The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1855-06-05
From the Cincinnati Railroad Record
Value OF one Mile Saved in a Roa d

| From the Cincinnati Railroad Record
Value OF one Mile Saved in a Road.
The building Of railroads has bad three dis
tinct eras, in each of which one step was. made
towards perfection, both in principle and plsc
tice. The first era was the period Of the level
road bed and the inclined plane, with station
ary enine and cable, The cost, inconvenience
aud .yexatious delay, gradually introduced Il
spirit of inquiry as'to whether some other and
better method of building could not be devised.
The result was the second era when engineers
racked their brains to invent graceful curves to
pass the hills, and thus by leugthening the road
escape the obstacle which they could not sur.
mount This, Of course, added materially to
| the length and also to the necessary cost. The
third era is that of lines, upon which we are
| just entering; and it is one Of the many strange
things that attend the history Of every new
branch of industry or science, that men will
spend years and sometimes centuries in attempt.
ing by complicated contrivances to overcome
imaginary difficulties, which have no real exist
ence. OF such character are many Of the
railroads between great commercial marts; they
are made to bend and twist and tnrn in every
way but the direct one, to-accommodate here u
a
they had been laid down in the first place as
they should have been, there would have been
no bill nor town to interfere with the direct line.
But to our purpose. What is the economi-
cal value of one mile of railroad saved At
first thought mile of railroad is trivial thing,
simply three minutes of time, or two coppers to
the passenger. But triAes make up the sum
of life," and triAes though these are, they make
an aggregate of tremendous Importance.
First, then, it is evident that one mile Of rail-
road saved Or given route is an actual saving
of the first cost of that one mile, say 100000.
Second. 1t is an annual saving to the world
at large of just so much money every year as
would be earned on that one mile, say 1000.
Third. 1t is an annual saving to the company
of the expenses necessary for working and keep.
ing in repair that mile Of road, say 5000.
Fourth. 1t is saving to the world of vast
amount of time.
Our first proposition is in itself so evident as
to need no further proof Our second and third
contain APPOINT, capable of illustration. The
annual saving to the business world in the
amount Of their freights aud the cost Of their
travel is $1,000, making an aggregate of annual
saving equal to $4,000. Ten thousand dollars
per annum is equivalent to capital of at least
$l66,600 at the legal rate of six per cent, and
that is as much as money in an ordinary season
will and ought to be worth. The facts in the
matter will then stand thus:
Saving in cost of road $4,000
Amount of capital equivalent to annual sa-
wing on freight and expenses l66,666
Total saving. Sl96,666
The total value, then, of one mile saved in the
length OF railroad is equal to nearly two hun
dred thousand dollars, in actual cash capital to
the country. In other words as road between
the same tcrn,ini l0l miles in length is worth
two hundred thousand dollars less than road.
between the same terminus only 100 miles long
Astonishing as this result may be it is neverthe-
less true and every days experience is demon
strating it more and more clearly.
But there is another point of interest : We said
in the fourth proposition that is was saving
to the world of vast amount of time Take
for example the Little Miami Railroad there
were carried during the last year, over this road
322,42l passengers; saving of one mile in
length would be these minutes to each. Three
minutes each to S22,422 persons. makes the
aggregate of l67, ,266 minutes orl6, ,222 honrs.
or 1892 working days of 10 hours each.
The time wasted to the passengers running
this extra miles, then would be equal to over
five years of 3l3 working days each aud this
irrespective ofthe time lost by the employees
of the company. Now $1,000 per annum is
not too large an estimate to put on the time Of
the merchants and traders who form the bulk
of those that travel. Five working years are
equalent to IS, 900. The loss oftimc may there
fore be estimated at $4,000 per annum, which
is equivalent to capital of ss3,333- This
amount added to the aggregate ofsl5'666 as
before, gives $279,99s or adding in fractions,
$3.50 900 as the penalty for Increasing the length
of road the distance Of one single mile.
In view of such results as this who shall say
tits only mile? That little only that is un-
necessary, takes from the wealth of the world
enough real capital to make ten times its length
of that which is necessary and which would be
productive and useful. 1t is waste Of energy
and means sinful in extreme, and which will un:
questonably open the door, at some future day,
to successful and economical competition.
No Word FOR HoME.-Is it true that the
French have no word corresponding to our
ahome!" If So how significant Of the tempers
and tastes of that versatile and volatile people.
They live 10 enjoy the visible and material of
earth, not the conte,nplative and ideal. They
live to visit, to talk, to hear, to be amused, to
be excited, to be admired-snd thus find their
chief pleasure out of doors, inthe midst of the
beau monde Home, though dear to them,
does uot occupy that first place in the affections
which we accord to it. Hence, while we have
given it the softest and sweetest name in our