Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-02-07
For The Enquirer
F0T
GAUGE QUESTION

Do unto others yoH rord hapc others do unit you
This maxim Of mutual beneyoeEec mi DO present up
pupatcy paaphrased Du for or uc.o o;hcrs as others
have done for, or unto you"
The above quotation has been fociby Impressed on the
mind of the writer, from contrast Of the of the
friends OF the grea! frank line Of centrdi inprorcent
wards the friends OF The Southwestern Improvement with
the monopoIzinR spIri! that uctulc the
ter towards the former, uutcr the thin uise Of dsiner
The truth intended Illustrated by the fabls Of tilg
kni Farmer end the Serpent is wilou, force
In this enlightened age Of progress.
Why do The friends OF the Virginia md Tennessee Road
Insist with so rch Of dirat!on, Ia ai5 he Cvvnsini
Wise man nan m sn SAID t en s,p e II S ns
| in m1nsnd."
On Tint assumption will frs, consider this subject and
The and effect, hurmunIous operation, has
more Influence In gviog direction ~ trade end uvcl than
| any other.
The Virginia and Tennessee Company having !, n con.
temptation 10 construct branch Of h- read down New
River seek by all fair aud honorable means have suc
gauge affixed 10 the Covnglon Gud Oaio Ra!l Road will
harmonz- with theirs and constitute influential cause
ccClpg aud facilitating their connexon With the same
consequently hbslracting from It portion Of The trade
travel that il haa absuncled from the great West AMI by
quence deprive the States road Of seventy miles
| of transportation, TO which It Is propery entitled.
Having accomplished that distant nud obscure sal.
10y let The subsequent EIstcrn effects and results
Will this trade be likely TO be placed the canal
burg and thence certainly come 10 Richmond? II the argu
Of the advocates OF to 6vo fco gauge be true
ference TO CoyiuGon aud Tho gauge there, Ger.
taiuiy tc not For by tho unbrokcu gauge n Lynch.
burg OF The Virginia and Tennessee with tho South siGe
Road and tho contemplated extension of the former with
FIVE feet gauge, Of course TO Gordonsve and Alexando
the business will be likely be continued on ono or
other of these from their unity of n:cess and recpo
cal Affiliations, an it will te parted WITH and placed On The
canal, having now only The influence Of cheaper caua
transportation over lao miles.
The practical effect Of these causea adroiy arranged
s to initiate against Tho revenue OF the S,ae on both the
Covington and Ohio Rail Road for seventy miles and the
caGa for $50 miles from CovngtOn 10 Richmond On the
uther hand the practical effect resulting from the tounagr
and travel coming 10 Covng,on on the Sta.os own road
under The superinendence Und ol he States own
agents, will be transfer of all heavy tonnage from ou
State Interest another In unity with he former and offer
Ing the cheaper frciehoyer 20O miles placing the
The Richmond market The unity of interest connecng the
Covineton and Ohio Rail Road and The James River aud
kanawhn Canal Covington and such identity between
The former aud the Central Rail Road cxcept 10 travel and
the Sns best interest," Than is The change OF gauge
from feet SS inches 10 fecti in behalf of cach OF
which, il about to be primarily adopted procttcoI srpsr
ence Is nearly equally balanced
Being Engineer and certainly conceiying that some
who write this subject are like mysc he Editor OF the
Whig for examplc) will On diacusson OF the
relative merits nf these Two ncay upproyimllng) glugcs
Tie condition OF things docs not admit Of considering hi-
de noro
find however on this snhcct that as late os ls.5 Of
the Rail Roads OF England 1901 miles were of The narrow
4SE inch guage and I'll! the aggregate NUMBER Of mles
of broader gauge.
"Thc ROYAL Commission appointed by ,e British Pailia.
10 1915. 10 investigate this subject made an elaborate
report In 1913 After considering and contrasting the
81 gauge (nu with tho apProxr,a,ng five frc)
but with six feet, they up their concu.
sons lius They recommend that the gauge of ;ou feet
81 inches bu declared by the Leelslaue 10 be the gau2
used in all public railways under construction o.
hereafter to DC constructed in Great Bta Aud atd ,a,
commercial convenience would be obtained by redu.
cling the gauge of the present broad gaugo lines to tie mar.
row gauge"
"Tlc fna conclusion bc that If all rail roads
we now 10 be constructed aEtw gauge OF five Ice, elk
oches six feet would be considered desirable bu
that the evils of break OF gauge great the pre-.
sent Prepunderance OF narrow gauge roads ovtrou
lance the Disadvantages ct the gauge which should
therefore be adopted oy jail future ai roads which
connect with others"
Besides the low and easy grades attanable ;c Coyng
ton and OhiO Rail Road forcing west, ,Use the Cen
trail Rail Road aud Of The Virginia aud Tcnnesscc Road i'm
it the certainty Of such superior working capacity
as that lis transportation will greatly HE capacity of
the Virginia Central Roll Rond and consequently bring an
EXCESS of tonnage 10 Covingon, that must transfer TO the
canal even though no community Of interest influenced il,
How docs this consideration operate at Lynchburg2
The easier grades Of the roads made and designed 10 be
made eastward from Lynchburg presents greater capacity
for transportation from Them than The Vsnia and Tcnucs
Road Of higher grade bring tha important inar
commercial centIe; and consequently increased ana com.
bined competition against the canal. and ulialian
policy will therefore be 70 manian the respective gauges In
reference TO iir respective connexions win other
anG eastern roads. FAIRNESS"