Hi,

I friend of mine came across this article from the 1830s. It was published in the Athenian in Athens GA.

I was wondering if items like this are being saved also.

Doug vV

This is an extremely interesting article, I would argue such an artifact is certainly worthy of preservation. It is fascinating to get a glimpse into the mindset of people witnessing firsthand the rise of an entirely new and revolutionary form of technology.

It's also interesting to compare the somewhat strong arguments presented in this opinion piece to actual history, where railroad construction actually helped generate local and regional economies where they were once slim to nonexistent.

I'm not sure whether RPN is the right forum to discuss the merits of the argument. It is interesting to note that many --- probably most --- early railroads were financed by people who lost their shirts in the initial investment. Often, the property survived more than one early bankruptcy, and the ultimate owner was someone who was able to buy in at a bargain basement rate, at a Sheriff's sale.

Tom

What's very interesting is that this article from a Savannah, GA paper was printed during a time when the State of Georgia was sending teams out to survey the state, estimate what the benefits to opening up the western frontier would be, and sketching out a transportation system to open the country to development. the decision was between canals and railroads, the new disruptive technology. The surveyors recommended railroads -- Savannah already had canals built and being built - and concluded that 5 trunk lines were required. Out of the 5, all would pay for themselves through earned revenues, except one: the road from the middle of the state northwest towards Chattanooga. The State stepped up to build the Western and Atlantic, and the rest is history. Given the predominance of canal development on the coastal plain around Savannah, seems likely the local papers would opt for what they knew rather than something new and foreign.

My city is having the same argument now about streetcars.

Hi,

When I was researching my 1975 term paper that eventually became my book on the Gainesville Midland Railroad in 2006, I stumbled upon an article from a Scientific American like publication from about 1840.

The experts of the era put forth a theory that trains would never exceed 25 miles per hour. The argument was that a 25 mile per hour air pressure on the face would prevent the person from exhaling!

Silly sounding when we now send spacecraft through vacuum to distant planets.

This opinion is really more for scientific historical preservation. I offer it as a light hearted chuckle.

Doug vV

At the very time that article was published my wife's gg grandfather was a steamboat caption on the Savannah to Augusta, Georgia run. He moved to Rome in 1848 and started steamboating on the Coosa River where his grandson finished up the busyness in the early 20s.

That kind of opinion piece is very interesting (though it would be more useful with a full citation). It is easy to think that because certain railroads were actually built, they must have had great public support. At least in the case of the Pacific railroad, rivalry between interested parties delayed construction for a decade and there was as much opposition to the railroad before it was built as there was antagonism after it was built. When people are making a living on an existing technology (such as steamboats), a new technology controlled by a new party is going to be upsetting. Add the political context (there were several domestic and international parties that did not want a railroad that could easily transport troops to California) and you have even more opposition to the railroad. Sadly, in our enthusiasm for the railroad and what it accomplished, the opposition stories are forgotten.

Since the graphic arts also interest me, looking at that newspaper article reminded me that every letter in that text was printed from a separate piece of type--Linotype machines were still about 50 years in the future. No telegraph systems connecting the stations by wire either, that was the better part of 20 years away.

Wow they had NIMBYs back then too..