Development Of Transportation (2ed, 1958)

today we are confronted with the fantastic flights of rockets far out into space at speeds of 18,000 miles per hour commercial airliners many of them with powerful jet propulsion engines that need no propellers can take passengers anywhere in the world in a matter of hours but once our world was a dim unknown expanse with many shut in people's each tribe was strange to the other each civilization was hemmed in by great natural barriers steep slopes made high mountain ranges impassable the unfriendly expanse of vast dry plains kept apart people dwelling in more fertile areas far-reaching wastes of treacherous desert lands for bad travel many dangers lurked in the dexa timbered wildernesses making travel both dangerous and difficult wide rivers for a long time defied the boatless traveler and the greatest barriers were the waters of the endless oceans surrounded by these waters the Western Hemisphere contained all the other barriers known to man progress has been due in the main to breaking down these barriers largely through improving our means of transportation the 13 colonies as a nation fell heir to the rich wilderness west to the Mississippi later came many editions of undeveloped land Louisiana and Florida Texas Oregon California and lastly the gadsden purchase within 70 years this nation spread 3,000 miles pioneers began to move into these undeveloped lands and at once the Appalachian Mountains loomed as a barrier farther beyond lay dark forests and Swift flowing rivers and broad dry plains that sloped upward to the snow-capped mountains deep gorges and deserts of the Rockies crude roads winding through the Appalachians were tedious and unsatisfactory so the erie canal was built to help the westward movement meanwhile that never satisfied group the inventors were improving on James Watts early steam engine and the day of the railroad dog early locomotives and trains presented many problems to the travel but as the railroad industry grew larger more powerful faster and safer engines and cars were developed with electrical power came all electric trains in some sections electric motors replace the steam locomotive another development the perfection of the diesel engine made possible the heavy-duty engines which today most of our long-distance trains new designs for locomotives and cars have kept railroads of breasts of modern developments the growth of railroads contributed greatly to the development of the United States the sprite of our railroad network is shown by this map in 1830 and experiment within 20 years a great industry by 1870 the continent spanned by 1890 well established lines of transportation nationwide today all sections of our country closely linked the invention of the gasoline engine gave to the world another kind of power which made possible the automobile in growing from the hand crank and sometimes exasperating experiment to today's speedy powerful vehicle the automobile has made great changes in our ways of living Americas millions of automobiles have demanded the replacement of roads such as this by system of broad durable highways to speed the nation's traffic throughout every section of the land the growth of our system of federal highways is shown on this map over that of the railways and now the development of state highways Transportation has played an important part in the industrial development of our country raw materials need to be taken over land and over countless waterways to great manufacturing centers where they are made into hundreds of products for shipment to distributing centers and from there to individual users land transportation ends at great Harbor terminals here ocean-going ships wait to receive both passengers and cargo of every description destined for the four corners of Europe our cities have created other needs for transportation our city streets have become congested with traffic this has lent the building of freeways and expressways through the city's city dwellers who don't have their own cars may use buses and taxicabs and many cities still operate trains on elevated tracks and in Subway's built under crowded streets people not carrying to live in large cities where they work are carried from small suburban towns by countless commuters trains the task of distributing foods merchandize and other materials necessary for life in towns and cities is performed by many kinds of trucks a city without trucks soon becomes in dire need thus the development of Transportation has broken down many barriers to human relationships the hearts of mountains have been pierced by railroad tunnels mountain sides have been cut open and highways planted their vast areas of wilderness formerly seldom traveled by man are now cost in modern streamlined trains with increasing speed and safety great modern super highways have replaced the once lonely trails over which the early traveller labored high above broad rivers we have built strong bridges of Steel plans so as to meet our needs for years to come uh we no longer pause at the banks of rivers but cross upon these bridges with traffic of every description we span the rivers with folks and make highways of inland waterways that were once barriers to land travel and what of the widespread sees those early bearers of travel and commerce they too have been conquered by modern transportation great ships now take us and our goods to the farthest parts of the earth they defy distance and stormed and bring the world to us they cross the roughest seas in comfort and safety and within a few days lastly we have scorned the natural barriers of land and sea and have taken to the air in our never satisfied desire to go more quickly from place to place our airplanes fly faster than sound and this huge jet-propelled airliner spans the continent or the Seas in a few hours over the intricate map of our railroads and highways have been blazed the paths now regularly followed by thousands of airplanes within the past century our street cars buses automobiles elevated trains Subway's passenger and freight trains together with many kinds of trucks have helped to develop our country and to make possible our industrial civilization the demands of modern life call constantly for great speed greater convenience and greater safety in transportation many kinds of ships on river lake and ocean continue to offer improved for commerce or recreation these vessels ply throughout all waters and help us to exchange goods and ideas with the world's people and now a new breakthrough the immense power of the Atome has been harnessed as in this submarine to run ships for years without refueling speed is most in demand in the work of surmounting time and space in our aircraft by almost daily new speed and distance records big fair to contribute most in the future who can foretell how fast and how far our continuing achievements in transportation will eventually take us