The New York herald., 1851-10-14

roadsids forest, as no>nzsatsf ooss than that Of
heving IL. The stsl|k hossss. Sooiine oiisss.
and other buildings: Are likewise slight aud chsaply
in the more populous S1n1ss the timber bridges
constructed with stone I1lau and abutnents, sup
porting arches Of tru6oVerk, the cost of such
bridges. varying from fs1>y-dx shillings per foot,
foot for two hundred fss spsn for single line the
cost On double line being fifty per cent more
When the railways strike the course Of rivers
such - the Hudson, Delaware, or Susquehannan.
carried by steam ferries. The manage nsnt of
these ferries il deserving of notice IL Is genersy
arranged that the time of crossing them cores
ponds with meal Of the passengers platform
is constructed level with the line OF rail way and
carried to the waters edge. Upon this platform
rails are laid by which the Wagons which bear the
passenger luggage and other matters OF lgnt ana
rapid transport are rolled aire'tiy upon Inc up
while going under covered way to the lower deck.
The whole operationis ccomplished in i've minutes.
While the boat is crossing the spacious river the
passengers are supplied with their breakfast, din. .
ner, or supper, as the case may be. On arriving
at tho opposite bank the upper deck comes 10 con-
tact with like platform, bearing railway upon
which the luggage Wagons are rolled; the pas
sengers ascend, us they descended, under q Gov
cred way and, resuming their places in the railway
carriages, the train proceeds.
But the prudent Americans have availed them
selves Of other sources Of economy by adopting
mode OF construction duapteu 70 tue eApectou
traffic. Formed to carry limited commerce, the
railways are generally single lines, sdngs being
provided at convenient situations. Collision is i'm
possible for the 6rst train which arrives at siding
must enter it and remain there until the following
train arrives. This arrangement would be attended
with inconvenience with crowded traffic like that
of many lines the English railways, but even on
the principal American lines the trains seldom pass
In each direction more than twice day, and their
time and place Of meeting is perfectly regulated.
In the structure of the roads, also, principles
have been adopted which have been atten ted with
great economy compared with the English lines.
The engineers, efor example, do not impose on
themselves the difficult and expensive condition of
excluding all curves but those OF large radius, aud
all gradients exceeding certain small limit o!
teeIness. Curves of NOfeet radius, and even less,
frequent, and activities rising at the rate of
foot in 100 considered moderate ascent, while
there are not less than fifty lines laid down with
81 adients varying from in 100 to in 10; never
tneless these lines worked with facility by loco
motives without the expedient even, of assistant or
stationary engines. The consequen ces Of this have
been to reduce in an immense proportion the cost
of earthwork, bridges and viaducts, even in parts
OF the country where the character OF the surface
least favorable But the chief source Of economy
has arisen from the structure of the line elf In
many cases where the traffic is lightest the rails
sis of tat bars of iron, % inches broad and l0ths
Of inch thick, nailed and spiked to panks of tim
Der laid lopgitudinaly the road in parallel lines.
to form what are called continuous bearings.
Some of the most profitable American railways, and
those Of which the maintenance has proved least ex-
pensve, have been constructed in this amer. The
road structure, however, varies according to the
traffic Rails sometimes laid weighing only
from % lbs. to 3Obs. per yard. In come cases of
great trac they are supported on transvese sleep
ers Of wood, like the European railways; but IN
con sequence OF the comparative cheapness OF wood
and the high price of iron. the Strength necessary
for the road is mostly ob aned by reducing the dis
tance between the sleepers so as to supersede the
necessity of giving greater weight to the rails.
anhc nj fha ols.' Af
is maL tanned with regard to their locomotive stock.
The engines strongly built, safe aud powerful,
but destitute Of much of tha; elegance OF exte.
terror and beauty Of workmanship which has excited
much admiration in the machiles exhibited in
the Crystal Palace. The fuel is generally wood,
but certain lines the coal districts coal il
used. The use OF coke is nowhere resorted to- Its
expense would make it nadmissible, and in a coun
try so thinly inhabited the smoke proceeding from
coal is not objected to. The ordinary speed, stop
pages included, is from fourteen to sixteen miles
hour. Independently Of other considerations, the
light structure Of many Of the roads would not allow
q greater velocity without darger nevertheless
we have frequently travelled some of the better
constructed lines at the ordinary speed Of the
EDglsh railways, say thirty miles an hour and up
wales.
Notwithstanding the apparently feeble and ur-
substantial structure Of many OF the lines, acc
dents to passenger trains scarcely ever heard
Of IL appears by returns now before us that OF
9355, ,414 passengers booked in 1850 the crowd "a
railways of Massachusetts,, each passenger III sking
an average trip Of eighteen miles, there were ony y
6fteeh who sustained accidents fatal TO life or
limb IL follows from this, by the common prin-
ciples explained by us in q former article, that
when passenger travels one mile on these rail-
ways the chances against ac ,ident producing
personal injury, even Of the slightest kind, are
ii ,226, ,jGS to ], and Of course in journey Of 100
miles the chances against such accident Hfe 266
to i. We have shown in a former article that the
chances against accident on an English railway,
under like circumstances, are e5,l23 to l. The
American railways are, therefore, safer than the
English, in the ratio Of III TO -.
great line Of communication is esta blished, 100
miles in length, between Philadelphia and Pitts
burg, on the left bank Of the Ohio, composed
partly Of ralway and partly Of canal. The section
from Philadelphia to Colon bia (s2 mies) rs rail-
way; tie line is then continued by canal for l12
miles to HOldaySburg; IL is then carried by rail-
way 81 miles 10 Johnuorp. whence it is continued
lOi miles further, to Pittsburg, by canal. The
traffic on this nike line Of transport Is conducted
transshpment Of goots and passengers at the sue
cessiye points where the railway and canal unite.
The merchandise is loaded and the passengers ac-
sommodat,d In the boa 8 adapted 10 the canals, at
the de pot. in Market street, Philadelphia. These
boats, which ore of considerable ma ynitude and
length, are divided into segments, by partitions
made traDsverfely, and at right angles to their
length, so that such boa. be, a. IL were,
broken into three or more pieces. These several
pieces placed each on two railway trucks,
which support IL at its ends, a proper body
being provided for the trucks, adapted 10 the
form OF the bottom and keel Of the boat. In
this the boat is carried in pieces with its
load, alorg the railway. On arriving at the canal
the pieces are united az TO !oim a continuous
beat, which being launched. the transport is con-
til ued on the water Ga arriving again at the
railway the boat is resolved into its seq
mebs, which, rs before, tr insferred the rail-
way trucks and transported 10 the next canal
station by locomotive engines. Between the depot
in Market street and the loco motive station which
is situated in the suburbs Of Philadelphia the seg-
ments of the boat are drawn by horses rail-
ways conducted through the streets. Al the loco
motive station the trucks formed into q
tnuous train, and delivered to the loco motive
engine. As the body Of the truck rests upon
pivot, ur der which il is supported by wheels IL is
capable Of revolving, ard diff Guilty is found in
tuInir the shortest curves, and these enormous
vthiclef, with their contents Of merchandise and
Isssengers, daily issuing from the gates of
the oeIot In MARKET street. ard turning with
facility the corners at the Cntrsn:e Of each success
sive strtet
By a comparison Of the rttuns. published by Dr..
Laidner, in bis work already quote with the more
reCt results shich we have already riyen IL will