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396 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
Cincinnati and Sandusky become thickly settled and highly populated
and should the whole surplus produce of the immediate country and a
share of the Miami canal transportation all be brought into this railroad
what must be the quantity and what the value of this produce? What
the quantity and what the value of the goods on return? And what
must, be the number of passengers on this railroad .'
"At this time the old Mad river road ran into Sandusky on Pearl
Street (then called Railroad Street). The engine bad no cab and when
it rained the engineer stopped the train and went into a N convcnient
farmhouse till the rain was over. The passenger cars had seats along
the sides like horse cars and were about the size of a stage coach containing
about sixteen passengers. The freight cars were about the size
of cars now used in digging coal or cement."
The Register of November 20, 1883, contains the following statement :
"The New York Times of November 6th contains itfc announcement
of the death of William Swinburne, the builder of the^irst railroad locomotive
ever turned out of the famous Paterson, New Jersey, shops. This
locomotive was the 'Sandusky' and was built to run on what was then
known as the Mad River road (now part of the 'Big Four') which was
then the only railroad west of Utica, New York, and was a strap railroad
running from Sandusky via Bellevue to Tiffin. The locomotive was
placed on the old Jersey railroad on October (itb, 1837, for a trial trip
and as it was found to work satisfactorily it was a few days later shipped
from Paterson on a scow'to New York Bay and from there via the Hudson
and canal to Buffalo at which place it was placed aboard the. schooner
Sandusky commanded by Captain McGee and brought here.
"Captain McGee says the new locomotive had been the talk of the
country hereabouts for weeks and every one was curious to see it. When
the schooner landed with it here on December 2d. 1837, McGee found
a great crowd of the people in town they having flocked into the city
from all parts of the county to get a look at the pioneer locomotive.
The late Thomas Hogg for many years a resident of Ottawa County,
Ohio, and who had helped build the engine, came up from Buffalo on
the schooner and assisted in unloading the locomotive at what is now
known as Marsh's dock at the foot of Wayne Street. The Mad River
railroad ran along Wayne street at that time and the locomotive after a
good deal of hard work was gotten on the track at a point near when?
the United States Express Company now stands. Tt was a great day for
Sandusky when that engine arrived. Captain McGee tells us that with
few exceptions every man in town celebrated the eA'ent. Those who did
not celebrate were either sick abed or were temperance men and would
not."
The Register of November 16. 1887. describes the unloading of the
engine, Sandusky, December 2, 1837. and says it was drawn by an ox
team on a sled to Knight's blacksmith shop on Columbus Avenue, near
where the American Bank now stands, where the blacksmith work was
completed, and the engine set up. It was a little larger than the engines
now used to haul and operate threshing machines.