Clearing the Way for the Comforts of Life - What the Engines Said - Laying the Tracks of Prosperity

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora

Clearing the Way for the Comforts of Life traces how railroads transformed everyday living by accelerating travel and conquering distance. The text contrasts early doubts and superstition about steam power with evidence of economic and practical benefits, highlighted through the “engines” dialogue and historical milestones. It recounts early railway experiments, price changes, locomotive breakthroughs, and the mounting vision that rail transport would unlock natural resources across nations, shaping prosperity for all classes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

What the Engines Said

Laying the Tracks of Prosperity

Inklings of New Era

The First Price Drop

Opening America's Treasure-house

Linking the East and West

97-84093-29 # Clearing the way for thecomforts of life New York 1926 # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISION BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED·EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD 303ZBox 269Ingoroo¹-Pand eonpany)Clenring the way for the comforts of lifei theAmerican home gains beauty and convenienoe througha century of'progreu on the "ronda of iron."New York Ingersoll-Rand conpany,1926.16y p.illus.25 cm.口 4:9 Ruproduchions may not be madn wthout pormaslon tom Coumbiae UniorsityLrares ## RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE:_ 35myREDUCTION RATIQ: 14.7 MAGE PLACEMENT:IA IB IIB INITIALS: B DATE FILMED: 5-20-97 TRACKING \#: zdoos FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. # Clearing the Way308for the Comforts of Life3ox 2G8 # CLEARING THE WAYFORTHE COMFORTS OF LIFE 3 The eAmerican home gains beauty and convenience thronugh a century of progres on the “roads of iron” NEW YORK·MCMXXVI ## WHAT THE ENGINES SAID What was it the Engines said, Pilots touching,—head to head Facing on the single track, Half a world behind each back? Said the Engine from the East;"They who work best talk the least.S'pose you whistle down your brakes;What you've done is no great shakes." Said the Western Engine,“Phew!” And a long,low whistle blew. "Come now,really tha's the oddest Talk for one so very modest. You brag of your East.You do? Why,I bring the East to you! All the Orient,all Cathay, Find through me the shortest way; And the Sun you follow here Rises in my hemisphere." From a ppem by Bret Harte,cle bading the competiom af thefradralroad a cross this coninenl. # Laying the Tracks of Prosperity N THE days of the rickety stage coach,he log housewith iron may hereafter be employed for expeditious trav-eling."Young,of course,was thinking primarily of thetediousness of travel in his day.He did not dream that,within the span of one man's life,his visioned“roads ofiron"were to unlock the treasures of continents and bring tothe humblest household greater comforts,conveniences andluxuries than had been formerly enjoyed by the wealthiest.But,even in the year of Young's naive prophecy,1807,there were inklings of a new era—signs of an approachingage in which the forces of nature were to be mobilized forthe annihilation of distance and the conquest of humandrudgery.The invention of the stationary steam engine hadalready made it no longer necessary to locate mills on thebanks of streams in order that machinery might be turned ## Inklings of New Era ## The First Price Drop The idea of rail transportation by mechanical powerfirst began to seem really practical in 1825.In that yearGeorge Stephenson's "Locomotion No.I"—tiny progeni-to of the giant steam locomotives of today—made its his-toric run,over an iron-shod tramway,between the Englishtowns ofStockton and Darlington.Awildly wavinghorsemanglloped ahead to clear the tracks;an affrighted populaceclambered up hillsides to be out of harm's way;and therewas much doleful talk about the "impiety"of attempt-ing to substitute a death-dealing"steamdevil"for the God-given horse.But calamity failed to follow in the wake ofthe"steam devil."On the contrary,the price of coal inDarlington dropped more than one-half;and there was thusgiven the first intimation of the enormous benefits whichmechanical transport was to bring to mankind.Among the first to grasp the full meaning of the accom-plishment of"Locomotion No.I"was Thomas Gray,known to history as "The Railroad Pioncer,"who in 1826published a pamphlet,advocating what then seemed theabsurdly ambitious project of building a steam-operated rail- A Pioneer“Promoter” theless,he declared,“the measure is one that will and mustcontribute to the accommodation of every individual,and,consequentl

FAQs

What theme connects the poem and the historical narrative in the document?

Both sections emphasize how steam-powered railroads changed society by improving travel and bringing widespread benefits.

Why is the “first price drop” significant in the document?

It marks early economic proof that mechanical transport could reduce costs and signal the larger advantages railways would bring.

How does the document describe the expansion of railroads in America?

It explains that railways were seen as the practical means to open western resources and turn the “treasure-house” of nature into accessible wealth.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aurora