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N0KFQ > TODAY 04.06.16 18:32l 77 Lines 3897 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 95655_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Jun 4
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<F1OYP<ON0AR<OZ5BBS<CX2SA<N0KFQ
Sent: 160604/1609Z 95655@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1876
Express train crosses the nation in 83 hours
A mere 83 hours after leaving New York City, the Transcontinental
Express train arrives in San Francisco.
That any human being could travel across the entire nation in
less than four days was inconceivable to previous generations of
Americans. During the early 19th century, when Thomas Jefferson
first dreamed of an American nation stretching from "sea to
shining sea," it took the president 10 days to travel the 225
miles from Monticello to Philadelphia via carriage. Even with
frequent changing of horses, the 100-mile journey from New York
to Philadelphia demanded two days hard travel in a light
stagecoach. At such speeds, the coasts of the continent-wide
American nation were months apart. How could such a vast country
ever hope to remain united?
As early as 1802, Jefferson had some glimmer of an answer. "The
introduction of so powerful an agent as steam," he predicted,
"[to a carriage on wheels] will make a great change in the
situation of man." Though Jefferson never saw a train in his
lifetime, he had glimpsed the future with the idea. Within half a
century, America would have more railroads than any other nation
in the world. By 1869, the first transcontinental line linking
the coasts was completed. Suddenly, a journey that had previously
taken months using horses could be made in less than a week.
Five days after the transcontinental railroad was completed,
daily passenger service over the rails began. The speed and
comfort offered by rail travel was so astonishing that many
Americans could scarcely believe it, and popular magazines wrote
glowing accounts of the amazing journey. For the wealthy, a trip
on the transcontinental railroad was a luxurious experience.
First-class passengers rode in beautifully appointed cars with
plush velvet seats that converted into snug sleeping berths. The
finer amenities included steam heat, fresh linen daily, and
gracious porters who catered to their every whim. For an extra $4
a day, the wealthy traveler could opt to take the weekly Pacific
Hotel Express, which offered first-class dining on board. As one
happy passenger wrote, "The rarest and richest of all my
journeying through life is this three-thousand miles by rail."
The trip was a good deal less speedy and comfortable for
passengers unwilling or unable to pay the premium fares. Whereas
most of the first-class passengers traveled the transcontinental
line for business or pleasure, the third-class occupants were
often emigrants hoping to make a new start in the West. A
third-class ticket could be purchased for only $40-less than half
the price of the first-class fare. At this low rate, the traveler
received no luxuries. Their cars, fitted with rows of narrow
wooden benches, were congested, noisy, and uncomfortable. The
railroad often attached the coach cars to freight cars that were
constantly shunted aside to make way for the express trains.
Consequently, the third-class traveler's journey west might take
10 or more days. Even under these trying conditions, few
travelers complained. Even 10 days spent sitting on a hard bench
seat was preferable to six months walking alongside a Conestoga
wagon on the Oregon Trail.
Railroad promotions, however, naturally focused on the speedy
express trains. The arrival of the Transcontinental Express train
in San Francisco on this day in 1876 was widely celebrated in the
newspapers and magazines of the day. With this new express
service, a businessman could leave New York City on Monday
morning, spend 83 hours in relaxing comfort, and arrive refreshed
and ready for work in San Francisco by Thursday evening. The
powerful agent of steam had effectively shrunk a vast nation to a
manageable size.
73 - K.O., n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-Mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Message timed: 09:43 on Jun 04, 2016
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