ive element in England had been
sceptical and blocked Stephenson's progress--or tried to--so a
corresponding faction in France did all it could to cry down the
enterprise. Even those who upheld the introduction of the roads
advocated them for only short distances out of Paris; a long trunk route
they labeled as an absurdity. Iron was too expensive, they argued;
furthermore the mountains of the country rendered extensive railroading
impossible. France did not need railroads anyway. Nevertheless the
little group of seers who favored the invention persisted and there was
no stopping the march of which they were the heralds. Railroads had come
to stay and they stayed."

"It was a fortunate thing they did, wasn't it?" murmured Doris.

"A very fortunate thing," returned Mr. Tolman heartily. "Every great
invention is usually suggested by a great need and so it was with this
one. By 1836 the craze for railroad building swept both hemispheres. In
England the construction of lines to most out-of-the-way and
undesirable places were proposed, and the wildest schemes for propelling
trains suggested; some visionaries even tried sails as a medium of
locomotion instead of steam. Rich and poor rushed to invest their
savings in railroads and alas, in many cases the misguided enthusiasts
lost every shilling of their money in the project. Great business firms
failed, banking houses were ruined, and thousands of workmen were thrown
out of employment. In consequence a reaction followed and it was years
before wary investors could again be induced to finance a railroad. In
the interim both engines and coaches underwent improvement, especially
the third-class carriage which in the early days was nothing more than
an open freight car and exposed its unhappy patrons to snow, rain, and
freezing weather."

"Great Scott!" cried Steve. "I should say there was room for improvement
if that was the case."

"There was indeed," echoed his father. "In fact, it was a long time
before travel by train became a pleasure. Most of the engines used pitch
pine or soft coal as a fuel and as there were no guards on the
smokestacks to prevent it, the smoke, soot, and cinders used to blow
back from the funnels and shower the passengers. On the first railroad
trip from New York to Albany those sitting outside the coaches were
compelled to put up umbrellas to protect themselves from these
annoyances."

"Imagine it!" burst out Doris, with a rippling laugh.

"Nor