*

THE RAIL SPIKE AND THE LOCOMOTIVE.[1]

[Footnote 1: Abstract from the History of the Camden and Amboy
Railroad. By J. Elfreth Watkins, of the National Museum,
Washington, D.C.]

Early in October, 1830, and shortly after the surveys of the Camden
and Amboy Railroad were completed, Robert L. Stevens (born 1787)
sailed for England, with instructions to order a locomotive and rails
for that road.

At that time no rolling mill in America was able to take a contract
for rolling T rails.

Robert Stevens advocated the use of an all-iron rail in preference to
the wooden rail or stone stringer plated with strap iron, then in use
on one or two short American railroads. At his suggestion, at the last
meeting held before he sailed, after due discussion, the Board of
Directors of the Camden and Amboy Railroad passed a special resolution
authorizing him to obtain the rails he advocated.

ROBERT L. STEVENS INVENTS THE AMERICAN RAIL AND SPIKE.

During the voyage to Liverpool he whiled away the hours on shipboard
by whittling thin wood into shapes of imaginary cross sections until
he finally decided which one was best suited to the needs of the new
road.

He was familiar with the Berkenshaw rail, with which the best English
roads were then being laid, but he saw that, as it required an
expensive chair to hold it in place, it was not adapted to our
country, where metal workers were scarce and iron was dear. He added
the base to the T rail, dispensing with the chair. He also designed
the "hook-headed" spike (which is substantially the railroad spike of
to-day) and the "iron tongue" (which has been developed into the fish
bar), and the rivets (which have been replaced by the bolt and nut) to
complete the joint.

A fac-simile of the letter[2] which he addressed to the English iron
masters a short time after his arrival in London is preserved in the
United States National Museum. It contains a cross section, side
elevation and ground plan of the rail for which he requested bids.

The base of the rail which he first proposed was to be wider where it
was to be attached to the supports than in the intervening spaces.
This was afterward modified, so that the base was made the same width
(three inches) throughout.

[Footnote 2: This letter reads:

LIVERPOOL, November 26th, 1830.

GENTLEMEN,--At what rate will you contract to deliver at
Liverpool, say from 500 to 600 tons of railway, of the best