Among the memoranda compiled by Benjamin Fish, published in his
memoir, I find the following:
"First cars were put on the Camden and Amboy Railroad
September 19, 1832. They were drawn by two horses. They took
the directors and a few friends from Bordentown to Hightstown
and back.
"On December 17, 1832, the first passengers were taken from
Bordentown through to South Amboy. Fifty or sixty people went.
It was a rainy day.
"On January 24, 1833, the first freight cars were put on the
railroad. There were three cars, drawn by one horse each, with
six or seven thousand pounds of freight on each car.
"Freight came from New York by steam boat to South Amboy. I
drove the first car, John Twine drove the second car and
Edmund Page the third one. We came to the Sand Hills (near
Bordentown) by railroad, there loaded the goods on wagons (it
was winter, and the river was frozen over), arriving in
Philadelphia by sunrise next morning. The goods left New York
at 12 o'clock, noon. This was done by the old firm of Hill,
Fish & Abbe."
Immediately after the road from Bordentown to South Amboy was
completed, and as late as the summer of 1833, passengers were brought
from Philadelphia to the wharf at White Hill by steamboat, and from
there were rapidly driven to Amboy. Two horses were hitched to each
car, and as they were driven continuously on the run, three changes of
horses were required, the finest horses obtainable being purchased for
this purpose. The time consumed in crossing the State (thirty-four
miles) was from two and a half to three hours.
Early in September, 1833, the locomotive "John Bull" was put on the
train leaving Bordentown about 7 o'clock in the morning, and returning
leaving South Amboy at 4 P.M. This was the first passenger train
regularly run by steam on the route between New York and Philadelphia.
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