IT is seventy-two years since tin; first
railway in the world was opi-nud to
tlic public for general trnllic. The
Stockton and Darlington lino of Knglunil
began operations Sept. 117, 1S'2r, with
about twenty-one miles of single track.
To-ila.v there are over 37."t,0"" miles of
railways intercrossing the earth. In the
United Stales alone there are lS(),t,"."
miles of tracks, more than enough to gir
dle the irlobe fourteen tinipw vtih j!n.jto
rails, while the cotnliined railway systems
of the world would lie sullicient to open a
tninK line between the earth and the
moon, with over l".,(ioil miles to spare
for branch lines and sidetracks. The total
mileage of the United Slates is nearly
equal to that of all the other countries
put together. Illinois, with over 111,11(10
miles of tracks, leads all the other States,
If
w
ClEOltOE BTEI'IIENSOW.
Pennsylvania ranking next with over
!,MKl. New York State has nearly 8,0(10.
The District of Columbia closes the list
with thirty miles.
Tin Hist rail of die Stockton and Dar
lington road was laid May li.'i. W, and it
required throe years and four months to
complele twcrly-one miles of single track.
III 1HS7 the Manitoba system was extend
ed through Dakota, a distance of f4r
miles, between April 2 and Oct. 1!) ti few
days over, half u year. From the rude be
ginning in lOnglnnd less than three-quarters
of a i cut ury aiio has grown a stu
pendiious system that has revolutionized
Ihe commerce of the world that has rev
oltitioni.ed the world itself, annihilated
space and made subservient to the will of
man. There are to-day over $10,000,000,
000 invested in the railroads of the world,
otie-tcnth of the total wealth of civilized
nations. More than 2,000,000 men nre
employed in constructing, equipping and
operating the railways of the United
States. The standing armies and navies
of the world approximate in round num
bers .'l..ri( 10,000 men the wealth destroy
ers. Mow much mure powerful is the
wealth -producing army of American
workiiigincri who have changed the whole
oasis of civilization from the military to
the industrial!
When one studies the evolution of the
railway he is lost in wonderment nt the
giant strides that have been made during
a period so comparatively short. In the
early Hinge of its development it met
with Ihe strongest opposition, in many in
stances force being employed to prevent
its progress. The stockholders of the
ennui systems ami the stage coach lines,
anil e.ven certain classes of workiiigmen
under the mistaken idea that the exten
sion or lailroads means a decrease In 4 lie
demand for manual labor, united their
forces and fought their imaginary com
mon enemy, rarliamcnt took part in the
proceedings, and the promoters of the In
itial lines were subjected to the most scru
tinizing cross-examinations. When the
lirst road was opened a great concourse
of people assembled to witness the event,
Hiid while u few were there to rejoice
If the undertaking proved successful, the
majority of the spectators were anticipat
ing the pleasure of seeing the "bubble
burst." This opposition continued for
many years, and was only dissipated when
It had been demonstrated beyond dispute
that the commercial interests of the coun
try were advancing to a state thnt had
never been attained before the introduc
tion of the new tratlle system.
On this small stretch of track between
Stockton and Darlington the great rail
ways of the world had their beginning,
ltut even this smnll beginning was a long
time in ruining. It seems strange to us
now nt the present day, with the wonder
ful development of steam and electricity
brought so vividly before us, mid made a
part of our daily lives, thnt men within a
period remembered by persons now living
should be so blind to the advancement of
public and privnte Interests as to actually
mine nun organize uu opposition to a sys
.tem that has proved a greater benefit to
the nations of the earth than all the other
projects of clvUication combined. To-day
we are familiar with the name of great
railway kings men who have operated
millions, who have been the life or the
death of the stock market by the rise or
the fall of a finger. We look with some
thing of veneration at the carters of John
w. Garrett and Thotnaa A. Scott, and
even with a mixture of admiration at the
wealth producing powers and executive
abilities of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay
trould. But greater, far greater, than a
Garrett, a Scott, a Vanderbilt or a Gould,
George Stepheuson, the poor, unedu
cated, colliery fireman, who worked out,
between the long and cruel hour, of man
Mi drudgery and slavish toll, the problem
the railway for the traffic of the virld
U saw a half century ahead of bis t!m
Opposed by Capital.
Despite the opposition of the moneyed
men and the learned engineers of the day
he fought his way inch by inch, ami by
the sheer force and tenacity of his pow
erful mind brought to a successful comple
tion a project that had been the compan
ion of his thoughts by day and a vision in
his dreams by night for many long and
anxious jears.
To Ccnic Sicpiicusou and to hini alone
belongs the credit of the magic develop
ment, of the railway. From the moment
when a boy he completed his first clay
model of a stationary engine; from the
time when the steam hissed in his ungain
ly "Itliichor" locomotive to the day when
he saw his train l ushing on toward Liver
pool he nurtiiied the idea of a grand
traffic way, and when he died it was with
the peace of soul of a man whose life has
been one of enduring usefulness, of un
ceasing benefit to his fellow-man.
The railway antedates the invention of
the practical locomotive, although the his
tory of the one is contemporaneous with
the other. Wooden railways upon which
coal was drawn from the mines by horses
were in use at an early day in Northum
berland and nt Wylaiu, where Steuhcn-
son's father worked, the first locomotive
was put in operation between the coal pit
and the loading quay. In 1701 Saint
Foml, a French traveler, spoke in high
terms of the colliery wngonwnys in Kng
land, which greatly facilitated the work
of the horses, and he strongly urged upon
his own countrymen (he economy with
which coal was thus hauled to the ship
ping places as an inducement to them to
adopt a similar mode of transit. Wagon
roads of the same character were laid in
the colliery districts of Scotland at a com
paratively early period. During the Scotch
rebellion in 1745 there was a railway be
tween the Tranent coal pits and the small
harbor of Cockinzie in East Lothian.
These wooden tracks were the germ of the
modern railway. With the advanced ideas
of the workmen improvements gradually
came and in some collieries thin plates of
iron were nailed unou the upper surface
of (he wooden rails to afford protection
from friction. It is probnhle that the first
iron rails were laid at Whitehaven in
1738. Twenty-nine years later five or six
tons of rails were cast for the Coalbrook
dale Iron Works in Shropshire, and in
1770 cast iron rails nailed to wooden sloop-
wrote a book on (he subject, portions of
which were embodied in the work by the
Marquis of Worcester entitled "Century
of Inventions." Savery, a Cornish miner.
proposed a method of propelling carriages
along ordinary roads, but took no pruc
tical methods to carry out his views. In
17o9 the subject was presented to James
ntt, who in the specification of his pat
ent of 17(1!) gave a description of the en
gine proposed. On several other occasions
the question of applying steam as a motive
tmmmmm mm
KARL V AMRHICAX I'ASSUXOEK COACH,
power on land was brought to his atten
tion, but he was too busily occupied per
fecting his condensing engine to further
consider the locomotive. The first actual
model of a steam carriage of which there
is a written account was made by n
Frenchman named Cmriiot. who nlaced it
on exhibition in 17U3. Afterward he
built an engine oh the same plan, but
when put in motion it projected itself
with such force as to knock down a wall
that was in the way, and the machine wns
set aside as a dangerous invention. It is
still preserved as a memento of the early
efforts toward steam locomotion. In 1772
Oliver Evans, an American, invented a
steam carriage to travel on ordinary
roads, and obtained from the State of
Maryland in 1787 exclusive right to make
and operate it. But no practical use ever
came of the invention. William Syming
ton, one of the inventors of steam naviga
tion, conceived the idea of utilizing steam
in the propulsion of carriages, but the
roads in Scotland were in such bnd condi
tion that he got no further than to con
struct n model.'
The first model of a steam enrriage in
England was made in 1784 by William
Murdock, the assistant and friend of
Watt. Murdoch succeeded in mnking nn
engine about n foot high thnt generated
enough steam by the aid of n spirit lamp
to rush along at quite a rnte of speed over
a wnlk a mile In length. One dark night
STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON ENGINE AND CAR.
ers were laid nt Ihe Duke of Norfolk's
colliery near Sheffield. The laboring peo
ple of the district were so incensed at
what they imagined was a trespassing on
their rights that they tore up the road,
burned the coal piles and doubtless would
have seriously injured John Carr, who
constructed the line, had he not sought
concealment in a wood.
OrlKln of Tramways.
William Jessop laid a line nt Loughbor
ough, in Ieicostershire, in 1789, using the
cast iron edge rail, with flanges upon the
tires of the wagon wheels to keep them
from slipping off the trucks. In 1800 Ben-
GRASSHOPPER I.OCOMOTI VK.
jamlu Outrani substituted stone props for
timber to support the ends of the rails.
This plan was generally adopted and the
roads became kuown as "Outrani" roads,
and subsequently, being abbreviated,
lormeu me words tram roads or tramways."
In this WAV th esrlv mOwnr
slowly Improved. As yet they were mere
toys. Their nscfulneaa limi,
- ' "'nni tu
drawing coal out of the mines a short dis-
ranee to tne piace or shipment. No one
had at this time proposed utilizing them
for general traffic nuronaM vkii
rude railways and tramways were being
lumiYu iu mining regions the inventive
genius of man was busily engaged in the
solution of a new mode of locomotion
Thus far the improvements had been al
most entirely confined to the roads, and
the wagons were still itmvn i
The first person who aeems to have con-
ceiTj ,ne Ktea or employing eam to
move vehicles nn lamt ll t.
- . - - " kv sums at
sea was Solomon De Caus, who was lock-
niupiwimui madman In 1041. He
the pnstor saw the little immMno
snorting up the path, and, taking it for
me e n one, sprang into the hedges on
win' won surieKs or terror.
Richard Trevethick's Success.
About, the venrs 1KIIO n.ml isno .1,..
tlon of building railwnvs for atn ,n..i....
was discussed and it was further proposed
mui siuuonnry engines might be placed
at certain distiincea mmf ,i,i i...
of circulating chains greatly lessen the
ciupioj incut or Horses. While these plans
uvuig considered Kichnrd Treve
thick, a pupil of William Murdock, built
a steam carriage for use ou the common
ol ib!1,- "T ,ook 0,,t his l"t"nt March
iso. ihe carriage had the appear
ance of nn urdinary stage coach. The
horizontal cylinder, the boiler and the
furnace box were placed In the rear of
the hind axle, and to the credit of the in
ventor it may be said that this was the
nrst successful high pressure engine con
strueted ou the principle of moving a pis
ton by the elasticity of steam against the
pressure only of the atmosphere. In ad
dition to being well constructed, Treve
thiek's steam carriage possessed the Qual
ity of moving quite rapidly along the
roadway.
There were many Inventors after Treve
thick who sought n motive wer to super
sede horses, and while some produced verv
meritorious works none met the tests r,.
ol '"T!; .There WPre "'""kinsop
of Leeds who had an engine with toothed
wheels thnt ran upon a cogged rail; Chan
mau of Newcastle, who employed a sys
tem of chains, and Brunton "of Derby,
shire, who Invented a "mechanical trav-
i L V "pon log8' worklg alternate
ly like those of a horse. These and sim
ilar contrivances projected about the same
time show that Invention was actively at
work and that many minds were trying to
o ye the traction problem. Blackett a
colhery owner of Wylam, whose tramway
ran by the house where George Stephen
son was born, was one of the most persist
ent of capitalist. ln hi. endeavors to ob
tarn a locomotive to haul his cool wag
on lie had tried several c the
wieldy inventions of the day and wa be
coming the laughing stock of his acquaint
ances, who regarded him as a monomaniac
on the subject of steam motive power
VN hile Blackett wa. experimenting 'at
Wylam George Stephenson wa. racking
hU brain, to the no,, nrf at Killing-
Une-wrigbt of th. collieries Blackett
paved the way for Stephenson. Profiting
by the failures of the locomotives of the
past, Stephenson planned and constructed
his first locomotive in 1S14, naming it My
Lord, after Lord Kavonswood, the prin
cipal owner of the Killingworth colliery,
who advanced the money. This locomo
tive, which was afterward known as the
Wiicher, while a great improvement on
nil previous rmwblTioi, was very cumber
some and clumsy. It, however, answered
the purpose for which it was intended
very well and was regarded at the tinu
ns n wonderful piece of mechanism. The
inventor made many engines after that,
but none gave him ns much satisfaction
ns this first rude locomotive.
Among the men of this period who were
forming projects for the construction of
rnilwnys in the important districts of pop
ulation were William James of West
liromwich and Edward Pease of Darling
ton. James was exceedingly interested
in the question of traction power, and
though he had made no personal inven
tions he performed as great a service to
the public when he found and appreciated
George Stephenson. As early as 180:
James published nn article in which he
stated he contemplated the projection of
n railway between Liverpool nnd Man
chester. He had many other railway
propositions under way, but nothing came
of them, except to stimulate the demand
for better transportation facilities.
Edward Pease was a man of nn entirelv
different character. He was not so am
bitious ns James, and it seems he at first
only contemplated a horse tramrond be
tween Stockton and Darlington, but as
he proceeded with the project nnd nfter
he had had nn interview with Stephenson
he became nn earnest convert to the loco
motive system. What Pease first con
templated was the means of selling coal nt
the stations along the line of the nronosed
railway. He did not dream of the outlet
that would lie afforded to other markets,
and such a thing as u passenger convey
ance never entered into his oalciilntlnna
After one unsuccessful attempt in parlia
ment the Mockton and Darlington rail
way act was finally passed April 19, 1821,
The nroiectors did not oriirmnllv contem
plate the employment of locomotives, for
iu the act they provide for the making
and maintaining of the tramroads for the
passage upon them "of wagons nnd other
carriages, with men and horses or other
wise." The nnhlio Wlra in lii fpwi ua
with horses, cattle and carriages" the
roacis rornieu ry the company on payment
of the authorized rates between certain
hours. It is clearly obvious from this thnt
the nroiectors of the line hnrl nn clem-
conception ns to the scope and operations
or tneir rniirond.
Some time elapsed nfter the pnssnge of
the net for the construction of the rnilwnv
before nny steis were taken to enrry it
mto ertect. Toward the close of 1821
Stephenson cnlled on Pense and strongly
urged the ndoption of the locomotive on
the new rond. The inventor mnde so good
nn impression that he was soon nfter ap
pointed engineer of the line, conducted a
personal survev of everv foot r tlm
and began active preparations for build
ing me roan.
Estimate of the Cost.
In mnkimr his first patinmtn nt
he set down f 0,200 for stationary engines,
not even mentioning locomotives. His
reasons for this will be apparent when it
Is known that the whole question of steam
locomotive power was in those days,
among practical and scientific men alike,
largely in doubt. He preferred to quietly
Impress upon the stockholders the wis
dom of adopting a "method he wns confi
dent would prove a complete success.
After visiting Stephenson's locomotive nt
iviuingwonn I'ease and another stock
holder became convinced Hint it thn
proper system, and in 1823 an amended
act was passed permitting the use of this
inr vr,
Two years Inter the rond wa. opened
to the public, and from the stnrt nrnvfwt a
great success. The rails were of malle
able and cast iron nnd the gauge was four
feet eight and one half Inches. The first
engine, the Active, that wns put on the
line, was constructed by George Stephen
son. It weighed nbout eight tons, und
was cnpnble of drawing nbnut forty tons,
in insignificant contrast with the Ameri
can "consolidation" locomotive of to-diiy
weighing fifty tons nnd able to haul on a
dead level over 24,000 tons, while more
powerful engines nre still being designed.
No sooner did the coal and merchandise
trains begin to run thnu new business re
lations sprang up between Stockton nnd
Darlington, nnd the iimrnno i.. -.,i..i..
traffic called into existence a new pns-
-ugcr irausportntlon. .Before his plant
was put in operation nn attempt hud been
mnde to run a stage conch between Stock
ton, Darlington and Barnard Castle three
times a week, but owing to the want of
BUpport It W0S discontinue! linn,..,.
after the railway began running the
suigvs were agnin put on and did a thriv
ing business. The rall-,i
- . .....j vvr,ll,nil,, , I t"C-
ogniiing the Importance of this branch of
service, started the first passenger conch,
the Experiment, Oct. 10. 1825. a fortnight
after the orjenlnir nt tt,a unA i.
drawn by one horse and performed the
journey uaiiy each way between Stockton
and Darlington. aecnmnli),in h ,n.
jance of twelve miles In about two hours.
xue mre was a smiling and each pnssen-
r s aaiowea rourteen pounds of lug
gage free. The EiwHinont .n. 4 "
erated by the railway company, but was
" icsersgui ana llarland, who paid
tolls for the nse of too lino vm. .
passenger coach wa. regarded a. a won-
"""" conveyance at the time, but It
would cut a rather poor figure if piad !
beside the modern dmvhTr7
constructed at a cost of ."(! niii
Stephenson next co.isin,,.',,,,
nod with bis l, '.'it
Manchester ltailwnv. whUh 'r''1'"1'
Sep.. is. is::o. Pa;.; ,'1
" "'" '""nn.-e of I hi v
little over nn hour. ' '
been previously consider,., ., ' ,U'
for the locomotives on the 4,-' ',:
Darlington rna.l ( be,u tl,L, ' , ' 1:
and twelve miles an hour bail in"!'
ed us absolutely dangerous, tie, ni
of speed must have 1 ,mk,
something phenomenal Tu, ... ,
(lie railway from (his dale Wi
panics being formed i all civilkJ'"
t nes. w:
America quickly ,,,,,,,,,, ,(l
o, ,. cany as 17 ,
was opened between Boston and oW
for the imrnos" of h,m,.i;, .
the Bunker Hill monument. T
iheCarbondalerail,,,,,,!
by the Delaware and IIu,lsn Canal Vi
pany ami extended from ll,nw,i.,i
10 Carbondale, a distance of about Vii'
fviD
n
1 r
1 1 1
n. & o. UAir.KOAo, is;lo-3o,
teen miles. It was the first rnnil on wlkl
n locomotive was used 111 this countn
The engine wns built in Knglnnd. owl:
the direction of Horatio Allen, whom
joyed the distinction of being the first to
run n locomotive In America. It ires
culled the Stourbridge Lion and nrrim
at its destination Aug. 9, 182).
First !altiinorc& Ohio Road.
In May," 18.10, the first division of tk
Baltimore nnd Ohio Railway, extendiiic
from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills, 1 div
tnnee of hf teen miles, was formally open
ed, but the passenger service was not
augurnted till July 5 nf the snme jm,
owing to the scarcity of cars. Horse poc
was employed until the rond wns complet
ed to Frederick, iu 18o2.
Teter Cooper built a little locomotlre in
1829 for the Baltimore and Ohio llaii
way, and was very much delighted om
the fact that on the trial trip he stumd-
ed in beating a horse attached to another
car. The York, which was built at lort
Ph., was the progenitor of the famoni
"grasshopper" locomotives so many jmb
in service on the Baltimore nnd Ohio.
Thus did the beginning of the railwsj
system on the Stockton nnd Darlington
line extend over the old and the ore
world. It has grown mightily during tt
Inst two and seventy yenrs, and Itspo-
sibilit es nre still unmeasured.
When George Stephenson died, Aug. 11
1848, his stntue, which the Liverpool ut
Manchester nnd Grand Juneuou
panics had ordered, was on its waj
England, and arrived in time to serve u
his monument. Far greater than l
monument thnt mind of sculptor can
ceive and cunning hand execute u ftj
enduring monument of his own works m
the undying memory of a name madegl
rious,
AGED EIGHTY -TWO YEArtS.
Ladles Who Claim to Be the OkM
Living Twins.
The claim of the Newell brothewo!
Missouri thnt they are the oldest P
of twins ln the country is disputed by
aSi crceiiondent. Mrs.
H. Johnson, recently of Kanknkee, UL
Hrwl now of Omnhn. Neb., and Mrs. w
rid Noggle of Janesviile are one niouti
older. These Indies are the twin chil
dren-Polly M. and Anna M.-of B
jamin and Eunice Mosher Lewis. anJ
AOBD TWINS.
n-on-o lrm at Krlsrtid. N. 1'., MUJf
1815. They were the youngest of
children. The twins went 10
ri.i 1T married thee?'
liitr, n 11,-11 iiwut
and In 1873 Mrs. Nopgle weut to u
wilds of Wisconsin to live the life"
pioneer. She and her husband seni
at Belolt. Mr. Nopgle wns the
poHtninster of that city. He wa
lawyer and wns afterward nP"0
i,i., i,,!.,-, nt i.iniin bv rresiileni
Grant. His health compelled bin 1 j
return to Wisconsin, where lie uieu
1878, at the house of his son-in i
Congressman Charles G. William. , W
Nosgle Is a woman of native awl",
and can tell many Interesting tales
early life in Wisconsin. The ie"
are both In full possession of their i
ultles and are as active as women or w
Curative or Bad Temper.
"When the little girl Is naughty,
says Mi Jessie M. Fowler, giving
mother directions for curing her ni
daughter's bad temper, "put on
best gown, and you will see that
cannot withstand Its influence.
No manhas to serve an PPr',,
ship In order to learn bow to make m
takes.
,.n visiting
v nenever you see fM,
chiropodist there Is something on
Re
on
Thi
ant
An
null
ID