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Early American Railroads - Franz Anton Ritter von Gerstner's 'Die innern Communicationen'1842-1843 (Hardcover)
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Early American Railroads - Franz Anton Ritter von Gerstner's 'Die innern Communicationen'1842-1843 (Hardcover)
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This is the first English translation of a monumental account of
American railroads (and canals) in the years 1838-1839. Its author,
Franz Anton Ritter von Gerstner, was Europe's leading authority on
railroad construction, and he conducted his study at the behest of
the Russian government, which rightly felt that the United States
would provide a more suitable model for the construction of a
Russian railroad system than England. For a century and a half,
Gerstner's "Die innern Communicationen "has been recognized as by
far the most comprehensive and detailed work on the development,
construction, finance, and operation of early American railroads
and canals, enriched by accounts of the pioneering men who were
involved in the enterprise that was to transform the century.
Most of the technological data presented is to be found nowhere
else; for example, virtually every technique for constructing the
various kinds of track is explained and illustrated by line
drawings. Gerstner supplemented his first-hand observations of
every railroad in the United States with data from transportation
companies and government documents, including the amounts,
dimensions, and kinds of rolling stock, personnel, funds dispersed,
revenues collected, ton-miles of freight, and seat-miles of
passengers. Throughout, Gerstner's insights and commentary reflect
his vast experience and knowledge of railroads (he built what is
often called the first railroad on the European continent and the
first Russian railroad).
Gerstner went beyond technology to examine the management and
organization of railroads and canals and to review the structures
and responsibilities of state boards for the oversight of
transportation firms. In addition, he included vivid accounts of
many aspects of American culture, such as early "Jim Crowism," with
blacks traveling in baggage cars rather than coaches, and the
horrific working conditions of both free laborers and slaves (the
highly profitable Tallahassee Railroad owned its own slaves for
working on the line). All in all, the publication in English of
Gerstner's encyclopedic work is a major event in the economic and
transportation history of the United States.
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