'J y ' K Amut * .at.
Che Conservative *
TIIK GUIS AT STKAM-WAGON.
The object of this article is to preserve
the memory of one of the picturesque
episodes of the freighting days ; those
days that were so brief , yet BO fall of
events. This was the project of super
seding ox-power with steam power
without the trouble of building a railroad -
road ; trains of wagons were to bo drawn
across the plains as before , but by means
of a ponderous engine. Such a saving
of time and money was hereby to be
effected that the freighting business waste
to bo revolutionized , and the Pacific
Railroad perhaps rendered unnecessary.
It was very promising , and who can
say what different lines the develop
ment of the West might have followed ,
if the machine had only worked ?
The steam wagon made a great sensa
tion , and still occupies a goodly place in
the memories of the old-timers. This
article , however , is prepared inde
pendently of reminiscences ; it is com
piled entirely from contemporaneous
newspaper notices , unearthed from THE
CONSERVATIVE'S unique files. It is
hoped , notwithstanding , that its appear
ance may serve to provoke some of the
pioneers to set down for posterity what
they remember of the affair. THE
CONSERVATIVE would be especially glad
to obtain a picture of the steam wagon
itself. It was photographed , by either
Hare or Williams , the "ambrotypists"
of the day , and copies must undoubtedly
be in existence somewhere ; if one can
be secured , THE CONSERVATIVE will be
pleased to have a cut made from it and
perpetuate it in its columns.
Things were very lively on the plains
in 1802. Mormons , "Pike's-Peakers"
and Oregon emigrants were moving
west in great numbers , and supplies for
them and for the settlements and mili
tary posts kept the great highways
burdened. The rivalry among the river
towns , each advocating the route to
which it was the gateway , was keen.
But one railway , the Hannibal & St.
Joseph , had reached the Missouri , and
freight and passengers were conveyed
by steamboat thence or from St. Louis
to such other point as they elected to
begin their overland journey from. All
the river towns were soliciting the busi
ness , and kept agents and distributed
literature throughout the East , properly
to expose their several claims. The
route from Nebraska City to Fort Kear
ney , known as the "Great Central
Route , " had undeniable advantages ,
being the shortest by forty miles and
having fewer natural obstacles than
many of the others. Much traffic there
fore came this way. The number of
The News preceding that in which the
steam wagon makes its appearance ,
chronicles the arrival from Denver of
Mr. R. M. Rolfe , and states that he
counted , between Denver and Fort
Kearney , 2514 wagons moving west
ward , of which 700 had come over the
Nebraska City line , leaving 1800 for the
others ; of which there were five of
principal importance , besides the minor
ones.
Into this state of things the steam-
wagon fell out of a clear sky , like a gift
from the gods dropped into Nebraska
City's lap. If Nebraska City had not
counted so confidently on the gods ,
things would perhaps be different today ;
but that is another story.
The News , then , in its issue of July
19 , 18G2 , publishes the following , under
the heading : "The Great Central
Route Its Advantages Appreciated. "
"Very much to the agreeable surprise
of the citizens of this place , the West
Wind landed at our levee , on Monday
morning last , the first locomotive engine
which ever pressed the soil of Nebraska.
It is the Prairie Motor , designed for the
transportation of passengers and goods
over ordinary roads.
"Gen. J. R. Brown , of Minnesota , the
Proprietor has an intimate acquaintance
with the nature of western highways ;
and appreciating the advantages of a
road which has no streams of any con
sequence to cross , selected the Central
Route from Nebraska City as the one
upon which to make his trial trips. *
* * We have no doubt of the ulti
mate success of the experiment. "
Much more space is devoted to the
steam wagon in this number than to
McOlellan's operations against Richmond
mend , then in progress. It gives a
complimentary personal notice to the
staff of the enterprise , which consisted
of two engineers , a fireman and a
colored servant. A detailed description
of the machine itself is also given. It
was made , we learn , by John A. Reed ,
68 Liberty St. , New York. It had four
engines of ten horse-power each ; the
steering wheels were six feet in diameter ,
and the drivers ten feet with eighteen-
inch tread. The consumption of fuel
was said to be at the rate of one cord of
wood in eight hours , with provision for
carrying four hours' supply of wood
and water.
This item is of interest , in view of the
fact that the failure of the enterprise is
ascribed by some to the fuel difficulty.
Four hours' stock of wood seems , in
deed , to be scanty to cross the gaps
between timber on the plains with.
Other accounts of the failure are that
the engine was stuck in a V-shaped
gully , and that the bridges along the
route were too weak for it.
On the arrival of the West Wind ,
"steam was raised , and the wagon pro
pelled itself from the deck to the levee , "
surmounting a grade of one foot in six ,
which was surely a severe test of its hill-
climbing powers.
It rested on the levee over night , and
the next morning was brought uptown.
It was not thought safe , however , to
venture on any of the bridges over South
Table Creek with it , so it was taken
over the hill to the old ford , which was
the only means of communication , before
the days of bridges , between the river
front and the town itself. This ancient
ford is used today by a few people who
live near it , but aside from them there
are perhaps not a hundred people in
town who could go to its site.
As the machine climbed "Kearney
Heights , " it was necessary to cross a
plowed garden , and this was accom
plished , although the ground was
saturated with a drizzling rain. It ran
smoothly up the remainder of the hill ,
thence down through a patch of hazel
bushes and sumac , and descended to the
rock ford , "turning at the bottom of the
hill an angle too sharp for an ordinary
freighting team and wagon. " Then
"crossing the ford , upon a bed of loose
stouep , it came up from the creek , a dis
tance of six or eight rods over a grade
of 960 feet to the mile the rain still
falling , and the soil very slippery. "
Thence it "moved easily" up Sixth
street to Main , and halted for the night
near the Seymour House the building
which was torn down this summer , next
to the Dr. Kay place.
"Nebraska soil , " says the editor ,
"when freshly wet , is like so much
grease ; and under the circumstances ,
our only wonder is that the machine
run at all except upon level ground. "
Then , in the local column , appears
this notice : "The citizens of Nebraska
City are requested to meet today in front
of the old Block House to discuss and
take certain measures for the general
advantage of the city. "
By the week following the outfit had
sailed , "jfif The Prairie Motor left
this city on Tuesday evening last , for
Denver , via the Great Central Route.
It ran over the two steep hills just west
of town with apparent 'ease and com
fort' itself. It will not reach Denver
for several weeks , as it is the intention
of the proprietor to have all necessary
grading , bridge strengthening , etc. , done
on the outward trip. The road once
put in order , the machine can then
mnke its trips regularly and on time. "
We further find an account of the
public assembly , which is called ( with a
purpose ) "a Mass Meeting of the citi-
ens of Otoe county. " General Isaac
Coe called the meeting to order , and
Judge Kiuney "stated the object of the
meeting to bo to give countenance and
encouragement to the enterprise of Gen.
J. R. Brown , in running a Steam Wagon
on the roads from Nebraska City to
Denver. " Hons. H. H. Harding , J. F.
Kinney , J. Metcalf , Wm. H. Taylor and
Wm. L. Boydston were designated to
draft resolutions , and reported among
others the following , preceded by a
suitable number of Whereases : "That
we hail with pleasure this new and suc
cessful application of stenrn , in the
propulsion of wagons across our. beauti
ful and fertile prairies.
"That we have the fullest confidence
in the entire future success of the enter *