Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-12-16
RAILWAYS AND CANALS.
NICHOLAS PEDR0SA,

| Of late it has been held out to the public, a!
an undOubted proposition, that the swift convey
ance of beats along Canals is impracticable; or,
If practicable. that 1t would be destructive to the
Canal banks; and that the swiftest conveyance
along Railways Is much cheaper than any Cana
| conye vance. By innumerable paragraphs in the
newspapers, and articles in the periodical publ
cations, the above proposition has been maintain
ed to have been completely ascertained by ensi
neers and men OF science, who, 1t has been alleg.
ed, have demonstrated, upon mathematical prin.
cipIes, and from the laws of matter and motion,
that the most attainable and profitable speed Of
boats and Canals cannot exceed three miles an
hour.
The following facts, however, will pro Ia
every one of common sense how egreg0usly these
engineers and men Of science have been mista-
ken, and how much the public have been misled
on these points:
FTst-Three years experience on the Paisley
Canal has proved that passengers can be convey.
ed along Canals, in sht boats, and roomy and
comfortable cabins, at the rate OF ten miles an
hour, without damage to the Canal banks, at fares
of one penny per mile in the best cabin, and three
fsrthings per mile in the steeragc. Let these
fares be compared with the expense of CARVING
passengers on the Liverpool and Manchester
are nearly three times as much as those IN the
best cabin Of the Canal boats; and the very low.
est fare on the Railway, at much reduced speed,
is three hafpence per mile, 10 an open and unco.
vered wagon, exposed to wind and rain, and the
steam and smoke Of the engine. This is just
double the fare in covered cabin by the Canal
boats, going at the rate of ten miles an hour.
1t must not be imagined that such an excess
in of Rail, frav ipfn
the pockets Of the Railway proprie'ors, tor such
is not the fact. By the latest report of the Man.
chester and Liverpool Company, the carriage Of
each passenger costs The Railway Company them.
selves Is 10ad. for distance of so miles. This
alone amounts 10 upwards Of one penny per mile
before the Railway Company Get any return Tor
the use Of the Railway. The bare outlay on the
Railway is, indeed, nearly fifty per cent higher
than the total fare on the Canal. A short calcu.
Iation will make this evident:
The average outlay in convey each passenger BY
the Railway the above OF Is. 03d for SO miles,
which is per mile Id 3-20ths
The proportion of best cabin and second
cabin passengers on the Paisley Canal, are
one fifth of best cabin passengers at Id per
mile, and four hfths Of second cabin psssen.
gers at three farthings per mile The ave-
rage total fare on the Canal is, therefore,
16-20ths OF penny per mile, Cd i6-2Oths
Being seven ,twentieths Of penny per mile, or
very nearly so per cent. less than the bare out.
lay on the Railway. The Canal Companies can
thus afford to carry, and actually do carry, pas
sengers at the speed Of ten miles an hour, at rates
that would be not only Improbable, but actually
ruinous to Railway Companies.
But, moreover, the expense to the Railway
Company Of carrying passengers has, according
to the Reports Of the Directors, been regularly
whereas the expense to the Canal
Company has been regularly decreasing.
The natural consequence of these facts has
been the progressive falling away of passengers
on the Liverpool Railway, and the progressive
increase OF passengers by the Paisley Canal, as
will appear from the following table, showing the
average number OF daily passengers on the Rail.
wey and on the Canal