Evening star., 1940-08-25

Anniversary
Reminder of
Celebration
Passenger Station
First to Serve
Washington
By John Glasett Proctor.


By John Glaeett Proctor.
The advancement and develop
nnent Of mechanical transportation
since the year 1907, when Robert
Fulton made his memorable voy-
age from New York to Albany IN
the steamboat Clermont. is almost
unbelievable, since it was only 2l
years later when the cornerstone
of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
was laid by Charles Carroll of Car
rollton. on July 4. 1928. F'ollo"lng
this. electricity came into being as
a great factor in motive power, and
is still being more and more highly
developed every year for this and
other purposes, while the alrplane'
which bids fair in time largely to
supplant all other modes of trans
Observation-Disclosures the steam rail-
road and the automobiles yet IN
its infancy, but making tremendous
strides.
Indeed, it seems only few years
ago that Samuel P. Langley, on
Nav 6, 1896, flew the first sue
cessful airplane model over the
Potomac River, near Quantico, not
far from Washington, and we all
know the tragic part being played
by the airplane in the present World
War, not to 90 back to the earlier
European conflict. Incidentally, the
Langley model. weighing but 70
hounds. was driven by steam ana
few more than half mile, the ex-
pertinent being repeated. The Poto-
mac also figures in the first success
full demonstration of passenger boat
propelled entirely by steam, when
James Rumsay. in 1786, in the pres
ence of George Washington. ac-
complished this achievement, above
Shepherdstown. w. Va.
AS to the steam railroad. though
1t had it's beginning in 1928, 1t was
not until August Is, l835-just los
wears ago today-that this mode OF
travel was introduced into Washing
ton and from that time on, for dis
tance travel, 1t gradually replaced
the stagecoach and other horse
drawn vehicles.
A century will make quite a diff
ference in any city, and the
Washington of today, aside from its
comparison to the L'Enfant plan,
bears little resemblance to the
Washington that it must have been
when the steam engines George
Washington, John Adams, Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison came
putting into the National Capital
for the first time, bringing along
distinguished guests from Baltimore,
to be discharged near the old Tiber
Greek, which then crossed the Ave-
nue. at Second street. Few people
are living today who ever remember
the old three story brick building
with the little low sloping shed at
tached to the east and the one-story
building adjoining to the west. Quite
q marked difference. we must admit,
from the grand Union Station of to-
dav, which cost about $4,000 and
In the concourse of which can be
stood an army of $4,000 men.
Dawn of an Epoch.
The running of the first railroad
train into Washington with the
opening of its first railroad depot
was not only one factor in the dawn
of an important epoch in the
United States but a great historic
event in the National Capital as
we'll. and yet we find comparatively
little said of it in advance of its
occurrence Indeed, the National
1ntelligencer of August "a, 1885,
briefly states:
The Opening of the Baltimore &
Washington Railroad.
Two cars will leave the ticket
ONCE. at the intersection of Second
street west and Pennsylvania ave-
nue., this day Monday at 4 o'clock
pm. to convey the invited guests to
Baltimore to join the train from
Baltimore on Tuesday morning.
"A car will leave Washington on
Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock to
convey the members of the corpo-
rations of Washington, Alexandria
and Georgetown to Bladensburg to
meet the trains from Baltimore"
On August 26, the day following
the opening, the Intelligencer prints
the following:
"Opering of the Railroad"
yesterday was great day on the
new railroad between Baltimore and
Washington, being the first day of
its being opened for travel all the
way from the depot at Baltimore
to the foot of the Capitol Hill In
this city
1T was a glorious sight to see
four trains of cars with its engine,
extending altogether several hum
dred yards in length, making their
entry by this new route, to the
delight of thousands of spectators
In the grounds directly north OF the
Capitol. These cars, besides bring
Ing back our own Mayor and men,
bers of the corporation and city
guests who went out to meet them,
brought about as many ladies and
EPUIIPllltD VI bdlIIlllOlC 90 lllduC uP
the whole numbers of about thou
sand persons carried by the cars.
These accompanied by two bands
OF music. after debarking, marched
In procession to Gadsby's and
Browns Hotels, at both of which
sumptuous and bountecrlS enter
tainmen, was provided and literally
partaken Of. The cars arrived at
q little before o'clock, and at 4 our
friends from Baltimore re-embarked
and returned to their homes with
out, we trust any accident or other
inconvenience than what was occa-
stoned by the dust on the roads and
streets
Later Account.
At the close of this item we are
told by the editors that further
account will appear by one Of its
contributors. and the following,
printed on August 81, is most likely
the one referred to-: