Around 1830, hand-cut stone blocks made by prisoners at Sing Sing Prison were intended for the Camden and Amboy Railroad to support wooden rails topped with iron straps, a system adequate for light horse-drawn vehicles. Robert Stevens, one of the railroad's founders, planned to use locomotive power and recognized that heavier iron rails were necessary, leading him to design the first T rails, like those still used, as well as the hook-headed spike to anchor them. After much experimentation, the first iron rails were rolled in Wales and shipped to Bordentown, where construction began. When stone blocks could not be supplied quickly enough, rails were laid on wooden cross-ties instead, which proved cheaper, held line and surface better, provided a smoother ride, and caused less damage to rolling stock. These early Camden and Amboy Railroad experiences established basics of modern railroad design and construction, while the company also advanced influence peddling and similar chicanery through its manipulations of the state legislature. The stone blocks were later recovered near Hightstown, New Jersey, after remaining buried under a railroad embankment for many years.