The history of the first locomotives in America. From original ...

PETEE COOPER LOCOMOTIVE. II3
" Mr. Winans says that Mr. Cooper at first proposed to com-
municate the reciprocating motion of the piston-rod to the road-
wheels lay an arrangement which I cannot accurately descrihe, but
the experiment did not satisfy Mr. Cooper on trial, and the common
crank action was substituted, and the favorable results ob-
tained, which are described in Mr. "Winans's letter of August 28,
1830, published in the Hailroad Mecord of Cincinnati, on the 8th
of July last. Mr. Cooper, if applied to, could perhaps furnish
some interesting additional particulars about this engine, which
was undoubtedly the veryfirst American locomotive.
• "Mr.
Winans, after examining the sketch, pronounces it sub-
stantially correct as to the general features of the engine ; the
details, many of course ideal, must be very defective. The num-
ber, size, and length of the tubes are not known, only their position
in the boiler.
" The road-wheels were two and a half feet in diameter ; the
axles had outside bearings upon Winans's friction wheels. The
axle on which the pinion was fixed was kept from lateral or longi-
tudinal movement, so as to preserve its position with respect to
the spur-wheel.
" Tour friend's sketch of the horse^ar, you sent for my inspec-
tion, gives the general idea of it, and it is made with a spirit that
shows him to be a good draughtsman and knowing to the ' points,
of a horse,' better than myself—the thing was as much like one
of those horse-powers, of which we see so many, along railways
at the stations, for cutting-up wood for the locomotives. The
hinged or slatted platform, on which the horse walked, turned
round a drum ; on this was a spur-wheel working in a pinion on the
road-wheel axle ; so that this gearing gave considerable speed to
the car, with a moderate one to the horse. I remember well the
adventure with the cow, mentioned by my brother in his lecture,
to which you refer. I agree with him and Mr. Winans that the
successful experiment with the Cooper engine was in 1 830, as it was
the year I entered the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company's
service, and some of the particulars are permanently fixed upon
my memory.
" I cannot add more just now, and, as I shall not be in Balti-
more for three or four weeks, I must delay writing.
" Respectfully and truly yours,
"Benj. H. Lateobe."
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