A Pioneer Railway of the West Part 1

A Pioneer Railway of the West.

by Maude Ward Lafferty.

This restoration of a portion of the original track of the Lexington and Ohio (now Louisville and Nashville) Railroad laid at Lexington in 1831, is dedicated to those men of forethought and courage who were pioneers in railroad development in America.

Erected Anno Domini MCMXVI.

Dedication Exercises 10 A. M.

May 30, 1916

College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering University of Kentucky

During the month of July, 1915, there appeared in a local newspaper an account of the finding of "Old Rail Stones" and "Old Strap Iron Rails"

which had been used in the construction of the railroad generally known as "the old Lexington and Frankfort Road," though it was incorporated under the name of the "Lexington and Ohio Rail Road." It is believed by many to have been the first railroad west of the Alleghany Mountains.

Be that as it may, the quaint and interesting relics had just been dug up that week by the workmen who were reconstructing the freight yards of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The workmen were moving more recently laid tracks back to _the old original road bed of the pioneer railroad_, and in doing so they unearthed those curious relics of 1831.

Although just starting that very day for a summer vacation, I hurried down town a little before train time, and went to the Main Street offices of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad where the interesting relics were on display.

As I stood gazing at that worn and rusty bar of iron with its single bent and rusty spike, I was whisked back across the years by some strange trick of memory and I saw, instead, a dimly lighted sick room, on a hot summer night--myself a little sufferer, and sitting beside me, fanning my fevered brow, my beloved father, who, notwithstanding the fatigue of a heavy and exacting practice sat thus night after night, soothing me to sleep by telling me entertaining stories of his youth, and as he was born one hundred and one years ago, the strange experiences of his boyhood were thrilling indeed to his youthful adorer.

And so, I saw in my mind's eye that familiar room of my childhood--the open window, the breezes blowing the curtains to and fro, the moonlight casting strange shadows on the terrace outside, and I heard again that voice which has meant so much to me telling how "when the first railroad started" and all the people had gathered from far and near "to witness its departure," he and a group of fellow students from Transylvania University, mounted on fast horses, galloped ahead "to see if the Wonderful Thing could round the curve without running off the track"; and how "it came in sight, thundering along, puffing out clouds of black smoke, the engineer adding to the confusion by incessantly blowing his shrill whistle," all of which so terrified his horse, he had great difficulty in keeping his seat, but yet, how tremendously impressed he was by the "gallant way in which the gentlemen seated in the coach raised their stovepipe hats in greeting as they pa.s.sed by like a streak of lightning."

He said the locomotive had been invented by his old friend Tom Barlow, in whose honor he had named our Tom Barlow, his favorite race horse.

He also said the old locomotive looked like a "thresher engine mounted on a flat car," and that the coach was for all the world like an "omnibus with seats on top as well as inside," and furthermore, he added, when it had been proved safe he rode upon it himself, and then "rode home on horseback" (a distance of thirty miles) to tell his mother all about it.

And this was all that was left of that Wonderful Thing, this bit of sc.r.a.p iron and a few stone sills!

Finding myself gazing vacantly at that relic of the Past, and that people were noting my abstraction, I hastily gathered myself together and crossing the street to our beautiful Union Station, I started on my journey. In a magnificent chair car, luxuriously furnished and upholstered, a liveried porter raised the windows and adjusted screens, turned on an electric fan, offered me the latest magazines and papers fresh from the press, placed a footstool at my feet and a cus.h.i.+on at my back. My safety was provided for by double tracking and unseen but perfectly trained employees, but neither the reading matter in my lap, the comfort of my surroundings, nor the always charming scenery from the car window, could drive from my thoughts the quaint old railroad; and when I came back to Lexington in the fall, in my eager desire to know more about it, I immediately began my research which has grown into this history of

"A Pioneer Railway of the West."

MAUDE WARD LAFFERTY.

The first locomotive engine in the world was built just one hundred years ago by George Stephenson and used at Newcastle, England, at the Killingworth Colliery.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica _railways_ had their origin in _tramways_ which were used more than two hundred years ago in the mining districts of England to carry their output of coal to the sea.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway, about thirty-eight miles in length, was operating a locomotive driven by Stephenson, with a signalman on horseback, in advance, in 1825. The pa.s.senger coach in this instance was named the "Experiment," and carried six persons inside and from fifteen to twenty persons outside. But it was the year 1829, which became famous in the annals of railways, not only for the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester line, but for the invention and construction of the first high speed locomotive of the standard modern type. Robert Stephenson's engine, "The Rocket," was made under compet.i.tion for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and it gained the prize of five hundred pounds for lightness, power and speed, awarded by the directors.

FIRST RAILROADS AND LOCOMOTIVES IN THE UNITED STATES.

The newspapers of that period were filled with the wonderful "performance" of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the people of the United States, as well as those of Great Britain, became interested in the question of railroad transportation. As early as 1828 charters were obtained in several Eastern States and railroad companies organized.

The first locomotive engine used in this country was operated on the Delaware and Hudson Ca.n.a.l Company's railroad between the mines at Carbondale and the town of Honesdale, Pennsylvania. This locomotive was built at Stourbridge, England, and made its trial trip in August, 1829.

KENTUCKY'S FIRST RAILROAD.

Kentucky, which was one of the leading States in the Union in those days in all progressive movements, was wide awake to the great advantages to be gained by railroad transportation. And Lexington, which seems to have been the "self-starter" of Kentucky, was aroused to the highest pitch of excitement. The various "performances" of the English railroads were published at length in the Kentucky Gazette, and the Observer and Reporter. Lexington was the very heart of the great Blue Gra.s.s region of Kentucky. The amazing richness of the soil had lured the first settlers from the safety of their transmontane homes to the hards.h.i.+ps of Indian fighting and primitive living. Here they had built an ideal city adorned with beautiful Colonial homes; established the first great seat of learning west of the Alleghanies; built the first insane asylum; started the first newspaper; established the first public library, and surrounded by culture, wealth and refinement, with every want seemingly supplied and every wish apparently gratified, their business men declared there was yet one thing lacking--they needed an outlet to some great water course. The town branch was beautiful to look upon and a never-failing delight to those first inhabitants but useless for navigation. Their bountiful crops demanded transportation to the markets of the world. And now, like a miracle to solve their difficulties came this railroad proposition. They read the local papers with interest, discussed the question at public meetings, sent a man to England to obtain all available information concerning it, and with a push and energy which would startle the town today, they set to work to obtain a charter from the Kentucky Legislature, then in its session of 1829-30, asking for a railroad from Lexington, Kentucky, _to some point_ on the Ohio River.

The Reporter for February 3rd, 1830, _just one week_ after the Charter was obtained, had the following article: "As considerable interest has been excited in this community on the subject of Railroads by the Act of the Legislature authorizing the formation of a Company to make one from this town to the Ohio River, we have copied into this paper several articles going to show their immense utility and importance.

However great the advantages of Railroads may be to any country we are convinced that there is none where this beneficial influence could be more intensely experienced than in this section of Kentucky."

Then follows a notice calling attention to Section I of the Charter and asking that subscription books be opened. On Monday, February 8th, 1830, _just eleven days_ after the Charter was obtained, the books were opened at Brennan's Tavern from ten a.m. until two p.m. on five successive days. And in this incredibly short s.p.a.ce of time the money was raised by those public spirited, enterprising men. What a magnificent achievement!

Digressing a moment here, it must be remembered that Brennan's Tavern, which plays so conspicuous a part in this history of the railroad, was none other than the famous old Postlethwaite's Tavern, known to us as the Phoenix Hotel, which has been making history for Lexington since 1800. At this particular time it was leased and conducted by Mr.

Brennan, and so took his name for the time being.

In the next issue of the Reporter, February 10th, 1830, we find: "Agreeable to the notice published in our last, the subscription books for stock in this company were opened on Monday last, and before two o'clock p.m., the amount of stock subscribed was for $204,000. We have procured the following list of the names of the subscribers with the sums subscribed by each respectively, which we publish by way of showing to those who are yet in doubt as to the practicability and policy of this work, how the subject is viewed by men of practical experience."

Then follows a list of twenty-two subscribers.

"These liberal subscriptions by persons who have carefully investigated the subject afford conclusive proof that they consider the project not only a feasible one but one that offers to the Capitalist an opportunity for a profitable investment of funds. They have doubtless taken into consideration the peculiar advantages of the country in which the road will be located. * * * It is impossible to imagine the full extent of the varied mutual influences which the prosperity of this section of the country and the Rail Road will exert, all tending to the convenience, wealth and happiness of the community. * * *

P. S.--At the closing of the books at two p.m. on Tuesday, the following additional subscriptions had been taken."

(Follows a list of forty-two subscribers.)

"Which makes a total amount of $310,800; $300,000 being all that is necessary to vest corporate rights.

"At a meeting a.s.sembled for the purpose, Mr. Elisha I. Winter was elected President and John Brand, Benjamin Gratz, George Boswell, Walter Dunn, Richard Higgins, Henry Clay, Joseph Bruen, Henry C. Payne, Elisha Warfield, Benjamin Dudley and Charlton Hunt, Directors of the Lexington and Ohio Rail Road Co."

CONSTRUCTION.

The succeeding newspapers published a great deal on construction, and when it is remembered that all of it was experimental at that time, it will be interesting to note that the Lexington and Ohio Railroad Company, patterned most closely after the English models, undertaking, however, to improve upon them by the use of our native limestone sills which they believed to be indestructible and found, to their sorrow, to be most perishable.

The Reporter of November 24th, 1830, says: "A great deal of information on the subject of Rail Roads has been disseminated by public spirited individuals in the course of the past two or three years. A number of such works have been projected in the United States and some of them completed within that period. The Baltimore and Ohio is first and most important in every point of view. To the efforts of the enterprising Directors and Stockholders of that Company, we shall be indebted for the creation in a short period of time of a greater extent of Railway communication between the several parts of the Union than Centuries have produced of artificial or ca.n.a.l navigation. We firmly believe that the digging of ca.n.a.ls in all parts of the country will cease and that many now in use will be abandoned and railroads subst.i.tuted in place of them.

* * * * * As to the mode of construction--the route is selected upon a minute survey, with as little elevation as possible, with a view to economy--the line is then graded by excavating the earth to near a level, say 50 feet slope to the mile. The excavation for a single line of rails need not be more than one-third the width of a turnpike and, of course, this part of the work is proportionately cheaper than grading for a turnpike. Large pieces of limestone, two feet or more in length and from 3 to 12 inches thick, made straight on the upper edge, are then firmly imbedded along the graduated road in two lines, 4 feet 3 inches apart. On these lines of stone sills are laid iron bars or rails, 2 inches wide, 1-1/2 inches thick, fastened with iron bolts. Bridges to pa.s.s water courses and drains to carry off the water are to be made in the common way. * * * The work is now done. As to its cost--Unless the route be through hills and vallies and, of course, a very unfavorable one, the necessary grading of a narrow line for a railway will not cost more than the like work for a wide turnpike. * * * The next item of expense is stone work. The stone sills will cost 20 cents per foot, or $2,112 per mile for two rows. The iron rails and bolts will cost $57 per ton, or $969 per mile, allowing 17 tons which will do, fastening the same from 1 to $200 a mile. * * * No greater difficulty exists in fixing the precise cost of a railway than of a house of given dimensions or of a brick wall. In reference to the Lexington and Ohio Railroad the requisite data to form true estimates of the cost of each separate mile will soon be in possession of the Company. The Engineers are of the opinion that it is throughout an eligible cheap line. The whole cost then is less than $8,000 a mile."