The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1856-12-04
From tho PhiIadelphis North Amerie.n.
pa{1-n17 E7rni

Railroad Fuel.
The subject Of providing fuel to supply the
motive power Of railroads grows every year
more interesting and important The num-
Der of miles of railroad in the United States
ar the ,ar,nant Of the present year.
was abou. twenty two thousand and the
locomotive engines on these roads must be
not less ti.au five thousand. Supposing each
10 use wood, as q large proportion do, and
the amount consumed in year by each To-
connective to average eight hundred cords. and
we have between four and five millions Of
cords of wood annually burned i. the product
Of at least one hundred thousand acres of
woodland annually swept off. In the con
sumption Of wood IN stationary fires, for what,
ever purpose, the ashes enter into useful pur-
poses, for manures. and for chemical uses,
but the wood burned on railroads is a dead
loss, except for the driving Of the locomotive.
One effect Of this consumption. we per
eeive already, in the increased price Of wood.
Wherever the railroad competition directly
effects the market, the price first rises and.
in sympathy with the increase price al cer-
tain points. all others feel it. more or less.
The conyeniences Of transportation, which
railroads have not only directly increased,
but indirectly promoted, equaze the prices
# all commodities. Wood, now, in our
cities and in their neighborhooi. has risen to
a price which compels the consumption Of
coal. Many farmers burn coal. and send all
except their refuse wood to market. Ne
chanica! ingenuity has opened the way to
make even refuse wood merchant table and
already it is sold IA lots in New York, at the
small groceries, IN quantities of pennyworths
and upwards. Priv ATE individuals and house
holds are com PEELED to tho use Of coal as fuel,
by motives Of economy, and the poorer the
1 Il a
sion
This result IS. IN no small degree. to be
attributed to the increase Of railroads.
Having thus forced the use of coal upon
private individuals. a result 81 which we
have no reason - complain. i. becomes the
railroad ineres; 70 be looking to its own pro
St. Il Is an axiom in political economy, that
an increased demand for any article Of which
there is unlimited supply. lessens the price.
The value Of coal has diminished, while that
Of wood has increased. When the value of
anv commodity rises above the profitable uss
Of the consumer, the trade must be aban-
d3nei which ab=orbs the article, or substi
tute must be found for material which does
0! ylsl3 a living profit. The railroad inter
est, tie great carrying trade Of the world.
cannot be relaqulshed. Neither, we appre
hend. will the public submit to rise in the
for wha. must be ultimately the increase in
the price Of wood.
The obvious alternative is the substitution
of coal a fuel. L is attended with no diff
cul:ies which mechanical ingenuity canno.
overcome. Experiments have demonstrated
lis prac tcsbity /, and that ingenuity has not
been more turned 10 the subject results only
from disinc.ination the part Of railroad
companies TO institute new experiments while
.hev can avoid them. The objections to de
nuiinE the country Of its fores. trees. based
on general and agricultural considerations,
are weighty bi: we DO .ot press them, be
cause il IS mex. to impossible to satisfy any
corporation or individual thai It Is a duty 10
sacrifice private present considerations FOR
the public prospective good. Interest - AMI
mus. be the main lever in all the single oper
.,ions v'sich make up the aggregate Of the
national bas:ues= or benefit.
Ali = the presen. demand Tor coal. the
supply % railroad fiel, and the increased
market would. by stimulating the mining in
terest s.ll. further. rsd1ce the price Of fuel
New feds ot coal would soon bs opened,
and no. only Pennsy wanna, but all the States
in which coal lies, would be benefited. With
on: the use Of coal the railroad system Of
the L als-d States canno. be much further
permanently extended. With the use Of coal
the railroads will will make a good portion of
their own business All over about thirty
fv. csa.s IL the price Of a ton Of coal delir'
4Ted 70 he consumer IS money paid Tor labor
and transportation. except the dealers prof..
But cord Of wood is worth almost nine
senihs Of It's valzs before it is Gu: down. and
is bulk IS 50 grestthss It will no. pay. sxceI.
for ~ster-carriage. 70 aay great distance
From the introduction Of coal on railroads, as
fuel. We may da.e a grea: increase of their
usefulness 70 the public FIRST. n the employ
mens 81 laborers. and increase Of the mining
Business, s1d nexs il :s. reduction Il 'hs