194 Chronicles of the Cape Fear River

James Burch, orderly sergeant. These companies might come
and they might go, but it was the militia ununiformed—not
necessarily uninformed—that rolled on forever. The Thirtieth
Regiment of North Carolina Militia, under command of Col.
John MacRae, and afterwards of others, was a great institution.
The upper division paraded at Long Creek and the lower divi-
sion assembled annually at Wilmington in the fall of the year.
On this review Brigadier General Marstellar came out with his
staff and sometimes Maj. Gen. Alexander MacRae with his.
Colonel Andrews, Col. James T. Miller, Col. John MacRae,

Maj. W. N. Peden, and maybe others graced these occasions.
It was a time of times for the boys. The Wilmington Militia,
with Dr. Billy Ware as orderly sergeant in front, stretching his
abbreviated limbs to keep the regulation step, was a conspicuous
part. The parade took place in what was then called “Ore-
gon.”’ It was about the time that the Oregon boundary question
was up, and the politicians shouted for “phifty-four phorty or
phight,” and afterwards fell back to “phorty-nine.” In “Ore-
gon”—that is about where the Chestnut Street Presbyterian
. Church now stands, or a little north of it.

The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad Company was char-
tered by the Legislature early in 1834. On January 1, 1836,
announcement was made that $200,000 had been subscribed to
the capital stock, and when $300,000 should be subscribed the
company would be organized and work commenced. Work was
commenced in October of the same year, and after struggling
against difficulties such as are not known in these latter days,
and at an immense sacrifice to those who put their financial
means into the work and to those who gave their business time
and energies to it, the last spike was driven March 7, 1840. The
road was chartered in the expectation of running from Wil-
mington to the State capital, but it was soon found that the
funds for completion could not be obtained in that direction

and the present route was located. The name was not changed |

to Wilmington and Weldon until comparatively recently. None
of the equipment was what we are accustomed to now. The
engines could not pull even a light train up a slight incline, and
so the passengers and baggage had to be run up the hill as at
present, and while the passengers descended a long flight of steps
and walked to the boat landing, one or two hundred yards away,
the baggage was shot down an incline to a hand-car and. rolled
away to the steamers in waiting. Happily, baggage smashers

Early Years 195

had not arrived at the perfection to which they have since at-

tained and Saratoga trunks were then unknown. It was the
day of bandboxes and bundles to try the patience of husbands
or other male attendants. Checks for baggage were unknown.
They soon came into vogue, but for special railroad lines only.
Engines in those days were doll babies or sandfiddlers to the
giants in size and weight and power of the present time. A
train of eight or ten cars each with carrying capacity not one-
fourth probably of the present was a sight to see, and the
coaches were not coaches as we know them at all, but cars made
somewhat like unto the stagecoaches they superseded. Think
of the time advertised between New York and Philadelphia,

100 miles, being eight hours.

Capt. James Owen was president of the road at its comple-
tion, Gen. Alexander MacRae, superintendent, and Walter
Gwyn, who had been in charge throughout the building, was still
chief engineer of construction. The four steamers owned by
the company and forming a line to Charleston—the Vanderbilt,

Governor Dudley, North Carolina, and Wilmington—were
not comparable in size or in convenience to the palaces of the
present day in similar service elsewhere, but they were never-

theless very comfortable, very staunch and strong, and com-
manded by experienced, careful, and fearless seamen—such
men as Captains Davis, Marshall, Ivy, Smith, Bates, Sterrett,
Wade, and others. One or two accidents occurred, however,
but without loss of life. On or about January 7, 1839, the
North Carolina and the Vanderbilt collided off Georgetown
Light, and both had to go into Charleston for repairs. On
Sunday, July 26, 1840, at 1 a. m., thirty miles northeast of
Georgetown, the Governor Dudley and the North Carolina
came into collision, and in a very few minutes the latter vessel
went down beneath the waves. All the passengers were saved,
but some, all probably, without befitting clothes. Some mem-
bers of Congress were aboard, among them Hon. Dixon H.
Lewis, the 500-pounder of Alabama. In his disrobed state he
was a curiosity as well as an object of sympathy when he ar-
rived in Wilmington. The Governor Dudley was not hurt by
the collision and came on to port. She was seriously delayed,
of course. The North Carolina had not been long in the ser-
vice since her former accident. The steamer Huntress was
put on the line temporarily in place of the sunken steamer,
and the Gladiator afterwards came in permanently. When the