John, That is great to hear you heard that statement before.
I think you knew Van Buren? Just kidding. Mike From: John Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} C&O Canal (train related) Am familiar with that statement. Van Buren liked SCALE rights of way. Not HI RAIL. One of my ancestors built Van Burens house. I think he got paid. John Armstrong ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael & Linda Marmer To: mailto:toytrains%40yahoogroups.com ; mailto:S-Trains%40yahoogroups.com ; mailto:s-scale%40yahoogroups.com ; Steve Conard ; John Picur Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 7:49 PM Subject: {S-Scale List} C&O Canal (train related) I just got my latest C&O Canal newsletter and this little story appeared in the newsletter. I am going to type it out. On Jan. 1, 1829, Governor of New York Martin Van Buren wrote this to President Jackson: “The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as “railroads”. As you may well know, railroad carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by engines, which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside. the Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such a breakneck speed”. Though oft-quoted, the letter I thought by many to be apocryphal. ( not authenticated) ---------------------------------------------------------- The above is sort of silly and funny, as the railroads did over come the canals in the end. Many of you know I am a big fan of the C&O canal, as I have hiked all 184 miles of it in the late 60s with the Boy Scouts and Linda and I bike on it just about every weekend from April to November. The speed limit on the canal for boats was 4 mph, as any faster, the ripples from the boats would damage the clay covered canal beds. I have read that RR employee’s would throw rocks to spook the mules pulling the boats, as the boats carrying goods, mostly coal was competition. I have read a book last year called Railroad Triumph which states that the RRs where coming but due to many canals being built in the early 1800s, there was a need for faster movement of goods and people, so the canals actually got RR design going sooner. The Canal went into bankruptcy in the 1880s as the B&O RR purchased the canal. The Canal closed in 1924. The B&O RR went bankrupt in 1936, as the government got the canal then. It was made into a national park in 1971. I am reading a book written on the C&O Canal, and President Jackson actually cut off all US Government funding for the building of this canal. He saw no need for it. Mike Marmer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6232 (20110623) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6232 (20110623) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
