Page:Historic highways of America (Volume 13).djvu/130

 could it overcome? Would curves be permitted as the scheme developed? As to its popularity, no question could be raised. Though the company had few cars and the track was a single track and the road but twelve miles long (running from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills), during the first four months of operation the receipts were $20,012.36, and ten times the freight that could be handled was offered. An advertisement of the rail road of 1830 is interesting. "Brigades" (trains) of cars left Baltimore at 6 and 10 A. M. and from 3 to 4 P. M.; brigades left the opposite terminus at "6 and 8½ o'clock, A. M." and "12½ and 6 o'clock P. M." Drivers were not allowed to permit passengers to enter the cars without tickets. A postscript reads: "P. S. Parties desirous to engage a Car for the day can be accommodated after the 5th July."

The question of motive power was the great question of the hour. Horses and mules only had been used on the other two rail roads in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts; in this year (1830) on the Liver-