Livingston, having committed himself to the steamboat
and holding a monopoly of navigation on the waters of New York
State, could hardly be expected to give a willing ear to a rival
scheme, and no one then seems to have dreamed that both canal and
railway would ultimately be needed. Livingston, however, was an
enlightened statesman, one of the ablest men of his day. He had
played a prominent part in the affairs of the Revolution and in
the ratification of the Constitution; had known Franklin and
Washington and had negotiated with Napoleon the Louisiana
Purchase. His reply to Stevens is a good statement of the
objections to the railway, as seen at the time, and of the public
attitude towards it.
Robert R. Livingston to John Stevens
"Albany, 11th March, 1812.
"I did not, till yesterday, receive yours of the 5th of February;
where it has loitered on the road I am at a loss to say. I had
before read your very ingenious propositions as to the rail-way
communication. I fear, however, on mature reflection, that they
will be liable to serious objections, and ultimately more
expensive than a canal. They must be double, so as to prevent the
danger of two such heavy bodies meeting. The walls on which they
are placed must at least be four feet below the surface, and
three above, and must be clamped with iron, and even then, would
hardly sustain so heavy a weight as you propose moving at the
rate of four miles an hour on wheels.
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