Bridge Over Untroubled Waters
Bridge Over Untroubled Waters
It was on this day in 1814 that a man named George Stephenson made the first successful demonstration of the steam locomotive in Northern England. His engine pulled eight loaded wagons of thirty tons’ weight about four miles and hour up a hill.
…Emblem of motion and / power—pulse of the continent…
But though the locomotive was invented in England, it had its greatest impact on the United States, where there was so much wide-open space and so many natural resources to take advantage of. By 1840, the United States had 2,800 miles of railroad track. By 1872 that number had increased to 52,000 miles of railroad track.
Walt Whitman called the locomotive “Emblem of motion and / power—pulse of the continent.” But some people weren’t too happy about the introduction of the locomotive and the faster pace of life it brought. Henry David Thoreau wrote, “This world is a place of business. What an infinite bustle! I am awaked almost every night by the panting of the locomotive. It interrupts my dreams. There is no Sabbath. It would be glorious to see mankind at leisure for once. It is nothing but work, work, work.”
From the Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor
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