The first shipment of rail, having arrived in America, was transported to Bordentown, and here, upon the ground on which we stand, and which this monument is erected to mark forever, was laid the first piece of track (about five-sixths of a mile long) in August, 1831.  The Camden and Amboy Company, following the example of the Manchester and Liverpool Railroad, laid their first track upon stone blocks two feet square and ten to thirteen inches deep.  These blocks were purchased from the prison authorities at Sing Sing, N.Y.  Some of these stone blocks have been used in constructing the foundation for this monument.

[Footnote 3:  A list of the vessels chartered to transport the rails,
with dates, tonnage, etc., is given below: 

No. of        Tonnage.      Rate of
Date.               Ship.            Bars.     tons. cwt. lb.     Duty.

May    16, 1831.    Charlemagne     550       504    0   14     $1.85
May    19, 1831.    Salem           963       744    2   14      1.85
April   7, 1832.    Caledonia        38        63    3   07      1.85
April  23, 1832.    Armadilla       525     1,000    3   21      1.85
May     4, 1832.    George Clinton  624       986    2   14      1.85
June 2-18, 1833.    Henry Kneeland  204       377    3   21      1.85
May     8, 1832.    Cumberland    1,464     2,790    1   00      1.85
June    2, 1832.    Gardiner        601     1,136    0   00      1.85
June    5, 1832.    Globe           499       943    1   14      1.85
June    6, 1832.    Jubilee          70       130    0   21      1.85
July   18, 1832.    Hellen        1,080     2,004    3   21      1.85
July   19, 1832.    Nimrod          937     1,745    3   00      1.85
Aug.    2, 1832.    Emery           240       454    2   00      1.85
Aug.    7, 1833.    Ajax            364       700    0   21      1.85
Aug.   13, 1832.    Concordia       622     1,174    3   14      1.85
Aug.   14, 1830.    William Byrny 1,120     2,138    1   07      1.85
Aug.   20, 1832.    Mary Howland    932     1,755    3   07      1.85
Aug.   23, 1832.    Pulaski         488       924    1   00      1.85
Aug.   24, 1832.    Robert Morris 1,985     3,732    0   14      1.85
Aug.   27, 1832.    Ann             506       961    2   27      1.85
Sept.   3, 1832.    Montgomery    1,369     2,959    0   14      1.85
Sept.   4, 1832.    Marengo         534     1,004    2   07      1.85
Oct.   12, 1832.    Vestal          237       460    2   07      1.85

This iron proved to be of such superior quality that after it was worn out in the track, the company’s mechanics preferred it to new iron in making repairs.  Some of this rail is still in use in side tracks.  It is pronounced equal in durability to much of the steel rail of to-day. ]

FIRST JOINT FIXTURES.