,the ,grasshopper                       
and                                ,the 
,corliss                                
,,milestones                         in 
the ,mighty ,age of ,steam              
,illustration3 ,south ,station which    
houses the ,grasshopper locomotive      
in ,carillon ,park4    ,south ,station  
is a modest little building1            
representing in its style of            
construction a typical railroad station 
in the days when the railroad  first    
came to the ,miami ,valley4 ,however1   
its function is not to provide  a       
waiting place for passengers but to     
serve as the home of one of the  oldest 
locomotives still in existence4 ,the    
miniature power house across  the way is
 much more modern in its construction4  
,the ,corliss engine  which has been    
re-erected in this building was in      
operation at ,,ncr for  almost fifty    
years4        ,illustration3 ,the       
,corliss ,engine ,building has much the 
appearance      of a small power house4 

,illustration3 ,grasshopper locomotive  
,when ,james ,watt gave the world the   
condensing steam engine in #aghh he     
ushered in an era in man's progress     
which brought with it the ,industrial   
,revolution and fundamental changes in  
our way of life4 ,steam has made        
possible the development of our vast    
industries1 our modern  transportation  
on land and on sea1 and an immeasurable 
expansion of the  horizons of our daily 
life4    ,two of the most far-reaching  
uses of the principle of production of  
power through steam have been in        
transportation and in the generation of 
electricity4 ,in both instances the     
first steps toward the ultimate         
achievement were crude and none too     
convincing1 but they did lead to        
further development and outstanding     
accomplishment4    ,after the discovery 
of the power of steam1 man toyed with   
the idea of a  steam engine that could  
move itself4 ,the implications of such  
an  invention were far reaching4 ,the   

first steps were taken in ,england in   
the early part of the nineteenth century
 and a locomotive which  successfully   
hauled a train of vehicles was built    
there in #ahbe4 ,the  first ,american   
locomotive was the ,tom ,thumb built by 
,peter ,cooper4    ,in a competition    
sponsored by the ,baltimore and ,ohio   
,railroad1 ,phineas  ,davis1 a          
watchmaker of ,york1 ,pennsylvania1     
built a locomotive which was  referred  
to as the 8grasshopper0 type because of 
its appearance and the  up-and-down     
motion of its driving rods4 ,this was   
really the first  successful steam      
railroad engine in this country4        
,turning to the stationary steam engine 
for the production of direct  power and 
for generating electricity1 we find that
 the greatest advance  in this field was
 the ,corliss engine4 ,this engine which
 incorporated new  principles of control
 and fuel economy was the invention of  
,george ,h4  ,corliss1 a ,new ,england  
inventor who1 as much as any other man1 

was  responsible for the development of 
the power facilities which have made    
possible the industrialization of this  
nation4    ,the ,grasshopper locomotive 
and the ,corliss engine1 each in its own
 way1  made a vital contribution to the 
development of ,america4 ,each is       
included in the ,carillon ,park exhibits
 because it represents a  significant   
forward step in man's constant quest for
 a better and fuller  life4             
,illustration3 ,corliss engine          
,steam ,comes to the ,rails             
,illustration3 ,the famed 8,atlantic0   
drawing early type railroad      coaches
 in ,baltimore and ,ohio railroad       
exhibit4 ,the 8,atlantic0 is            
original1 the coaches replicas4    ,the 
steam railroad represents an evolution  
unique in the story of man's  progress4 
,its expansion from almost primitive    
beginnings unfolds one of  the epics of 
transport4 ,today's network of steel    
rails is tribute to the  originality and
 persistency of courageous and          

far-seeing men4    ,nowhere has the     
railroad undergone such a transformation
 as in the  ,united ,states4 ,although  
,england stood in the van of locomotive 
construction1 ,american ingenuity       
perfected the most powerful type4 ,from 
an average of twelve to fourteen tons1  
the weight of the first  ,grasshopper   
engine1 they have expanded to the       
monsters of more than five  hundred     
tons4 ,in #ahdj1 a little more than a   
decade after the  incorporation of our  
first railroad1 the total mileage in    
this country  was #b1haj4 ,today the    
operated mileage is #cih1jjj4    ,the   
real birth of the railroad1 however1 was
 in ,england4 ,as in the  ,united       
,states1 tramways provided the          
predecessor4 ,they were first  employed 
in the coal districts adjacent to       
,newcastle1 to convey coal  from the    
pits to the ,river ,tyne for shipment   
abroad4    ,the weakness in all the     
early ,british engines was that they    
could not  produce steam as rapidly as  

they used it up1 nor did they have      
sufficient power to move quickly1 or    
pull more than their own weight4 ,it    
remained for ,george ,stephenson to     
overcome these weaknesses and prove  the
 practicability of the movable steam    
locomotive4 ,stephenson1 born in  #agha1
 was the son of a fireman at the ,wylam 
,colliery near ,newcastle4  ,stirred by 
the story of ,james ,watt's achievements
 in the domain of  steam1 ,george       
enrolled in a night school to study     
mechanics4    ,steam traction continued 
to absorb the attention of many ,british
  inventors1 so ,stephenson turned to   
it4 ,he constructed an engine called    
8,blucher10 which made a successful     
trial run ,july #be1 #ahad4    ,george  
,stephenson was a persistent fellow4 ,to
 his doggedness of purpose  we owe the  
beginning of the steam railroad4 ,in    
#ahbb he 8sold10 as we  would say today1
 the directors of the ,stockton         
,darlington ,railway1  which had planned
 to use horses on its trams1 on the idea

 of using a  steam locomotive4 ,he was  
appointed engineer of the road and given
  authority to carry out his plans4     
,the age of railroading in this country 
began with the chartering in #ahbg  of  
the ,baltimore  ,ohio ,railroad1 the    
first road constructed in the  ,united  
,states to carry passengers and freight4
 ,the first rails were laid  on ,july   
#d1 #ahbh1 with ,charles ,carroll1 the  
only living signer of the  ,declaration 
of ,independence1 turning over the first
 spadeful of dirt4  ,the first section  
of thirteen miles from ,baltimore to    
,ellicott's ,mills  was opened in ,may1 
#ahcj4 ,the man who jolted the          
,baltimore  ,ohio  directors out of     
their horse fixation was the renowned   
,peter ,cooper4    ,cooper built a      
locomotive which he called ,tom ,thumb4 
,the name was apt  because it was quite 
a small affair4 ,in its construction he 
used odds  and ends of mechanical parts4
 ,the barrels of muskets1 for example1  
provided the tubes for the upright      

boiler4    ,the directors of the        
,baltimore  ,ohio decided to have a     
competition4 ,in  ,january1 #ahca1 they 
advertised for locomotives to be entered
 in a series  of contests4 ,they offered
 to give a #d1jjj prize for the         
locomotive that  best met the test1 and 
#c1ejj for the second best engine4      
,four engines entered the competition1  
one of which was built by ,phineas      
,davis1 a watchmaker of ,york1          
,pennsylvania4 ,the ,davis entry        
fulfilled all  the requirements of the  
competition and won first prize4 ,soon  
after its  adoption the ,baltimore      
,ohio directors named that type of      
locomotive  the ,grasshopper4 ,this was 
due to its grasshopper-like             
construction4 ,from  that parent engine 
sprang a fleet of ,grasshoppers that    
operated for  nearly a century and made 
railroad history4    ,phineas ,davis and
 his partner1 ,gartner1 now began to    
develop the  ,grasshopper type4 ,the    
next venture was the ,atlantic which    

went into  service on the ,b  ,o in the 
summer of #ahcb4 ,once the ,grasshoppers
  demonstrated their utility1 the steam 
locomotive idea spread rapidly4    ,the 
saga of the ,american ,railroad is a    
stirring narrative of triumph  over     
obstacles4 ,the road of the iron horse  
is part of the larger highway  over     
which progress has marched4 ,in that    
drama of achievement the  ,grasshopper  
locomotive played its full part4 ,as    
such1 it merits a niche  in the         
,transport ,hall of ,fame4              
,old ,locomotive ,no4 #a ,finds a ,home 
,the ,grasshopper locomotive now placed 
in ,carillon ,park chose to tell    its 
own story of its origin1 its            
experiences1 its hopes1 its fears and   
its present feeling4 ,with the          
assistance of ,lawrence ,w4 ,sagle of   
the ,b     ,o staff1 ,old ,no4 #a here  
tells its story4    ,boy1 what a relief 
to have your future definitely settled6 
,especially if  you have worked hard for
 #eg years1 and then been pushed around 

for an  additional #ee years1 fearful   
all the time that you may be cut up for 
scrap4 ,you can appreciate how ,i feel1 
now that ,i have a nice cozy home  here 
at ,carillon ,park in ,dayton1 ,ohio4   
,what say8 ,oh1 of course4 ,let me      
introduce myself4 ,i am old ,grasshopper
  ,locomotive ,no4 #a4 ,and the oldest  
original ,b  ,o locomotive in existence4
  ,that1 alone1 is something to be proud
 of6 ,and do ,i have a long and         
colorful history8 ,let me tell you about
 some of its highlights4    ,i was built
 way back in ,july1 #ahce1 one of a     
group of improved  grasshopper          
locomotives then being placed in service
 on the ,b  ,o4 ,we  fellows were really
 good in those days4 ,the old           
8,atlantic0 and  8,traveller0 had been  
retired the year before ,i was built4   
,just between  us1 they weren't much to 
speak of4 ,we new engines1 named for    
,presidents  of the ,united ,states and 
other great statesmen1 could run rings  
around  them4 ,i was proud to be named  

the 8,john ,quincy ,adams40 ,and there  
was the  8,george ,washington10 for     
instance4 ,he led the parade of the     
first trains  into ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41
 on ,august #be1 #ahce--;and ,i was     
second in line--to  make railroad       
history4 ,he finally ended his career   
out around ,wheeling1  ,va41 in #ahec4  
,he had hauled rail cars down the line  
as the railroad was  pushed eastward to 
,roseby's ,rock1 where the tracks were  
joined on  ,december #bd1 #aheb4 ,good  
old ,george6 ,i wish he could have lived
 to see me  now1 snug as a bug in my new
 home4    ,you'll have to pardon my     
ramblings4 ,you know how we old fellows 
like to  look back and talk about the   
8good old days40    ,well1 time passed1 
and then we were more or less pushed    
into the  background by the newer1 more 
powerful locomotives that came along4   
,i'll  never forget the first ,winan's  
,camel4 ,gosh1 what a fright he gave me6
 ,i  thought he would topple over and   
crush me4 ,but ,i soon got used to those

  big fellows4 ,and then1 in #ahej1 they
 took my distinguished name away  from  
me4 ,imagine how ,i felt being just     
plain ,no4 #f1 instead of 8,john        
,quincy ,adams40 ,but ,i kept on working
 as if nothing had happened although  ,i
 was no longer in main line service4 ,i 
felt very diminutive compared to  the   
,mud-diggers and ,camels4 ,and in #ahhd1
 they changed me to ,no4 #a4 ,well1     
that was better6 ,i was the oldest      
locomotive on the ,b  ,o4 ,that was     
something to be proud of1 even then4    
,illustration3 ,the ,john ,quincy ,adams
 proudly bearing the number 8#a0        
bids goodbye to ,mount ,clare ,station  
on eve of departure for ,carillon       
,park4    ,so things drifted along until
 there were only four of us left4 ,there
 was  old 8,andrew ,jackson0 7built in  
,february1 #ahcf71 8,john ,hancock0     
7built in  ,april1 #ahcf7 and 8,martin  
,van ,buren0 7built in ,november1       
#ahcf71 all good1  stout fellows4 ,all  
four of us were doing switching duty at 

the ,mt4 ,clare  ,shops in ,baltimore4  
,and1 although we were numbered #a1 #b1 
#c and #d1 when  in our stalls at night1
 we called each other by our old names4 
,john1  ,andy1 ,marty and ,i 7they      
called me 8,j4,q407 would talk far into 
the night  about the early days of the  
railroad and how little those newer1    
bigger  locomotives seemed to know--or  
care--about such things4    ,well1 sir1 
things drifted along until one day in   
#ahib a group of  distinguished men     
dropped around and looked us over4      
,there was one  chatty old fellow with a
 goatee1 who seemed to have some plans  
for our  future4 ,i learned later that  
he was ,major ,pangborn1 and what he did
 to  me shouldn't have happened to a    
,mud-digger6 ,he took us all into the   
shop1 worked on us for days and--of all 
things6--altered me to resemble  the    
8,traveller0 and altered 8,andy0 to     
resemble the 8,atlantic10 two old  boys 
that couldn't pull your hat off in a    
mild windstorm6 ,what a  come-down6 ,but

 old 8,marty0 got the worst treatment of
 all4 ,he was  altered to resemble that 
old 8crab0 locomotive1 the 8,mazeppa10  
with  dummy horizontal cylinders and his
 beautiful grasshopper legs ripped  off4
 ,oh1 the ignominy of it all6 ,john     
fared better than the rest of us4  ,he  
got a new coat of paint and a new name4 
,they painted 8,thomas  ,jefferson0 on  
his cab4 ,that1 in a way1 was a sad blow
 to us also4 ,old  ,tom had passed on in
 #ahfj1 but we all remembered him       
fondly4 ,we were a  confused lot of     
locomotives1 ,i can tell you6    ,but we
 were not long in learning what it was  
all about4 ,they loaded us  on some     
gondola cars--imagine the sensation of  
riding on a railroad car1  pulled by    
another1 bigger locomotive1 when1 all of
 your lifetime had  been spent in       
pulling cars yourself--and for several  
days we travelled  over rails we had    
never seen before4 ,boy6 ,what mountains
 and grades we  crossed4 ,i doubt if ,i 
could have pushed a single car up some  

of them and  ,i admired greatly the     
brute strength of the big fellow on the 
head end  of our train and the one that 
pushed on the rear end4    ,we finally  
reached ,chicago1 and were placed on    
exhibition at the great  ,world's ,fair4
 ,here the ,b  ,o was commended for its 
wonderful historical  display1 and      
people by the thousands came and looked 
at us and made  remarks about how small 
we were compared to modern locomotives  
and went  away4 ,we had our brief hour  
of glory1 and after the show1 they      
hauled us  back to ,martinsburg and put 
us away to rust4 ,andy--,i mean         
,atlantic--was  cleaned up and sent to  
the ,st4 ,louis ,fair in #aijd1 where   
the ,b  ,o was  awarded a special gold  
medal for the most complete             
transportation  display1 and then1 in   
#aibg1 he and ,john were taken to the   
,fair of the  ,iron ,horse4 ,marty and  
,i thought we were going to be in that  
show4 ,they  brought us to ,baltimore1  
but changed their minds about us4 ,we   

were in  really bad shape6 ,and when    
they sent the two of us to the ,wicomico
  ,street scrap yards1 my heart jumped  
right up on top of my crown sheet4      
,surely1 this was the end6              
,illustration3 ,number #a arrives in    
,dayton and is lifted from freight      
car to motor trailer for final trip to  
its permanent home4                     
,illustration3 ,the 8,lafayette10 built 
in #ahcg1 the first ,b  ,o      engine  
with horizontal boiler and six wheels1  
began transition from      vertical     
boiler type4    ,but as the years       
dragged on1 and we still sat on the     
siding1 our upper  parts crated over1 we
 displayed that kind of patience that   
only an old  locomotive is capable of as
 he sits for long tedious hours on the  
shop  track1 waiting for the day when he
 will be fixed up and running again4    
,we did get a thrill of expectancy when 
we were moved to ,bailey's ,museum1  but
 there we sat in a corner and nothing   
was done to fix us up4 ,i was  ashamed  

when visitors saw me in such a          
condition4 ,i would wince at the        
remarks they made about our junky       
appearance4 ,it was worse for ,marty1   
his beautiful grasshopper legs gone1 and
 with those dummy tin cylinders  bolted 
to his frame to make him look like a    
8crab0 locomotive4 ,i'm  afraid that he 
is now a hopeless mental case4          
,illustration3 ,the 8,camel0 built by   
,ross ,winans went into service in      
#ahdh4 ,this engine had no pony wheels4 
,altogether #abb were built for      ,b 
,o4        ,illustration3 ,this painting
 depicts the memorable scene1 ,christmas
      ,eve in #aheb when ,maryland and  
,ohio were first joined by rail4        
,illustration3 ,time table giving the   
schedule of the ,b  ,o in early         
days4    ,one day in ,april1 #aidg1 they
 hustled me to the ,mt4 ,clare ,shops4  
,i was  completely bewildered4 ,i didn't
 recognize the old shops where ,i had   
been  built #aab years ago and where ,i 
had worked up to #ahib4 ,everything was 

so  much larger1 and the great machines 
and cranes6 ,and those big  locomotives6
 ,wow6 ,anyway1 they began to work on   
me1 and ,i soon realized  that ,i was   
being changed back to the way ,i looked 
in #ahib1 before ,major  ,pangborn had  
me changed to resemble 7ugh67 the       
8,traveller40 ,then1 from  the          
conversations ,i overheard1 ,i pieced   
out the story1 which is  something like 
this3    ,col4 ,e4 ,a4 ,deeds 7there's a
 nice man1 if ever there was one1 and   
interested in preserving a good old     
locomotive671 ,chairman of the ,board   
of ,the ,national ,cash ,register       
,company of ,dayton1 ,ohio1 was planning
 to  establish a museum in ,carillon    
,park in that city4 ,and one of the     
things  he needed was an old            
locomotive--and ,i was available and    
willing4        ,illustration3 ,the     
,baltimore  ,ohio ,depot in ,washington 
in #ahce when      first train entered  
the nation's capital4 ,this was an event
 of great      importance and one in    

which old ,no4 #a proudly participated4 
,the      ,president of the ,united     
,states witnessed the arrival of the    
cavalcade led by the 8,atlantic40    ,so
 ,i was reconditioned and painted up    
until ,i could hardly believe #ee  long 
years had passed4 ,then they pushed me  
out to the old ,mt4 ,clare  ,station and
 photographed me4 ,goodness me1 how     
memories flooded back over  the years4  
,the day1 for instance1 in #ahce1 when  
we lined up there before  that same     
station for the first trip into         
,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,i surely did  feel
 proud1 standing there having my picture
 taken4        ,illustration3 ,the      
,thomas ,viaduct on the ,b  ,o between  
,baltimore and      ,washington spanning
 the ,patapsco ,river is the oldest     
railroad stone      viaduct in the      
world4 ,built in #ahce1 many said it    
would not even      support the         
three-and-a-half-ton ,grasshoppers4 ,yet
 it has never      faltered under the   
heaviest of modern trains4    ,so1 once 

more ,i found myself on a gondola1      
riding in style over the  mountains to  
the ,west4 ,and finally ,i reached      
,dayton on ,november #f4 ,then  the     
celebration began4 ,a big crane lifted  
me1 light as you please1 out  of the car
 on to a heavy trailer that was used to 
haul me over to the  park4 ,and who do  
you think was down at the siding to     
welcome me8 ,none  other than ,colonel  
,deeds1 himself6 ,and with him were     
,messrs4 ,e4 ,d4  ,smith1 ,,ncr plant   
engineer2 ,r4 ,h4 ,hagerman1 ,,ncr      
traffic manager2 ,carl  ,beust1 head of 
,,ncr ,patent ,department2 ,t4 ,j4      
,klauenberg1 ,b  ,o division            
superintendent2 ,c4 ,p4 ,mabie1 ,b  ,o  
division freight agent1 and ,m4 ,c4     
,schwab1 ,b  ,o freight agent4 ,they    
were so pleased at my coming to town    
that they had a big luncheon to         
celebrate1 and my picture was in the    
papers and everything4    ,and you      
should see the beautiful house they     
built for me at the ,park4 ,it  looks   

just like an old railroad station1      
except ,i am inside instead of  the     
passengers4 ,it is built on part of the 
old railroad on the south  bank of the  
old ,miami and ,erie ,canal4 ,it's a    
beautiful setting in which  to house an 
old locomotive as important as ,i am4   
,so1 here ,i am1 proud as a peacock in  
my new home4 ,come out and see me       
sometime4 ,i expect to be here for a    
long1 long time4 ,as long as ,america   
is a great1 free country--forever1 ,i   
hope6        ,illustration3 ,the        
development of the locomotive has       
continued over      the years to the    
giant ,diesels of today4 ,the 8,memnon0 
was built in      #ahdh1 and called the 
8,old ,war ,horse0 for its ,civil ,war  
service4        ,illustration3 ,this was
 the modern locomotive of #ahif1 built  
for      fast passenger service between 
,philadelphia and ,washington4 ,it was  
designed by the superintendent of motive
 power of the ,b  ,o4                   
,illustration3 ,a modern steam          

locomotive used to haul fast            
merchandise freight trains in           
mountainous districts and for general   
freight road service4 ,built by ,baldwin
 ,locomotive ,works in #aidd4           
,illustration3 ,two-unit1               
#d1jjj-;horsepower1 ,diesel-electric    
locomotive used for hauling heavy       
passenger trains4 ,on the basis of      
performance the ,diesel seems well on   
the way to replacing the steam          
locomotive4        ,illustration3       
,replica in miniature of the            
8,cincinnati10 first      locomotive to 
pull a passenger train into ,dayton on  
the old      ,cincinnati1 ,hamilton     
,dayton ,railroad1 which later became   
part of      the ,baltimore  ,ohio      
system4                                 
,the 8,cincinnati0      ,the            
8,cincinnati10 prototype of the replica 
in miniature on display in  ,deeds      
,barn1 was typical of the locomotives   
that in the #ahej's were  beginning to  
establish a new transportation network  

across ,ohio and the  ,middle ,west4    
,these locomotives and their successors 
were to doom the canal system  which    
played such an important role in        
development of the ,west4 ,although  the
 ,miami and ,erie ,canal--which linked  
,dayton to ,cincinnati and  ,toledo--had
 its peak year in #ahea when the        
8,cincinnati0 first steamed  into       
,dayton1 canal operating expenses outran
 revenue only five years  later4 ,in    
#ahgg1 official operation of the canal  
ended4 ,in the march of  progress1 the  
railroad had won4    ,the 8,cincinnati0 
was built by the ,harkness firm of      
,cincinnati1 and was  one of the most   
advanced locomotives of its day4 ,its   
honest  functionalism1 as evidenced by  
the businesslike cow-catcher and the    
monstrous stack designed to trap        
dangerous wood sparks1 makes this type  
of locomotive1 called an 8,american10 a 
favorite with railroad fans4    ,how    
long the 8,cincinnati0 remained in      
service with the ,c4 ,h4  ,d4           

,railroad1 and its ultimate fate are not
 known1 but the colorful  locomotive and
 others of its kind made possible       
significant gains in  man's never-ending
 quest for better transportation4       
,the ,railroad ,reaches ,dayton      ,on
 ,january #bg1 #ahea the first          
locomotive to enter ,dayton traveled    
over  the newly constructed road between
 ,springfield and ,dayton4 ,oddly1      
enough1 the event attracted no great    
attention4        ,illustration3 ,the   
clipping shows the passing comment made 
by the      8,dayton ,daily ,empire40   
,,dayton ,,daily ,,empire4              
,,daniel ,g4 ,,seton ,,and ,,george ,w4 
,,clason4                               
,,dayton3                               
,monday ,evening1 ,january #bg1 #ahea4  
,safely ,through4    ,the first         
,locomotive from ,springfield to        
,dayton1 passed over the  railroad      
connecting the two cities this morning4 
,mr4 ,osborne1 the  ,superintendent1 and
 a small party of gentlemen from        

,springfield came  through4 ,the        
connection at the 8deep cut0 was        
completed on ,saturday1 and  the trip   
this morning was made by way of trial4  
,the entire line was  found to be in    
good running order1 and the locomotive  
came through in  fine style4 ,on        
,wednesday next1 we learn1 the first    
train will be run  from ,springfield    
down1 with the care intended far this   
section of the  road4 ,it is also       
expected that a large party of our      
,springfield  neighbors will make us a  
call4--,have the arrangements been made 
to give  than a proper reception8 ,it is
 time this matter was attended to4 ,the 
,dayton folks should likewise hold      
themselves in readiness to return the   
visit4 ,let there be a 8demonstration0  
on both sides worthy of the  occasion4  
,however1 in ,september the same year   
when regular service began to           
,cincinnati1 the arrival of the first   
train was the occasion of quite a       
memorable celebration4 ,these           

illustrations show one of the first     
trains1  newspaper comment1 program for 
the opening1 and ,dayton's ,union       
,station  of early days4                
,illustration3 ,this illustration shows 
one of the first trains to              
,cincinnati4        ,illustration3 ,a   
newspaper account of the grand opening  
of the old      ,cincinnati1 ,hamilton  
,dayton ,railroad4 ,the 8,cincinnati0   
was the      first of the trains to     
arrive in ,dayton that day4 ,although   
8buried0      deep in the article about 
the railroad's opening1 the bizarre     
accident that almost cost the life of   
the road's president1 ,s4 ,s4           
,l',hommedieu1 is probably one of the   
strangest in railroading      history4  
,according to later newspaper accounts1 
,mr4 ,l',hommedieu      recovered from  
his injuries4                           
,,dayton ,,journal                      
,,tuesday ,,morning1 ,,september #bc1   
#ahea      ,railroad ,celebration4      
,the opening of the ,cincinnati1        

,hamilton and ,dayton ,railroad1 better 
designated perhaps as the 8,great ,miami
 ,railway10 which took place  yesterday1
 attracted thousands of people to       
,dayton from the surrounding  country4  
,business was in a great measure        
suspended1 and crowds of  spectators on 
the line of the road were anxiously     
awaiting the arrival  of the trains from
 ,cincinnati long before the hour fixed 
for their  coming4 ,but we are          
anticipating4    ,in accordance with the
 arrangements1 a train of cars with #ejj
 passengers  left ,dayton for ,hamilton 
at quarter past #g1 on ,thursday        
morning4 ,the  morning was exceedingly  
pleasant1 the party in excellent spirit1
 a fine  road to pass over1 and a most  
important event to commemorate4 ,a ride 
of  two hours and a half through a      
beautiful country1 brought the train to 
,hamilton4 ,as it passed into town1     
thousands were assembled to greet its   
appearance1 banners were stretched      
across the streets1 having  appropriate 

inscriptions1 and all wore the          
appearance of festivity and  rejoicing4 
,inspiring music1 the thunder of        
artillery and the shouts of  the        
assembled multitude1 made the scene one 
of thrilling interest and  excitement4  
,our ,hamilton friends had made ample   
preparations to refresh and  entertain  
their guests from ,dayton as well as    
from ,cincinnati4    ,while awaiting the
 arrival of the trains from the city1   
invitations were  freely tendered to our
 citizens by ,hon4 ,l4 ,d4 ,campbell1   
,col4 ,a4 ,p4  ,miller and others1 to   
partake of their hospitalities4 ,many   
accepted the  invitations1 and were     
entertained in the most munificent      
style4    ,the trains from ,cincinnati  
having arrived1 8the procession0 was    
formed  and amidst the booming of the   
cannon and the shouts of the multitude1 
the four locomotives1 with nearly fifty 
cars in their trains1 were soon  under  
way for ,dayton4 ,proceeding at a       
moderate speed1 all arrived safely  in  

,dayton at half past #b4    ,in         
accordance with the ,programme1 a       
procession was formed under the         
direction of ,col4 ,greer1 ,grand       
,marshal1 which proceeded to the front  
of  the ,court ,house1 where the ,mayor 
of the city1 ,john ,howard1 ,esq41 in a 
brief and appropriate speech extended a 
cordial welcome to our guests4  ,s4 ,s4 
,l',hommedieu1 ,esq41 the ,president of 
the ,great ,miami ,railway1  responded  
in happy terms to the welcome of the    
,mayor4    ,the assembly separated for  
dinner1 and all we believe were         
entertained  at public tables1 or at the
 houses of our citizens4    ,towards #d 
o'clock1 one of the trains started on   
the return1 and by #e two  others had   
departed4 ,a locomotive with several    
cars1 remained to take  such of our     
visitors as remained to spend the night 
in ,dayton4 ,all the  trains which left 
yesterday1 safely reached the city and  
their arrival  there was telegraphed as 
soon as ascertained4      ,serious      

,accidents4    ,a little girl fell      
through the railroad bridge yesterday   
morning1 but  was not much injured by   
the fall4    ,a gentleman from          
,cincinnati1 in endeavoring to climb    
upon the second  train while it was     
under way1 had his foot caught by a     
wheel and badly  mutilated4    ,an      
,irishman in the employ of the          
,cincinnati ,railroad ,company1 while   
coming up the track last night in a hand
 car met with a serious  accident4      
,while turning the crank1 it broke and  
he was precipitated  forward with great 
force1 and so much injured that his life
 is  considered in danger4              
,accident to ,s4 ,s4 ,l',hommedieu1     
,esq4    ,just as the last train was    
leaving for ,cincinnati1 an accident    
occurred  which had well nigh proved    
fatal to ,s4 ,s4 ,l',hommedieu1 ,esq41  
the  efficient ,president of the road   
now opened4 ,the 8,red ,artillery0 of   
,cincinnati occupied the last car of the
 train1 and were firing their  small gun

 as the train started4 ,the muzzle of   
the piece was elevated1  the charge     
poured in1 but luckily was not wadded4  
,the piece was  depressed till about    
within range of the heads of the        
spectators1 and  was fired in the midst 
of a hundred persons standing by4 ,mr4  
,l',hommedieu  was passing within a few 
feet of and directly in front of the    
cannon's  mouth1 as the match was       
applied4 ,the principal part of the     
charge struck  his hat1 but a part      
entered his face4 ,he was prostrated by 
the  concussion1 but was soon upon his  
feet again4 ,he was immediately taken   
in a buggy to the residence of ,e4 ,w4  
,davies1 ,esq41 and after a night of    
quiet and repose was enabled to be about
 this morning4 ,his eyes are much       
inflamed1 so that they cannot hear the  
light1 and his face is filled  with     
powder4 ,he left for ,cincinnati in the 
train this morning4 ,we hope  soon to   
hear of his entire recovery4            
,illustration3 ,program for the opening 

,,programme                             
,,of ,,the                              
,,rail ,,road ,,opening                 
,,at ,,dayton1                          
,,september #ah1 #ahea4      ,the       
,dayton ,artillery ,squad will meet at  
,phillips' ,station1 #ae minutes  before
 #f o'clock ,a4 ,m4 and fire #aj rounds4
    ,the squad will leave ,dayton at #g 
o'clock in company with citizens of     
,dayton and other guests with the ,saxe 
,horn ,band1 for ,hamilton4 ,the ,squad 
will fire five guns at each town the    
train passes4    ,on arriving in        
,hamilton1 the ,artillery ,squad will   
fire #aj rounds1 and  after reaching    
,hamilton they will be governed by the  
arrangements at  that place4    ,the    
order of firing after leaving ,hamilton 
for ,dayton1 will be announced  to the  
different ,artillery ,squads before the 
trains depart from  ,hamilton4    ,the  
,dayton ,artillery ,squad in the first  
train of cars on arriving at the  west  
end of the ,miami ,bridge will halt     

until the arrival of the other  trains1 
firing during the intervals and on the  
arrival of the other  trains4 ,the      
,squad will then fire #aj rounds        
alternately with the 8,red  ,artillery  
of ,cincinnati40    ,the first train    
will then advance and halt at ,main     
street at which place  the visitors with
 the ,saxe ,horn ,band in front1 will   
form in open order1  facing north4      
,the ,second train1 with ,s4 ,m4        
,l',hommedieu1 ,esq41 ,president of the 
,cincinnati1 ,hamilton and ,dayton      
,railway1 with the ,mayors and corporate
  authorities of ,cincinnati1 ,hamilton1
 ,franklin1 ,middletown and             
,miamisburg1 and ,ministers of the      
,gospel will advance to the point above 
indicated4    ,j4 ,d4 ,putnam1 ,esq41   
will receive ,president ,l',hommedieu in
 an open  carriage4 ,j4 ,howard1 ,esq41 
,mayor of ,dayton1 will receive the     
,mayors of  the places above named in an
 open carriage4    ,the carriages will  
form at the head of the procession4     

,the ,ministers of the ,gospel1 and the 
,councils of the different cities  and  
towns1 followed by the ,u4,s4 ,brass    
,band from ,newport1 ,ky41--the         
corporate authorities eight abreast4    
,the remainder of the visitors will then
 form in regular order4    ,the         
,cincinnati ,band will take the centre  
of the line4    ,the ,saxe ,horn ,band  
will bring up the rear4    ,while the   
line is formed the ,bands will play1 and
 the procession will  move to the ,court
 ,house1 where the reception address    
will be delivered  by ,james ,howard1   
,esq41 ,mayor4    ,after the address and
 response1 the ,bands will play a       
national air2 the  procession will again
 form and proceed to the ,depot ,ground1
 where a  collation will be provided4   
,by ,order of the ,committee of         
,arrangements1                          
,,james ,,greer1                        
,grand ,marshal4      ,assistant        
,marshals4    ,j4 ,mc,d,a,n,i,e,l1      
,c4 ,l4 ,,vallandigham    ,,capt4 ,m4   

,b4 ,,walker    ,e4 ,n4 ,,comly         
,illustration3 ,dayton's ,union ,station
 of early days4                         
,the ,corliss ,engine                   
,illustration3 ,george ,h4 ,corliss     
,born in ,north ,easton1 ,washington    
,county1 ,new ,york1 ,george ,h4        
,corliss      started out to work in a  
general store4 ,at twenty-one he was the
      proprietor of his own store4 ,it  
was an incident which happened there    
that set him forth on a career as an    
inventor4 ,a customer complained      of
 a pair of boots which ripped at the    
seams4 ,corliss thought there      ought
 to be a better way to sew and in the   
process of trying to find      it1      
invented a sewing machine in #ahdc1     
three years before ,elias ,howe         
received his patent4 ,that was his first
 step as an inventor and it      was    
followed by many other inventions4      
,the ,corliss steam engine improvements1
 at the time of their invention  and for
 many years thereafter1 represented the 

most effective device  ever designed for
 economizing in the use of steam and    
regulating the  steadiness of a steam   
engine's power and speed4 ,these were   
essential  steps if man was to harness  
the power of steam and turn it to       
practical  use4    ,before the advent of
 the ,corliss engine1 those engines     
which were  available were very wasteful
 in their use of fuel to produce steam  
and  its resultant power4 ,they were    
also unable to maintain even speeds in  
driving factory machinery and other     
units4 ,this uneven flow of power was  a
 serious handicap to those who wanted to
 use steam to turn the wheels  of       
industry4    ,the secret of the         
efficiency of the ,corliss engine lay in
 its most  distinctive feature 444 the  
,corliss cut-off valve gear4 ,the       
cut-off was  automatically controlled by
 the governor regardless of power       
variations  and without any slowing in  
speed4 ,this was fundamentally          
responsible for  the ,corliss'          

efficiency and savings in fuel4 ,so     
efficient was the engine  that the      
inventor often agreed to sell his       
product under an agreement  that the    
saving in fuel cost by the end of a     
certain period would be its  price4 ,in 
one case1 after the engine had run      
through the stated period  of two years1
 the purchaser was glad to pay twice the
 list price rather  than the much higher
 amount represented by actual savings4  
,the ,corliss engine has played no small
 part in the development of ,dayton     
industry4 ,two such engines were used by
 ,the ,national ,cash ,register         
,company for almost fifty years4 ,one of
 these has been placed in ,carillon     
,park4 ,in the next few pages this      
faithful worker for industrial progress 
tells some of its experiences4          
,illustration3 ,looking over the top of 
the ,corliss engine as      installed in
 the miniature power house in ,carillon 
,park4                                  
,the ,story of ,my ,life                

,personal reminiscences of the ,corliss 
engine in ,carillon ,park1    covering  
nearly fifty years of continuous        
service4    ,for quite awhile now1 ,i   
have been sitting over here in ,carillon
 ,park and  ,i expect to go on doing    
that for some years to come4 ,when you  
weigh a  couple of hundred tons you     
don't move around any more than you have
 to  and once you find a good spot you  
are likely to 8stay put40 ,through the  
windows of my comfortable little power  
house ,i look out at my neighbors       
across the way4 ,one of them is a       
,grasshopper locomotive which ,i can    
just  see through the windows of his    
8station40    ,i haven't actually met   
8,grasshopper0 but ,i did learn not long
 ago that  he has written the story of  
his life4 ,i wouldn't go so far as to   
say  that he was 8blowing off steam0 but
 it does seem to me that if he has a    
story to tell ,i should have one too4   
,of course1 ,i know that size doesn't   
mean everything1 but if you should weigh

 old 8,grasshopper0--wheels1 cab  and   
all--he wouldn't weigh nearly as much as
 my flywheel4 ,but ,i feel that  we do  
have several things in common 444 we    
both know what it means to  get all     
steamed up and we have both done a lot  
of work in our day4    ,my friend       
8,grasshopper0 has traveled quite a bit 
but ,i think he has  settled down now1  
just like me4 ,they say that a rolling  
stone gathers no  moss and certainly    
8,grasshopper0 is bright and shiny but  
,i don't believe  you will find much    
moss on me either4        ,illustration3
 ,part of the ,corliss on its way to the
 ,,ncr power house      in #aijb4 ,five 
teams were required to move it4    ,my  
ancestry doesn't go back quite as far as
 8,grasshopper's0 but the  difference is
 only about thirteen years1 at that4 ,he
 was born in #ahce  and was the second  
generation of his family4 ,true enough1 
,i came along a  good many years later  
but my forefathers reach back to #ahdh1 
for in that  year the ,corliss line was 

begun4 ,in the following year1 on ,march
 #aj1  #ahdi1 ,mr4 ,george ,h4 ,corliss1
 a remarkable man whose name ,i bear1   
was  granted his first patent for steam 
engine improvements embodying his       
famous 8drop cut-off valve gear40 ,he   
had developed some new ideas about      
steam engines1 mostly about making them 
run steadier and on less coal4  ,those  
ideas meant a lot to industry all over  
this country4 ,outside of  the teammate 
who worked next to me in the ,,ncr power
 house for years1 ,i  never met any of  
my brothers but ,i am sure they were all
 hard workers  who gave a good account  
of themselves4    ,like anybody else1 ,i
 don't remember much about my birth4 ,i 
was built in  ,mount ,vernon1 ,ohio1 by 
the ,c4  ,g4 ,cooper ,company1 which    
manufactured  ,corliss engines4 ,my     
various pieces never really met until   
they all came  together in the ,,ncr    
power house back there in #aijb4 ,as ,i 
remember1 it  was a rather bumpy ride   
from the freight yards to the ,,ncr     

factory but ,i  felt quite important4   
,who wouldn't1 with five teams of horses
 pulling  you along and people stopping 
to look at you all along the way4 ,i    
gather  that ,i was considered quite a  
fellow in engine circles in those days  
and  ,i guess folks figured if the      
people at ,,ncr went out and hired a big
  engine like me to work for them       
business must be good and expected to   
get better4    ,i really don't know who 
figured out all the intricate variations
 in my  anatomy but ,i have heard that  
,e4 ,a4 ,deeds1 who was an engineer at  
,,ncr in  those days1 asked them to put 
in some special features which he       
thought  would make me better4 ,those   
ideas must have been all right1 for ,i  
have  never known a sick day in my life4
 ,and for the record1 let me say that ,i
  was running full speed right up to the
 moment ,i was shut off1 in #aidh4      
,that had happened before when they made
 me stop to be looked over but  they    
always let me start up again4 ,glad ,i  

didn't know what was happening  that day
 for ,i certainly had no idea of        
quitting1 and ,i wouldn't have  liked   
the idea a bit4 ,of course1 ,i came out 
all right1 but for a while  things      
looked pretty dark1 ,i can tell you4    
,illustration3 ,the ,corliss as it      
looked in the ,,ncr power house in      
#aijb where it functioned for almost    
fifty years with never a single         
failure4    ,as a matter of fact1       
according to the story ,i have pieced   
together from  chance bits of           
conversation1 ,i missed the scrap heap  
by just a hair4 ,it  seems there was    
some idea of putting only my fly wheel  
in ,carillon ,park1  because they didn't
 quite want to see me pass out          
altogether4 ,then one  day1 ,colonel    
,deeds got the idea of putting all of me
 over here4 ,he said  there were not too
 many ,corliss engines around and that  
we were getting  fewer every year4 ,he  
figured that future generations ought to
 know what  we looked like1 because we  

had done a good job4 ,so1 in the nick of
 time1  he saved me4 ,nick of time is   
right6 ,it was a matter of hours4 ,the  
scrap  man had already been out to look 
me over and ,i could almost feel the hot
  breath of the acetylene torch eating  
right into me4        ,illustration3 ,on
 ,march #ac1 #aidh1 ,colonel ,e4 ,a4    
,deeds turned the      control wheel    
which shut down the ,corliss for the    
last time4 ,it was      an act which    
brought with it many memories for him   
because #df years      before he had    
turned that same wheel in the reverse   
direction for      the first time and   
brought the ,corliss to life4    ,now   
maybe before ,i go any further1 ,i      
should tell you what ,i did for  almost 
fifty years at ,,ncr4 ,i really had two 
jobs3 one to turn out  electric power   
and the other to heat the factory with  
my exhaust steam1  which you might say  
,i did with my left hand4 ,that's one   
reason they  always liked me4 ,i used a 
lot of coal--guess ,i've burned up about

 #age1jjj  tons in my day--but ,i never 
wasted it4 ,i got just about as much out
 of a  ton of coal as ,i possibly could 
and then ,i did that extra job of       
heating  the factory with my exhaust    
steam for practically nothing4          
,illustration3 ,the ,corliss moves again
 but this time one powerful      motor  
truck with heavy-duty trailer is        
sufficient to do the job4    ,i could   
tell you a lot about some of the things 
that happened during my  almost half    
century on the job4 ,of course ,i saw   
,,ncr grow up4 ,when ,i went  to work in
 the power house there were just #e     
buildings in the whole  plant4 ,when    
they took me out ,i was amazed at how   
the place had changed4  ,i had seen some
 of the new buildings out the window but
 by no means all  of them4 ,there are   
over #cj now4 ,and what a lot more      
people there are6 ,i  think there were  
about #b1jjj in #aijb and now there are 
#ae1jjj4 ,well1 ,i  like to think ,i did
 my share in helping things along4      

,about eleven years after ,i started to 
work1 a terrible thing happened to      
,dayton4 ,i am talking about the flood  
of #aiac1 and while ,i didn't get  wet1 
,i knew the situation was bad4 ,you see1
 the water knocked out the  power houses
 downtown and my friends and ,i in the  
,,ncr power house had to  step in and   
take over4 ,of course we were glad to do
 it and those days  remain one of the   
great experiences of my life1 but ,i    
wouldn't want to  go through that again4
 ,or see the fine people of ,dayton go  
through it  either4 ,fortunately nobody 
needs to worry any more1 for ,i         
understand  they have fixed up that     
flood business for good4    ,i know     
people don't like too many figures1 but 
,i'd like to give you just  a few about 
myself4 ,as you see me today1 ,i weigh  
#baj tons4 ,my flywheel  is twenty feet 
in diameter and weighs #ch tons4 ,when  
,i was working full  speed ,i turned out
 #hjj kilowatts4 ,according to people   
who should know  and who looked me over 

just before ,i moved over here1 ,i was  
in just  about as good shape when ,i    
went out as when ,i went in4 ,give me a 
little  steam and my two old friends1   
,tom ,monks and ,ross ,morgan1 to look  
after  me and ,i'd be right back in     
business4    ,you know1 there is an     
interesting point of difference between 
,grasshopper's experience and mine4 ,he 
went onto the side track because  bigger
 and more powerful engines took his job 
away from him4 ,well up to  a point my  
experience was the same2 the fellow     
who's doing my job now is  certainly    
more powerful--about six times as       
strong--much as ,i hate to  admit it4   
,but the funny part of it is1 he's a    
midget compared to me4  ,naturally1 ,i  
haven't been back to the power house    
since ,i left1 but they  tell me this   
fellow1 whose name is ,turbine1         
something or other1 is  hardly more than
 a good-sized bump on the power house   
floor4 ,he weighs  only one-fifth of    
what ,i do4 ,doesn't seem possible that 

he can get more  done than ,i did1 but  
,i know times change1 and ,i guess      
engines1 like  everything else1 change  
with them4 ,don't think ,i'm critical2  
more power  to him4 ,if things keep on  
growing around there1 he's going to need
 it4  ,but ,i just have a little hope   
way down deep1 that once in a while     
someone is going to look over that way  
and think back to the days when  they   
could see my old flywheel whirling      
around day and night1 trying to  keep   
things going4    ,you know1 when you    
have spent your life trying to do the   
right thing1  you like to feel that you 
have done a good job4 ,do you know the  
last  thing they said about me1 just    
before ,i moved8 ,this is part of the   
,company's records so it's official and 
it's something ,i'll always  remember4  
,here it is3 8,this engine has given    
excellent service and no  power         
interruptions were ever experienced due 
to failure of this unit40  ,that makes a
 fellow feel pretty good and being over 

here in ,carillon  ,park1 looking       
shinier even than when ,i was on the    
job1 makes me feel  good1 too4 ,i know  
,i am going to meet a lot of fine people
 and ,i hope  they'll enjoy coming in   
and looking me over4 ,you know1 ,i think
 that even  for a ,corliss 444 ,i'm a   
very lucky fellow4        ,illustration3
 ,corliss engine which furnished power  
for the      ,centennial ,exhibition in 
,philadelphia in #ahgf4                 
,illustration3 ,the ,grasshopper        
locomotive in ,carillon ,park weighs    
about #bh1ijj pounds1 cost probably     
#d1jjj1 and had a theoretical           
tractive effort of #e1jid pounds4       
,illustration3 ,a modern two-unit       
,diesel passenger locomotive1 on the    
other hand1 weighs #fcj1jjj pounds1     
costs about #djj1jjj1 and has a         
starting tractive effort of #ajg1jjj    
pounds4 ,the ,grasshopper's top         
speed was #ae miles per hour1 while most
 passenger ,diesels are geared      to  
about #ij to #ajj miles per hour4       

,illustration3 ,the ,corliss was for    
many years the most efficient           
engine built1 but the modern steam      
turbine gives much greater              
efficiency at lower cost4 ,the ,corliss 
engine in ,carillon ,park weighs        
#baj tons4 ,it occupied #iej square feet
 of floor area and its maximum          
output was #hjj kilowatts4              
,illustration3 ,the turbo-generator1    
which replaced it1 weighs #dd      tons 
and occupies #bjj square feet1 but      
develops #e1jjj kilowatts1 or      more 
than #be times as much power per square 
foot of floor space as      the         
,corliss4                               
,,carillon ,,park                       
,,dayton1 ,,ohio                   ,one 
of a series of ,carillon ,park booklets4
                              ,price ten
 cents4                                 
,,printed ,,in ,u4,s4,a4                
,transcriber's ,notes      --,silently  
corrected a few typos4    --,retained   
publication information from the printed

 edition3 this e,book    is             
public-domain in the country of         
publication4    --,in the text versions 
only1 text in italics is delimited by   
underscores4