. The history of our country from its discovery by Columbus to the celebration of the centennial anniversary of its declaration of independence ... vernment. The mostnoteworthy event of his administration Avas the beginning of landtravel by steam in this country. We had had steamboats ever sinceFultons successful trip on the Hudson. Already the western lakes a^4 SIOHV OF OIK COlNlKV and rivors \v(m-(> lillod with large steamboats, and the Mississippiswarmetl with steamers, earrying goods and passengers up and downbetween Cineinnati, Louisville, 8t. Louis, New Orleans, and all theother large
. The history of our country from its discovery by Columbus to the celebration of the centennial anniversary of its declaration of independence ... vernment. The mostnoteworthy event of his administration Avas the beginning of landtravel by steam in this country. We had had steamboats ever sinceFultons successful trip on the Hudson. Already the western lakes a^4 SIOHV OF OIK COlNlKV and rivors \v(m-(> lillod with large steamboats, and the Mississippiswarmetl with steamers, earrying goods and passengers up and downbetween Cineinnati, Louisville, 8t. Louis, New Orleans, and all theother large eities eonnected by inland rivers. Ever sinee the diseovery of the steam-engine, and partieulailysinee its applieation to boats, far-sighted men had been pn)phesyingtlie apjilieation of steam to land travel. But inventors were slow-in glutting this idea into practiee. Everybody saiil we nmst havesome easier way of transporting goods and passengers by lamb butnobody had jn-oduoed the locomotive, worked by steam. We hadbuilt the great Erie Canal through New York, by the aid of DeWitt Clinton, who was as active in that as Robert Livingston had. Evanss Road Engine. been in steam navigation; but that did not serve the whole was the problem for twenty years after steamboats began to run,how^ to get the same increased degree of speed on land. First, railroads began to come in use. Coal mines caused the lirstrailroads to be made, and they weie nsed long before we could makesteam-engines run on them. It was so much trouble to draw greatcarts loaded -with coal from the English mines, that somebody sug-gested plank roads, with wooden rails, over which wheeled cartswould run more easily. These were called tram-ways. Then itwas suggested that a plate of iron should be nailed on the woodenrail to make it wear longer: finally an iron rail was substituted, andthus the railway was all ready for the locomotive and cars. These tram-ways had long been used in England. In Anun-ica, they
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectuniteds, bookyear1881
