A question...

[White Fox]

OK. And please don't search the net for this as it spoils the fun for you and every other member here. No one has fun if you do that!

 

Question...

Were the tracks of the Underground Railroad standard or narrow gauge?

[Guest]

I'd say this is a trick question. If I recall correctly (and that's a stretch) the underground railroad was not actually a railroad, but a network of individuals working together to liberate slaves from the south.

 

Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

 

JA

[Mr Barguzin]

I actually thought that he was talking about the French Underground... then I saw railway and pondered further... "but which one?"

[FrBrGr]

I'd say this is a trick question. If I recall correctly (and that's a stretch) the underground railroad was not actually a railroad, but a network of individuals working together to liberate slaves from the south.

 

Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

 

JA

 

I think you're absitively, posolutely 100% correct, JA! (You have to watch White Fox very carefully - He's good at pulling stuff like that - ! )

[White Fox]

Yep you got it.

 

There were many people of those times who wanted to help slaves escape slavery. Indeed many of the "station masters" were Quakers.

 

The railroad was a term to keep slave owners busy. They kept looking for an underground railroad that didn't exist. Since it didn't exist they could never find it.

 

A slave would get word out they wanted to escape, or indeed would just do it. If they were lucky they would come upon a person to help them. They would be taken to the nearest "station". The station was simply a safe house, but again slave owners and bounty hunters were looking for actual railroad stations. They would be passed from station to station using all sorts of tricks. Hidden in hay. Transported at night. Hidden in boxes in cargo. I recall one case where the slave dressed as a bounty hunter, and was taking his captured slave back to the owner. The captured slave was a railroad conductor bringing him to safety. They simply reversed positions.

 

The areas near Detroit were major terminals where the slaves would be helped to escape to the Canadian side.

 

There were a lot of old hymns and spirituals where the words were actually passing information on, and giving slaves the hope of escape.

 

Where I live I am not far from an underground railway terminal.

[Guest]

WOW White Fox, THANKS for the history lesson! When you mentioned the Quakers and the hymns, it just brought back memories in a flash! It is truly amazing to think that the U.S. was engaged in slavery! At least some level-headed individuals understood that it was simply not just. Unfortunately many of the underlying feelings are still present today. It is sad really.

 

I am of Portuguese decent. I did research (postdoc) for three years in NC. At the time, many Hispanics, mainly Mexican-Americans or Mexicans were coming up to NC to work. My family and I tried to rent a house and we were turned down (long story but we knew that the house was still available, but not to us). I look like a "plain ol' white boy" but the last name was "too Hispanic" for the realtor or owner.

 

Before anyone gets all wound up about NC, I'd move back there in a heart beat. Our friends would truly give us the shirts off their backs if we needed them. One day my daughter's God-father came over to our house to let me ride his motorcyle. Why? Because it was a nice day and he thought I'd like to go for a ride. WHAT a truly thoughtful, generous guy! Our daughter was also born in NC.

 

I guess my point is we find ugly people and good people everywhere.

 

Thanks again for the history lesson White Fox!

 

JA

[White Fox]

I guess my point is we find ugly people and good people everywhere.

 

You are exactly right. There were the good and the bad. And, we do have to remember that times have changed too.

 

For instance, sailors on the old war ships were not allowed above except to do their "business" over the side a few times per day. Otherwise they were down below. Some could not even stand up for days other than those short walks, as the decks were just too close. And, if that ship came to within a mile of your home and docked for a month, unless your rank was high you were never allowed to visit your family at home or they to visit you. Even if you had not seen each other for years. And yet they were not slaves!

 

Slavery was terrible back then. Working conditions were terrible back then. We often romanticise about the "old times". BUT! Those old times were not very romantic so often. There is a little cemetery a kilometre or so away from where I live. In there are the graves of three children who all died within a short while. Their father was so depressed, he was working on a high roof, and not paying attention. He fell off and was killed. That Mom lost her husband and three of her children (as I recall she had one left) all within 30 days.

 

All of these things are perfect examples of "The so called good old days"! Slave families were all sold separately so often to all go different directions, never to see each other again. None of these things can be considered as proud moments within our history.

 

W

[furup]

as a railroad buff I knew that the underground railroad had no track, engines etc.

 

But most subways or rapid transit systems use standard guage. Execpt the Bay area rapit transit uses 5' 6" guage.

 

I recently saw a map of railroads in the the eastern half of the us in 1860 at hte start of the civil wre. I lot of them were 3 foot gauge. In fact at one point you could almost go from philly to chicago on 3' gauge railroads in 1880 or so, execpt for a 200 mile gap, The only part of that network left is the East Broad Top in Rockhill Furnance, Pa. it runs for 4.5 miles in a north south line. a small part of the original of almost 70 miles hualing coal. The rails are still in place after it shut down in 1960, I saw them about 20 years back and no ties left or spikes.

Furup