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Title page of Documents tending to prove the superior advantages of rail-ways and steam-carriages over canal navigation.

Descriptive

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Rutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Location
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Digital exhibition
Label
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930.
AssociatedEntity
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curator
Name
Fowler, David J. (David Joseph).
AssociatedEntity
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curator
Name
Perrone, Fernanda.
AssociatedEntity
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project manager
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Radick, Caryn.
AssociatedEntity
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metadata contact
Name
De Fino, Melissa.
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Exhibition case
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Forms part of
Name
The Father of American Railroads
Detail
John Stevens (1749-1838) was the scion of a prominent family in colonial New Jersey. During the Revolutionary War he served as state treasurer. In the postwar period he became intrigued by experiments in steam navigation by men such as John Fitch. At his estate at Castle Point in Hoboken, Stevens devoted the rest of his life to experimenting with the application of steam to travel on water and land. Frustrated by the steamboat monopoly given to Robert Fulton by New York, he turned his attention to the new technology of railroads.
In 1812, he wrote the first American publication promoting the advantages of “steam carriages” over canals, which has been called “the birth certificate of all railroads in the United States.” He prevailed on the New Jersey legislature in 1815 to pass an act “to erect a Rail-Road from the River Delaware, near Trenton, to the River Raritan, at or near New Brunswick”—the first American railroad charter. The law said nothing, however, about what kind of motive power would be used. Stevens was not able to raise funds for the project. In 1825, at age seventy-six, Stevens built on his estate an experimental steam engine “for propelling a carriage on railways.” Guests were delighted to ride at six miles per hour on “the circle at the Hoboken Hotel.” Five years later, the Camden and Amboy Railroad was chartered, and his sons Robert L. and Edwin A. became officers in the fledgling company. When the John Bull locomotive arrived from England in 1831, the old inventor hosted a grand celebration at his estate. John Stevens had lived to see his vision realized.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition caption
Detail
John Stevens, Documents Tending to Prove the Superior Advantages of Rail-Ways and Steam-Carriages over Canal Navigation (New York, 1812). Said to be the first American publication on railroads. Stevens predicted that future locomotives could possibly travel at an “astonishing velocity” of 100 miles per hour, but “It is probable that it may not in practice be convenient to exceed twenty or thirty miles per hour.”
TitleInfo
Title
Title page of Documents tending to prove the superior advantages of rail-ways and steam-carriages over canal navigation.
Subject (authority = LCSH)
Topic
Railroads.
Subject (authority = LCSH)
Topic
Canals.
Note (type = general note)
Said to be the first American publication on railroads. Cf. Sabin, Bibl. Amer.
Name (type = personal)
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Stevens
NamePart (type = given)
John
NamePart (type = date)
1749-1838.
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Stevens, John, 1749-1838.
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Author
OriginInfo
DateIssued (encoding = iso8601); (keyDate = yes); (qualifier = exact)
1812
Place
PlaceTerm (type = text)
New York, N.Y.
Publisher
T. and J. Swords (printer)
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TitleInfo
Title
Documents tending to prove the superior advantages of rail-ways and steam-carriages over canal navigation (New York, 1812). Title page.
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930.
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rucore00000002143
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StillImage
Classification (authority = ddc)
TF144.S844D
Identifier (type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.1/rucore00000002143.Document.000063070
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T32F7MH1
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Rights

RightsDeclaration (AUTHORITY = RU_Archives); (ID = RU_Archives_v1)
Rutgers University owns the copyright in this work. You may make use of this resource, with proper attribution, for educational and other non-commercial uses only. Contact the Special Collections and University Archives of the Rutgers University Libraries to obtain permission for reproduction, publication, and commercial use.
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Source

Shelving
Locator (TYPE = Call number)
TF144.S844D
Note
SNCLX
ProvenanceEvent
Type
Exhibition
Label
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930.
Place
Special Collections and University Archives Gallery.
DateTime (encoding = iso8601); (point = start); (qualifier = exact)
2011-10-27
DateTime (encoding = iso8601); (point = end); (qualifier = exact)
2012-01-06
AssociatedEntity
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curator
Name
Fowler, David J. (David Joseph)
AssociatedEntity
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curator
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Perrone, Fernanda.
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Case 2 : The father of American railroads.
Detail
John Stevens (1749-1838) was the scion of a prominent family in colonial New Jersey. During the Revolutionary War he served as state treasurer. In the postwar period he became intrigued by experiments in steam navigation by men such as John Fitch. At his estate at Castle Point in Hoboken, Stevens devoted the rest of his life to experimenting with the application of steam to travel on water and land. Frustrated by the steamboat monopoly given to Robert Fulton by New York, he turned his attention to the new technology of railroads.
In 1812, he wrote the first American publication promoting the advantages of “steam carriages” over canals, which has been called “the birth certificate of all railroads in the United States.” He prevailed on the New Jersey legislature in 1815 to pass an act “to erect a Rail-Road from the River Delaware, near Trenton, to the River Raritan, at or near New Brunswick”—the first American railroad charter. The law said nothing, however, about what kind of motive power would be used. Stevens was not able to raise funds for the project. In 1825, at age seventy-six, Stevens built on his estate an experimental steam engine “for propelling a carriage on railways.” Guests were delighted to ride at six miles per hour on “the circle at the Hoboken Hotel.” Five years later, the Camden and Amboy Railroad was chartered, and his sons Robert L. and Edwin A. became officers in the fledgling company. When the John Bull locomotive arrived from England in 1831, the old inventor hosted a grand celebration at his estate. John Stevens had lived to see his vision realized.
AssociatedObject
Type
Exhibition caption
Detail
[John Stevens] Documents Tending to Prove the Superior Advantages of Rail-Ways and Steam-Carriages over Canal Navigation (New York, 1812). Said to be the first American publication on railroads. Stevens predicted that future locomotives would travel at 100 miles per hour.
ProvenanceEvent
Type
Related publication
Label
All aboard! Railroads and New Jersey, 1812-1930 : exhibition catalog.
DateTime (encoding = iso8601); (qualifier = exact)
2011
AssociatedEntity
Role
curator
Name
Fowler, David J. (David Joseph)
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