1929. The name of this road was
Columbia, Lancaster and Philadel-
phia, but was later changed by the
Legislature back to the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company, and there
after all business matters were made
under that name.
Since then branches began sprout-
ing out as if from a large tree that
was determined to grow in spite OF
the doubtful public. The first was
made to West Chester and the sur
rounding towns. The largest OF
that time was made from the main
track to Pittsburgh.
1t is the opinion of DR.. Church
that, if his researches have been
historically correct, the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad may begin immed-
lately toNmake plans for a conten-
NAL celebration of the chartering
and construction of their company,
establishing their right to exploit
this extraordinary event as against
the claims of other railroads in this
country.