Evening star., 1927-09-20

With Col. Lindbergh's brilliant feat
of aviation, followed by the strenuous
effort to arouse public interest in air
travel. it is hard to realize that less
than a century ago there was practi-
calIy the same struggle to awaken
public sentiment on behalf of railroads
as there is now for airplanes. It is
almost incredible to find that in that
earlier struggle the Federal Capital
was bitterly opposed to the success of
the new mode of overland travel on
iron tracks. since it would rival the
much better method-the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal. then being projected
out of Warrington, which. with it's
expensive locks. was going to make
water run up hills and over mountains,
clear to the Ohio River.
n **
From September "a to October s the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co. will
conduct at Halethorpe. near Balti.
more, one of the most interesting eX-
positions showing the evolution and
development of railroad transporta-
ton ever conceived. IT will include
magnificent pageant showing all the
earlier forms of transportation in
America. There will be the India .
mode of travel, the primitive prairie
and other horse-drawn vehicles. Then
will come the funny little Tom Thumb
locomotive, looking like a teakettle
set on wheels, pulling three or four
stage coaches locked together, upon
the tops of which sat the adventurous
passengers of long ago as the train
whirled along at the dizzy speed that
no horses could equal. Next will be
the odd-looking, camel-back engines of
the 40s, with cabins on the tops of
the engines, in which the engineer
and fireman worked. They were as
topheavy as a doub,e-deck bus. Then
in chronological order the more mod
ern engine. those with huge smoke
stacks and "cow-ca tchers," and the
monster engine sent over from Eng
land, at that time the most powerful
engine Of that country. weighing 120
tons. Finally, there will be the great
est engine in the world, the Lord
Baltimore" recently built by the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Co., weighing
32913 tons. What a span of one cen
tury, From Tom Thumb in 1927,
weighing 6 tons, to Lord Baltimore in
1927, of more than SO times the
weight, and with even greater pro-
portional power! There will be floats
representing historic scenes of the
"B. & o. such as the train bearing
Lincoln to his first inaugural.
The exposition occupies tract of
1000 acres, where loop track Is laid
around a 25-acre plaza, and grand
stand with a capacity of 10000 has
been erected. There is hall of trans
portation. 502 feet in length, besides
other exhibition and service buildings.
And-novelty itself-there is no
charge for admission and there are
free parking places for 5000 auto
mobiles.
1t takes such an exposition to Wis
ualiZe what one century means IN lhe
growth of a nation or race. Todav
none can conceive of men becoming
bitter in the rivalry between rail-
road and a canal, but a century ago
there was active rivalry between Bal
timore and Washington over the
building of the conflicting lines of
transportation. The canal diSgers ana
the railroad builders came to an inn
passe when both sought to pass Mount
CatOctin, where the Potomac River
sweeps so close to the rocky mountain
that there was room only for one right
of way between rock and water
Both transportation companies ap-
pealed to the Legislature of Maryland
The canal company proposed bill
absolutely forbidding any bridge to
cross it's way, and another authorlz.
ing the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Co. to exercise the right Of eminent
domain in the purchase not merely or
a right Of way, but the entire farms
through which the right of way would
be located. That would checkmate
any railroad right of way westward,
and the bridgeless provision would
compel the railroad trains to stop at
the side Of the G0-foot canal and ferry
it's passengers and baggage across the
raging Waters-no. 1t was the officials
who ragged The canal company ex-
planned about the bridge prohibition.
They were to run magnificent two
story boats and a bridge would inter
fere. At last the canal company Of
fered a compromise. The rlilroad
might pass the Catoctin Mountain
narrows on condition that it would
buy $500 shares in the canal com
pany. would limit its right Of way to
20 feet and would build tight board
fence along the joint way Of the canal