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

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HISTOKT OF THE TIRST LOCOMOTIVES IN AMEKICA.
They never call to mind tliat a locomotive is a modern
invention, and, for want of access to works such as we
have referred to, they are not informed that a railroad
is an ancient institution (if we may apply such a term
to such a sul)ject). They never have dreamed nor ever
imagined that this peculiar kind of road was invented
and in use several centtiries ago, l)ut, like the great
auxiliary, the locomotive, was very defective and sim-
ple in its primitive state,- and since that time, like the
latter, has been subject to vast and continued improve-
ments.
Before, however, we enter upon the subject for
which these pages were designed— " the history of the-
first locomotives in America "—^it wUl not, we trust,
be deemed inappropriate here to devote a small space
in our work in describing the peculiar kind of road
upon which the locomotive travels, now known universally
as the railroad ; and to such information as we
have gathered of its origin and early progress.
Various devices have been employed, from the period
when wheel-carriages were first used, for facilitating the
movement over the ground in transportation. These
devices, however, were mostly limited to the smoothing,
levelling, and hardening the surface of the way. The
early Egyptians, in transporting the immense stones
they used in the erection of the vast pyramids from the
quarries, learned the advantage of hard, smooth, and
solid track-ways, and the remains of such, formed of
large blocks of stone, are said to have been found on
the line of the great road they constructed for this pur-
pose.
TTie ancient Romans made also some approach to
the invention of railroads, in the celebrated Appian
"Way. This was constructed of blocks of stone fitted
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