Letter from Samuel Holmes, New York and Pacific Steamship, Coal and Lumbar Company, 615 North Broad & Elizabeth Off [office?] to Robert Young

Oct. 15th 1919

My Dear Bob,
I herewith enclose your copies of the description accompanying the three engines to the World’s Fair 1893 in Chicago & afterwards placed in the Field Columbian Museum by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company and again after that sent by the B&ORR Co to the International Worlds Fair at St Louis Mas. & at Jamestown Va. and now stored by the B&OOR Co waiting some other exhibitions Call for the exhibits. These three engines ‘Sans Pareil’ 1829, Samson 1838, Albion 1839 straightened out much that seemed puzzling you in your letter of 14 Nov, which I never fully answered owing to the amount I had to say about & ……… of the mortgage dated May 17 1833 and discharged by payment Nov 17 1833 for £500.

As Timothy Hackworth ceased to be an employee of the S&D Ry Co in 1833 (1) I suppose this amount of cash was necessary to give him a fair start as he would receive monthly cheques for the ‘leading’ done by the locomotives & passengers which as you will observe in the detailed work on the Engines ‘Hauling Coaches’ away here and there.

I never told you in the Ledger Page 39 there is a page entitled ‘Rotative Engine’ starting ‘1834 August mens time £1.8.6.’ then ‘Sep do & materials £1.13.10’ then the next line is ‘1836 May materials 2s.7d1/2 d. 4.31/2 , time 14/3, ‘June m time 8/9’ Then ‘1837 materials 14/43/4, m time £1.17.10’. ‘Jany m time £5.0.11 m £2.3.83/4’,Feby m time £13.10.61/2., m £4.7.5, March m £13.14.01/2, April Mens time 18.41/2 £1.19.3, May mens time 2/8, mens time £1.8.21/2, materials 6/4, m time 13/61/2, 1838 April materials 11/-. that ends it but they are consequently down the page, & have red ink folio numbers following column to month. Uncle John, I have heard say, Grandfather had a liking for experimenting in the line of Rotary Engines. This is interesting. His time was his own. He was independent of the Ry Co as far as disposing of his time went & it is interesting & worthy mentioning, it should be published fully.

I return the cutting of the Northern Echo Sep 27 1872. It is very interesting & should be published fully. I had not seen it. I think I have shown that Soho was bought and paid for before 1833. On May 17/33 £500 was borrowed upon its property which is therefore fair


[Page 2]
and clear. I have quoted from the mortgage that what they were then advancing money from the north line came up against property Timothy Hackworth already owned. Xxxxxx This is our affirmation why the already owned property was not included in the collateral for a loan of £500.

I have told you this parchment document is in 3 sheets bound together & I gave you the dimensions of the sheets. I see no objection to publishing it & if you think it would be better to publish it in its entirely I will copy it although it is job. If you decide the extract I sent you is sufficient to show who owned Soho in 1833 and part of it prior to that well & good but I am ready to go to work & copy it entirely. It shows an independent spirit and ability for it was released Nov 17 1833 or after 6 months.

Jack Hackworth wrote me when I was in Sutton asking me for money although his first letter spoke of how much property his wife owned. I did not reply and a letter from Kate received this morning by Gertrude states he wrote to the house to ask if I got his letter. This I believe is the same old story as I have heard it from my elders viz Uncle Thomas was a nuisance but has to be taken care of.

You will observe that Samson & Albion were built at Soho as was the St Petersburg Engine in 1836 that Uncle John took to Russia in 1836(sic). Grandfather was building his new Engines at Soho the Railway Engines were repaired at the Shildon Works. I am sorry you didn’t see just where the Shildon Works are & were when we were there. Pay no attention to Hackworth & Downing (2) they were no part of Soho. It will be all right to refer to Thomas Hackworth as Grandfather’s xxxxxxx younger brother & refer to his firm at Stockton on Tees of Fossick & Hackworth now Blair & Co. xxxxxx G Y Blair having been manager for Fossick & Hackworth until about 1866. I can refer to the ships built which were engined by F&H & so come at the last date & send it later to you.

You will observe in my transcript of all the engines & their costs of operation there is added at the bottom of page the £5 per cent Grandfather had to pay the stockholders for taking over the engines. I hope you will put this in fully as it is all new matter never been published & will be a big item showing Grandfather’s standing & connection with practical railroading when the other people who claimed so much are never heard of again. Trevithick quit in 1804, Ericcson quit when he got to US & he left Europe because Timothy Hackworth overshadowed him. Gurney quit & never did amount to anything. The others arose after the Locomotive was a success.

You will notice take notice what the B&O say about Royal George & the Blast Pipe. ‘Hackworth was the first to determine the blast pipe as an essential’. The Royal George in addition to the blast pipe had a cistern into which a portion of the exhaust steam could be turned to heat the feed waters’ etc etc. Here is positive testimony. I have copied exactly the words to a line and as arranged in the B&O printed description. You will see by looking at the 3 photos of Sans Pareil, Samson & Albion how the description was framed near the ground beside each engine. I think the advertisement of Sale of Work & Tools detailing them quite fairly enumerating cupolas etc etc. should follow the Northern Echo article in its entirety in both cases they are interesting & tell a lot.


[Page 3]

I received the Pease book this morning. I don’t know how much it is but I will send you a draft for two pounds if that is more than the two books well there may be some other I should like so return it. If not enough I will send more. Your evidences are all first class. Of course it was merely falling out jealosies & a desire to push the Quakers forward as princes which they were as financiers. I shall write to Nova Scotia as I know people there who will put me in communication with the owners of ‘Samson’ & ‘Albion’ & I will find out about ‘John Buddle’ & ‘Hercules’. I have seen the ‘Samson’ & ‘Albion’ and send you B&O description which as they are exhibiting them you may rely upon it being correct. Remember the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company is the oldest railroad in the United States so here is influence, character and justifier. Remember the new engines were built at Soho from the first excepting ‘Royal George’ and ’Sanspareil’ which was built at Shildon Works, the latter was financed by Grandmother’s dowry as it was Grandfather’s own production for a prize which would have been his if the accident hadn’t occurred. The B&O refer to this in proper style. I have assumed you know about ‘Albion’ and the others. I will get full information if they came this way to Nova Scotia.

There were a dozen engines built for the London Brighton & South Coast Ry. A good part of literature I have sent you speak of Uncle John and Uncle Tim (3) running engines on their 1000 mile guarantee. The ‘Albion’ had two name plates the same as ‘Samson’. I sent Sam (4) photographs of both the engines which I had taken when I saw them in Field Columbia Museum Chicago. There was no


[Page 4]

mystery at all. Mr Black of Pickford & Black Halifax is a friend of mine. He his wife daughter and daughter in law dined here with us and spent the evening about three years ago. He knew all about the engines and wanted them back in Nova Scotia when I told him they were in the Field Columbian Museum Chicago.

Don’t close-up with a final type written copy yet. You see these things have come up and there may be things you want to straighten out. I am crazy to see it, but it must be right. I will get at the Brusselton picture and have it photographed. I have not been very consecutive but I get tired I have written all the copies & this letter today and I am tired as you xxxxx will see by my writing.

I xxxxxx state on the Royal George & No 1 Engine papers that No 1 starts in folio 3 & 4 and Royal George 7 & 8 and all between 3 & 8 are torn out.



The ledger shows Messrs Hackworth & Downing Soho Foundry Co

Folio 53 Folio 54
1834 to cash ) £636.15.101/2 Buy goods £1214.6.4
Aug 16 Dec 6 ) By altering & 3 boilers )
1835 for Deanery Colliery )
Jany.Sept Main Beams & Coiling
Soho Works 1835
------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------
Dr Hackworth and Downing 1337.2.10 Folio 198 1337.2.10

------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------

1835
Augt 21
1836 Sep.


April 16 387.5.6 Oct. 387.5.6

This shows that Soho works were doing work for Hackworth & Downing (1) at the above dates and in the above amounts. That settles it. It starts Soho Foundry Co and below Soho Works Co.

I will attend to the accounts of Royal George but there are many pages torn if you look over the pages I sent you from No 1 to No 22 Lord Durham you will see my memorandum of torn and missing pages. I will do the best I can and intend to have a sample page photographed I am tired I have written all day.

. Yours aft
. SAMUEL HOLMES

(1) In 1833, Timothy Hackworth obtained a contract from the S&DR to build locomotives rolling stock and manage the S&DR. In 1833 he also set up his own works, putting his brother, Thomas in charge, and both works continued to build locos etc for the railway. At his own works he was also able to build locos for other lines.
(2) Hackworth & Downing was the first company that Timothy Hackworth formed in 1833.; he went into it with Nicholas Downing. The company had various names including Hackworth Bros., Thomas Hackworth & Co. and finally Soho Works.
(3) Uncle Tim was Timothy Hackworth (jun), 2nd son of Timothy Hackworth (sen) who . tried to continue Soho Works after his father’s death; Tim died from diabetes in 1856.